“Do not think that I
came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to
fulfill. For truly I say to you, until
heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from
the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever
then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do
the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and
teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew
5:17-19)
Picking up
where we left off, looking at a passage in Matthew where Jesus is talking about
the Law. Last week, we covered verses 17
and 18. As a quick review, Jesus
understood Himself to be the fulfillment of Judaism and has already in this
passage, stated that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but
to fulfill them. Therefore, we
understand the whole Old Testament (OT) as reaching its divine purpose in
Jesus.
He goes on to say, “Whoever then
annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the
same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and
teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Ibid). Like all passages, the context of the passage
is the proper key to its understanding.
Jesus is about to address several OT commandments. In verse 21, “You shall not commit murder”
(Exodus 20:13). Verse 27, “You shall not
commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) and so on.
At no point does Jesus nullify or green light these sins. In fact, His interpretation of these OT
passages often carries a heavier calling; i.e., not only should you love your
neighbor, but you should love your enemies (5:43-44). Jesus never called down Elijah-like-fire (2
Kings 1) on Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod or the Romans crucifying Him, but
instead prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are
doing” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Luke
23:42a) . Hence the understanding, we do not annul the
OT commands, but understand the OT as fulfilled in Jesus and thus the proper
way to read the OT.
And reading the OT through its
fulfillment in Jesus is what Paul meant when he wrote, “Do we then nullify the
Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law” (Ibid.
Romans 3:31). Which is where we’ll pick
it up, next week.
Written by Pastor Ozzy
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Works Cited
1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible.
LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.
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