Scripture Fulfilled
March 23, 2025
Matthew 5:17-20
A little girl who went to visit her grandparents. Her grandparents considered Sunday as the Lord’s Day, and to be a day of rest. They thought it should be a day of quietness, to walk, not run or play, plus, the Bible was the only book that should be read. The granddaughter could not play on the swing set or play hopscotch on the sidewalk. While grandpa was taking his nap, she asked her grandmother for permission to walk to the gate. Her grandmother said OKAY, but no running. As she walked to the gate, she stopped to watch an old mule, standing with his head bowed and his eyes closed. Reaching through the fence, she said, “Poor old fellow, have you got religion, too?”
Now, people have different views about Christianity and Scripture. Some have a legalistic view of Scripture as they emphasize the dos and don’ts that Scripture teaches. Others believe Scripture offers some good suggestions that we should consider for our lives. Some believe that Scripture is trustworthy when it comes to the gospel, but that its ethics no longer directly apply to our rapidly changing culture. Some believe it is fully God’s Word. Others believe it is only partially God’s Word. Some believe it is full of errors and lacks authority while others believe it is fully accurate and thus authoritative. The big question is “What did Jesus believe about Scripture?” Let’s look at our text.
Matthew 5:17, 18 states, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets (the Old Testament); I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Why would Jesus mention this? It is because Jesus taught about who is a part of the kingdom of heaven in the first part of this chapter (Matthew 5:3-16). So, some would have questioned if he was contradicting the Old Testament. They might be asking questions like, Jesus, are you teaching a new way to be in a right relationship with God? Are you getting rid of the Mosaic law and what the prophets taught?
So, Jesus said, I did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. He even noted in verse 18 that until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest letter or mark would disappear. This was Jesus’ view of Scripture! Jesus had an extremely high view of the Old Testament! It was the Word of God, inspired, inerrant, infallible.
Now, the reason the people questioned Jesus on this issue is because the Jewish teachers taught that people entered heaven by following the Mosaic law, plus the traditions and the various rules developed by the religious leaders. So, Jesus is stating that the scribes and Pharisees did not regard the Old Testament Law highly enough. They had, as verse 19 notes, set it aside, preferring their own rules, regulations, and traditions.
For example, in Mark 7:1-20, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders for their hypocritical teaching.
Some religious leaders noticed that some of Jesus disciples failed to follow the Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. This was one of their many traditions. So, the religious leaders asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.”
6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
9 Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.
Then Jesus gives them another example. Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 12 In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 13 And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”
14 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 15 It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
Jesus repeats this to his disciples to help them understand. Then he states in verses 20-23,
And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
So, it is important to understand that it was the misinterpretation of the law by the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus was rebuking!
Principle 1: Recognize Jesus affirms the authority of the Old Testament! Scripture teaches heartfelt obedience, not legalistic, self-justification righteousness.
Please realize Jesus was not teaching anything new. Instead, He taught what Moses, and the Prophets taught. He rebuked Satan when he was tempted with Old Testament Scripture. Jesus affirmed and taught that a life lived righteously before God must be lived in heartfelt obedience to His word! These religious leaders did not really love God from the heart. Instead, they turned from Him and His standard of righteousness to their own standard of righteousness.
So, Jesus wanted his hearers to realize that he affirmed the Old Testament but also was rebuking the religious leaders for their traditions, their own rules, their self-justification way to heaven, instead of a heartfelt obedience to God and His word!
Verse 17 then notes that I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Then the end of verse 18 puts it this way, …will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Jesus assures his listeners that he did not come to abolish Scripture, but to fulfill, to accomplish to complete what the Old Testament stated! So, in what ways did Jesus fulfill, accomplish, complete the law and the prophets? He fulfilled the Old Testament in several ways.
1. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament by fulfilling Messianic prophecies.
For instance, Genesis 3:15, notes there was going to be a seed from the woman who would crush the head of the serpent. Jesus was born of a woman and had victory over Satan through His death and resurrection.
Micah 5:2 notes that he would be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-6).
Isaiah 7:14 stated that he would be born of a virgin.
The Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham, and King David (Genesis 12:3; 22:18; II Samuel 7:12, 13).
Isaiah 9:6, 7 states, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is a huge prophecy about Yahweh’s Servant, the Messiah. He would come to die for our sins. After his death, he would be the light of life!
2. Jesus fulfilled the OT by fulfilling its types and symbols that point to the greater fulfillment!
For instance, the Day of Atonement demonstrated how a perfect lamb would be a substitute for the people. When John saw Christ, he said as noted in John 1:29, Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! The atonement sacrifices had to be offered every year for the removal of the people’s sins. After Jesus death on the cross, there is no longer a need to practice the Day of Atonement. Christ completed it.
God sent manna from heaven for Israel to eat, Christ said he was manna from heaven (John 6:32-35).
The food laws, religious festivals, and sabbath days were all “shadows” fulfilled in Christ. As shadows, aspects of Christ could be discerned from them which helped prepare people for the coming messiah.
Colossians 2:16, 17 states, Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
3. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament by perfectly obeying God’s law.
II Corinthians 5:21 states, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
4. Jesus fulfilled the OT by giving believers power to keep the righteous requirements of the law through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In Jeremiah 31:31-34, the prophet noted that there will come a time when the Lord will make a new covenant with His people. The Lord will put His law in our minds and write it on our hearts. Of course, Jesus introduced this new covenant at the last supper as he said, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you (Luke 22:20).
Ezekiel 36:26, 27 states, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
In Acts 2, the Apostle Peter quoted from the book of Joel that the Lord would pour out His Spirit on all His people (Joel 2:28).
Jesus has fulfilled the Law and has given us His Spirit. As Romans 8:1-4 states, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Jesus fulfills the law by his Spirit working in us.
Listen, the Old Testament points to Jesus!!! He completed the incomplete masterpiece that was begun in the Old Testament.
Principle 2: Take to heart Jesus fulfills the Law and the Prophets! View Scripture through Jesus!
Verse 19, Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus calls his followers to correctly interpret God’s word and correctly practice and teach others. If we do, we will be recognized as the great ones in the kingdom. If we misinterpret Scripture, we can lead others astray. II Timothy 2:15 states, Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
This is so important! So many so-called Christian colleges and seminaries have compromised their view of Scripture. Many seminaries simply do not hold any longer to Scripture as being the authoritative word of God. As my youth pastor told me years ago that a professor at Princeton Seminary told the class that the Bible is just like another book on the shelf.
Now let me note this. Every believer in Christ does not have the gift of teaching but all believers are instructed to teach. The great commission as noted in Matthew 28 commands us to go and make disciples and teach them to obey all what Jesus taught. Scripture teaches that we should teach and be a model to one another. We are to help others grow in Christ. Ephesians 6:4 notes that parents should instruct their children. Titus 2:3, 4 instructs the older women to teach younger women.
Though salvation is not based on one’s work, reward or loss of reward is. Paul makes this point in I Corinthians 3. Jesus notes that the church were baby Christians as they would quarrel who say, I follow Paul while another says, I follow Apollos. It is like people today who say, I am Baptist while another says I am Presbyterian, Nazarene, or various others. This is childish! We are followers of JESUS! We are to build on His foundation! Paul goes on and says our rewards will be based on our works. If we build wisely, God will reward. However, if our works our burnt up, there will be no reward, yet be saved.
Here is principle 3. Learn God’s word! Correctly interpret it! Practice and teach it to others!
Verse 20 states, For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is not saying that you must earn your way into the kingdom by being more righteous than the scribes and pharisees. Instead, his focus is on those who thought that their righteousness, their self-righteousness, would enter the kingdom of heaven.
You cannot make up your own standard and then present that before the Lord as a righteous life. I am afraid that if you went out and asked 10 random people how to get to heaven, most would say live a good life. This is not what Scripture teaches. As Romans 3:20 indicates, No one will be declared righteous by their good works, rather it is the law that points out our sinfulness. Romans 3:23 puts it bluntly, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
A right relationship with God comes in having faith in Jesus Christ, to have Him as the Lord of your life. Paul writes in Romans 3:21-22a, But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. The righteousness that surpasses the religious leaders is having faith in Jesus! As one has Jesus as the Lord of their life, they desire to practice true righteousness as they walk in His Spirit.
Principle 4: Have true righteousness through faith in Jesus! Have Jesus as the Lord of your life!
Sadly, I am afraid many people have their own perspective on righteousness. I have learned that people are experts at justifying themselves. Human beings have a unique ability to convince themselves that no matter what they have done they are “okay.” Many might profess to believe in Jesus but have a cheap grace perspective. They have the perspective that they can do whatever they want, and God will forgive.
No. True righteousness has a desire, has a motivation to honor the Lord, to seek Him first, to live righty according to what He wants, to do His will not, self-will.
Let me close with this story about Dr. Rosalind Picard. Rosalind is an American scholar and inventor who is Grover M. Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at MIT, founder and director of the Affective Computing Research Group at the MIT Media Lab. Rosalind was once convinced that she did not need God or religion. So, she declared herself an atheist and dismissed believers as uneducated. But as an educated person she figured at least she should read the Bible. Picard said, “When I first opened the Bible, I expected to find phony miracles … and assorted gobbledygook. To my surprise, the Book of Proverbs was full of wisdom. I had to pause while reading and think.”
She read the entire Bible twice. She said, “I felt this strange sense of being spoken to. I was invited to church and the pastor got her attention when he asked, “Who is Lord of your life?” She said: I was intrigued: I was the captain of my ship, but was it possible that God would be willing to lead me? After praying, “Jesus, I ask you to be Lord of my life,” my world changed. I felt amazing peace. I felt more of an urge to seek the truth, to ask even tougher questions. I once thought I was too smart to believe in God. Now I know I was an arrogant fool who snubbed the greatest Mind in the cosmos—the Author of all science, mathematics, art, and everything else there is to know. Today I walk … with joy, alongside the most amazing Companion! She walks with her Lord Jesus Christ!
