Christ And The Law Series

CHRIST AND THE LAW

Matthew 5:17-18

Here in the USA, when a new president takes office, (if his predecessor was from the opposition party) one of his first acts after his inauguration is usually to go to the Oval Office and begin to sign executive orders with the intention of immediately reversing or abolishing certain policies implemented by the prior administration.

In other parts of the world, especially after some sort of revolution, it is common for a new leader to remove and sometimes even kill the members of the previous government or monarchy. A newly established leader will often nullify the previous constitution and set up their own form of government and establish new laws that are in line with their agenda.

When Jesus came to earth, He astonished the crowds with His teaching (Matthew 7:28-29 “the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.). Throughout His earthly ministry, our Lord was constantly confronted, challenged and accused by the Pharisees. One of their constant complaints was that His teaching was contrary to the Law of Moses. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that His doctrine was not at all contrary to God’s Law. However, it was vastly different from the Pharisees incorrect interpretation of it. Jesus plainly declares and then goes on to describe the fact that it was not His purpose or desire to abolish the Law, in fact, one of the primary reasons for His coming to earth was to fulfill the Law that the Pharisees “claimed” to hold so dear.

The truths that Jesus declares in this passage had serious implications for the Jews, and they are also important for those of us who are in Christ today. I would like to examine Jesus’ declaration here in verses 17-18 and consider: “CHRIST AND THE LAW”.

v17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 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.

Jesus said that not a single “jot” or “tittle” would pass from the Law until it was completely fulfilled. The “jot” was the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The “tittle” is a small mark in Hebrew writing that distinguishes one letter from another. The CSB does a wonderful job translating this verse: v18 “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished”.

Jesus wants His audience to know that no truth recorded in scripture, (not even the smallest detail of God’s law) will pass away until its purpose has been achieved. It is interesting and important to note that Jesus does not say that the Law will never pass away; rather, He said it would not pass away until all was fulfilled/accomplished. The only way that the Law could be fulfilled was through Christ Himself. In fact, the very purpose of the Law and the Prophets was to point to Jesus.

In order for us to truly understand Jesus’ teaching concerning the fulfillment of the Law we must understand what the Law is, where we can find it, why it was established, how it was fulfilled and what it means for us. For this reason, I would like to survey the scriptures and try to answer these questions.

- First of all:

WHAT IS THE LAW?

The Law refers to the commands of God that the Nation of Israel received from Moses. We often refer to this as the Mosaic Law. This is not because Moses came up with these commands himself, rather, he was the “mediator” between God and the people. Ultimately, the laws that Israel received were God’s laws.

God gave His Law to His people, the Nation of Israel, however there are moral principles contained within the Law that are valid for all people in all generations. Paul said in Romans 2:14-16, “So, when Gentiles, who do not by nature have the law, do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus”.

- Another elementary question that we must answer is:

WHERE CAN WE FIND THE LAW?

God’s law is a subject that is found all throughout the Bible but the primary sections that record it in detail are Exodus chapters 20-31, the Book of Leviticus, and the Book of Deuteronomy. God’s Law is vast and covers a multitude of subjects. There are many of God’s Laws that give extremely specific detail about the things that God’s people should avoid and other things that they should seek to accomplish. Though multiple chapters and entire Books of the Bible record minute details of the Law, it is summarized in The Ten Commandments; these are found in Exodus 20:1-17.