The Fulfillment of the Law: Understanding Matthew 5:17-20
Matthew 5:17-20
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus delivers some of the most transformative teachings in all of Scripture. Among them, Matthew 5:17-20 stands as a crucial passage that clarifies His relationship to the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Jesus declares:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; 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. 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. 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.”
The Meaning of Jesus Fulfilling The Law
At first glance, these words may seem puzzling. Jesus emphasizes that He did not come to abolish the Law, yet Christians often speak of being “free from the Law.” To understand His meaning, we must look closely at the word He uses: fulfill.
Jesus fulfills the Law in several profound ways. First, He perfectly obeyed the Law in every respect, living a sinless life where no one else could. Where Israel failed to keep God’s commands, Christ succeeded. Second, He fulfilled the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament, becoming the Messiah whom the Scriptures pointed toward. The sacrificial system, the festivals, and even the commandments were shadows of a greater reality—Christ Himself. In His life, death, and resurrection, the Law reached its intended goal.
Christ’s Fulfillment For The Believers
When Jesus says not a “smallest letter” of the Law will disappear until all is accomplished, He reminds us of the Law’s enduring holiness. God’s commands reflect His character, which does not change. However, through Christ’s fulfillment, we are no longer bound by the Law as a system of earning righteousness. Instead, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to those who believe. As Paul later explains in Romans 10:4, “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
This passage also confronts the danger of superficial righteousness. Jesus warns that our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were meticulous in their outward observance of the Law, but often their hearts were far from God. True righteousness, as Jesus teaches, is not about checking boxes or following rules for appearance’s sake. It is about an inward transformation that produces love, mercy, and obedience flowing from a relationship with God.
What We Can Learn About Matthew 5:17-20
For believers today, Matthew 5:17-20 calls us to hold God’s Word in reverence, to see Christ as the fulfillment of every promise, and to live in a righteousness that goes deeper than external observance. It is a call to Spirit-led obedience, where the Law is written not just on tablets of stone, but on our very hearts.
Conclusion
The fulfillment of the Law in Christ does not free us to live carelessly—it frees us to live faithfully. We no longer strive for righteousness in our own strength but walk in the grace of the One who accomplished it all. In Him, every demand of the Law finds its completion, and every believer finds true freedom.