Jesus and the Law of
God: His View of the Law
“Do not think that I came to
destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to
fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one
jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is
fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these
commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of
heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that
unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
(Jesus, Matthew 5:17–20)
There is
much confusion over Christianity and its relation to the law of God found in
the Old Testament. Some Christians feel the law is simply not for us today–it
was only for people back then. Now that Jesus has come (they say), we don’t
really even need the Old Testament, and to promote law is contrary to grace.
Other people feel confused because it seems to them that Christians pick and
choose which Old Testament laws to keep. One criticism is that we hold to laws
concerning sexuality but throw out laws concerning food and clothing.
Well, by looking at what Jesus says
concerning the law, it will help to dispel much of the confusion perceived in
our day. Jesus presents four concepts about the law in this part of His sermon
(two of which will be looked at in this post).
Concept 1: Jesus Came
to Fulfill the Law and the Prophets
Jesus
clearly says that He “did not come to destroy, but to fulfill” the Law and
Prophets (the Old Testament Scriptures). He was certainly critical of the
religious system of His day, and it is possible that some thought He wanted to
do away with everything and start something entirely new. However, Jesus
explains that what He teaches does not negate the Old Testament but rather
builds upon the Old Testament. He fulfills what the Scriptures are all about.
He, first
of all, fulfilled prophecy on an unimaginable level. The prophets had foretold
that the Messiah (the Christ) would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), that he
would be of the lineage of David (Jeremiah 23:5), and that He would be pierced
(Psalm 22:11–18). It is said that for a person to have fulfilled even eight
prophecies (and Jesus fulfilled many more), the probability would be 1 in
100,000,000,000,000,000 (Slick).
Jesus not
only fulfilled prophecy, He fulfilled the law itself. It is helpful, on this
point, to note that the Old Testament law contained three elements: ceremonial,
judicial, and moral. The ceremonial aspect of the law has to do with the
sacrifices and temple worship practiced by the people of Israel. God gave them
statutes to help them understand how to honor and worship Him rightly. Jesus
fulfilled the ceremonial aspect of the law by becoming the true sacrifice for
all sin, making a way for people to be able to enter the presence of God. (The
book of Hebrews sheds light on all of this).
The
judicial aspect of the law has to do with ordinances given to uphold the
theocratic system instituted by God. Israel was meant to be under the rule of
God through the mediation of a king. When Jesus came, the Jews (as a nation)
rejected Him, and Jesus established a new people (termed the church) who live
under the rule of God. The judicial, theocratic law is fulfilled in Christ, who
reigns as King over His people. His kingdom is spiritual (not of this world)
and awaits His earthly arrival (cf. John 18:36; Revelation 11:15).
Finally,
the moral aspect of the law includes moral principles that reflect the
righteousness of God, which is the standard for all people, times, and places.
Jesus fulfilled the moral aspect of the law perfectly. He never sinned, and
those who sought to accuse Him could never find any credible grounds by which
to indict Him. The moral aspect of the law is also fulfilled in Christ’s
followers, who carry out the moral principles contained in the Scriptures. The
apostle Paul speaks of this, saying “that the righteous requirement of the law
might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according
to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).
We see,
then, that Jesus did not come intent on casting the law aside but rather
fulfilling it in every way. The law was given for a purpose, and that was
ultimately to point to Jesus Himself, the true fulfiller of the law.
Concept 2: Jesus Says
the Law Is God’s Unfailing Truth
Jesus says:
“till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass
from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). A “jot” refers to the smallest
Hebrew letter, and a “tittle” refers to a small stroke that is part of a Hebrew
letter (Walvoord and Zuck). In other words, the law is firm down to the very
last detail. It is God’s infallible truth.
Since Jesus gives such esteem to
the Old Testament, so should His followers. In reality, one cannot fully understand
the New Testament portion of the Scriptures unless he has read and comprehended
the Old Testament. Concepts in the New Testament are predicated on the
historical and instructional information presented in the Old Testament. A
follower of Christ should regard Scripture in the same way as Jesus and make
sure to thoroughly read and study the Old Testament in order to grasp the full
import of why Jesus came and what He has established. The Bible, as a whole,
tells God’s overarching story of creation, and Jesus’ ministry and teaching
must be seen in the context of the Scripture that will be fulfilled down to the
last stroke of a pen.
Works Cited:
Matt Slick (quoting Peter Stoner), “Prophecy, the Bible and Jesus” (available at http://carm.org/prophecy-bible-and-jesus,
accessed June 2012; Internet.
John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (editors), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New
Testament (Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1983), 30.
Scripture quotations are taken from the New King
James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson,
Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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