What of the Law? (Matthew 5:17-20)

Introduction

Isn’t it crazy how certain songs can get stuck in your head? Songs that either have a catchy tune or lyrics. Or maybe the song just relates to you.

Just this past week or so, my wife mentioned having a song stuck in her head from something our children were watching. The song just got stuck there.

‌For me though, one of that regularly gets stuck in my head is a song from Middle School. The way our middle school was structured, every 9 weeks we had the option to choose an elective class. There was tech-ed, there was P.E., there was music (which I never took), and others. There was also a Bible History Class. Yes, a Bible History class in the public school.

And while I do not remember much about the class itself, I remember that part of the class required us to be able to write out the Books of the Bible in the correct order and with proper spelling.

‌Our teacher, Ms. Rose, helped us to learn the books of the Bible in order by a song. A song called One Big Book with 66 parts.

‌Now, I don’t remember much else about the class, if it was anything outside of history, but the reality is, this little catchy song not only taught me how to know the order of my Bible, it taught me something that would only later come in my Christian Discipleship, that the Bible is one Big Book with 66 parts, it is not individual books and stories. It is a book that finds its whole in the person and work of Jesus!

‌The whole of the Old Testament was pointing forward to Jesus and his coming, and the New is telling of his arrival, ministry, death, and resurrection in the gospels, and then the advancement of his kingdom through the church in the remainder of the New Testament.

‌Jesus is the center of it all. And this is what we are going to look at this morning in our message this morning from Matthew 5:17-20 I invite you to take your Bibles and turn there now. If you are unfamiliar with the Bible, that large number is the chapter number, the smaller, the verse numbers. These are the smaller numbers you will see there. You can also find our passage on page #963 using one of the Red Bibles in the seat in front of you. And you would be helped in our time together this morning by keeping the Bible open as we go.

‌Our passage is set in Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. A teaching that spreads through the entirety of Matthew 5, 6, and 7. And in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching his disciples about what it looks like to be part of God’s kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. A teaching that would be seen so radically different that Jesus must explain himself here in our passage this morn ing.

‌Matthew 5:17-20, would you please stand for the reading of God’s word this morning.

‌If I have studied this passage rightly then, here is what I think is the main idea of Matthew 5:17-20, and thereby the main idea of this message: The Bible is one big story of redemption that culminates in the person and work of Jesus, because it is he alone who fulfills all righteousness.

We are going to unfold this in 4 parts: (1) The Law and Prophets’ Beginning, (2) The Law and Prophets’ Fulfillment, (3) The Law and Prophets’ Continuity, and (4) The Law and Prophets’ Righteousness.

Point #1: The Law and the Prophets’ Beginning

Verse 17…

Before we can unfold this saying that Jesus has come to not abolish but fulfill, we must first consider here and understand what King Jesus means by this statement, the law and the prophets.

For in saying the Law and the Prophets, what Jesus is referring to is not just the books of Law known as the Torah, which is that of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It is not just those in addition to that of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets. For the record, they are called minor because of their short length, not because they are less important. In saying the Law and the Prophets, Jesus here is referring to the entirety of what we now call the Old Testament. The 39 books from Genesis to Malachi.

From the beginning of the Old Testament God’s covenant people are being traced from creation, to God’s judgment in the flood, to the scattering of people, to the choosing of Abraham and the following of his family line until Joseph and the people find refuge in Egypt in the midst of famine.

That is Genesis, but then in Exodus we see God delivering his people, Israel, from Egypt in the Exodus and the establishing of these people with his law.

This law is further expanded in Leviticus and Numbers, then re-stated in Deuteronomy as the people prepare to enter the Promised Land 40 years later.

Then from Joshua-2 Chronicles, along with Ezra and Nehemiah, we have a history of the people of Israel. Then there is the Prophets which is where God chooses his messengers to warn the people that they have rejected his law and therefore if they do not repent, judgment is coming. And then when they fail to repent, judgment comes, even that of exile from the land that was given to them.

And this is what Jesus is referring to in saying the Law and the Prophets. And he is making clear that he has not come to abolish this law and these teachings from the prophets.

This is important for Jesus to teach, because the temptation for those in Jesus’ day, as well as in our own day is to think that Jesus has somehow thrown off all that was written previously. That he brings about a completely different rule and law.

In his own day, Jesus needed to teach this, because he soon would come under fire as one who threw off the Law and the traditions of the religious leaders in Israel. And then he knew his disciples would face the same thing.

Therefore it was important for Jesus to teach early that he has not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets at all. That he is for the Law and the Prophets. Mainly because the Law and the Prophets, while they are a summary of Israel and its history, it all has been declaring God’s story of redemption. That is how God plans to redeem a people to himself. For while in the beginning God created it all, and it all was good, sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the garden, their rejecting God as King in disobedience to his one command to not eat from the forbidden tree. Yet in their eating of it, sin entered the world, sin that left Adam and Eve and all of us through them separated from God in all his holiness.

And the Old Testament is telling a people how a Holy God could come and dwell in their midst and they still live. But here is the thing, the laws, the ceremonies, the being set-apart was never meant to save the people. God never intended for these to save his people. His people could never be good enough. They could never offer enough sacrifices according to the laws given in Leviticus on this. It all was to point the people to the depth of their sin and their need in God’s mercy and grace. It was to point them to their need of redemption and ultimately a redeemer. One who would come and fulfill all that was spoken.

And we need this reminder today too. For we are tempted to think that there is a disconnect between the Old and New Testament.

We hear this in the following type of statements:

“I am under grace, not the law.”

“The God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New.”

“I’m a New Testament Christian, therefore I don’t bother with the Old Testament.”

Beloved, friends, Jesus did not come to abolish the law and the prophets. He did not come to set them aside. He came to fulfill them.

Point #2: The Law and Prophets’ Fulfillment

Again, let us look back to verse 17…

We just unfolded that Jesus has not come to abolish the law or the prophets, again that is the whole of the Old Testament. But now, what does it mean that he has not come to abolish, but to fulfill?

Is it just that Jesus came as the obedient Son who obeyed all the law? It is certainly not less than this, but it is much more. Matthew in his gospel account is laboring to present several key themes to us. The two most prominent is that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah who has brought the kingdom of God to earth. The other though is that this Jesus is the one who has been prophesied about to bring true peace and deliverance for both Jew and Gentile. This Jesus is the fulfillment of this!

And we have already seen both of these to be true so far in Matthew’s account of the gospel. Consider the previous verses that talk about Jesus being or bringing the fulfillment:

Matthew 1:22 (ESV)

22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

Matthew 2:15 (ESV)

15and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Matthew 2:17 (ESV)

17Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

Matthew 2:23 (ESV)

23And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Matthew 3:15 (ESV)

15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

Matthew, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has been laboring to connect these dots for us, that this Jesus is the one who fulfills all that has been previously written in the law and the prophets. That everything previously written has been pointing to him!

This is why it has already been recorded in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus has come to fulfill all righteousness. He would be the one to keep every law, from keeping the whole of the 10 commandments, to keeping all the laws telling how God’s people are to live among one another, caring for one another, especially the most vulnerable. For Exodus 20 brings the 10 commandments, but Exodus 21-23 brings laws about slaves and restitution and social justice and sabbaths and festivals. And Jesus comes to fulfill all of these as only he can!

But again, in saying he fulfills the Law and the Prophets, Jesus means much more. He means that all the Law and the Prophets were pointing to him, even that of Israel’s history. This is why Matthew has already said that what seems like a random connection of Jeremiah 31:5, which says: A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” is fulfilled in the killing of all the male children two years old or under as Herod sought to kill this new King of the Jews, King Jesus. Because it all points to him in some capacity. He is the fulfillment of it all!

And if this is true of Jesus in these things, how much more important is it that Jesus is the one to come and fulfill all the ceremonial law by becoming the sacrifice that would do away with all sacrifices. Christian, if you have ever wondered why it is unnecessary for us to perform sacrifices of lambs and bulls and goats, its because the Lamb of God has come and shed his blood once and for all.

In Hebrews 10:4 we read, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Then shortly after we read this in Hebrews 10:14, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

The Law and the Prophets called for sacrifices of bulls and goats and lambs, but they were not an end to themselves. These sacrifices pointed to the need of something more, the Son of God who would come and shed his own blood to wash away our sins. The one who would fulfill God’s promise of old from the Prophet Isaiah of one who would come as the Suffering-Servant.

Consider these words from Isaiah in Isaiah 53:

Isaiah 53:2–7 ESV

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

This Jesus would be the one to fulfill this promise and to take away the need of the ceremonial law that called for sacrifices and ceremonies. This too is why it was necessary for Jesus to say that he came not to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill.

The law and the prophets served their purpose in pointing to the need of Jesus. Jesus is proven to be the one who fulfills the law and the prophets bringing about a better salvation. But now what of the law?

Point #3: The Law and Prophets’ Continuity

Verses 18-19…

The Law, the Prophets will continue to stand until all has been fulfilled. Jesus says here that not an iota, not a dot will pass away until all is accomplished. In saying not an iota, not a dot here, Jesus is here referring to the simplest and smallest of the Greek language which was the common language in his day. His audience would have grasped its smallness. And Jesus says even this small iota, this small dot will not pass away from the law until all is accomplished.

This is important, because it makes clear that Jesus has not come to overturn everything. He is teaching his disciples, including us today, Christian, that there is continuity with the law. It shows continuity in the character and plan of God for redemption. Therefore, Christian, we must not unhitch ourselves from the Old Testament, but give ourselves all the more to the study of it.

It’s important to note here, that this is why in the planning out of the preaching calendar we try to alternate between the New Testament and the Old Testament in our series. So far we have seen this in going from James to Ruth, and now to Matthew. We will continue to see it through the remainder of the year as well. Because in a few weeks at the conclusion of Matthew 7 and the Sermon on the Mount, we are going to pause for a bit on our Matthew series to study the book of Habakkuk, then Titus, then probably another minor prophet or few weeks in the Psalms before coming back to Matthew this fall. The whole of the Scripture is important for us as Christians.

But it must be asked at a more personal level, how are you, church, doing in regards to the Old Testament and reading and studying it? When is the last time you have found yourself personally exploring all that Jesus has come to fulfill?

Our Christian lives are aided in Old Testament Study. For in studying the Old Testament, we grasp more of the New and become more in awe of what Jesus has come to do in fulfilling all the Law and the Prophets, particularly of his going to the cross to shed his blood there, then to be buried and rise again on the third day. Beloved, let's be faithful to reading and studying our Old Testament.

At the same time, we must realize that we are not to read our Old Testament as if the New didn’t exist. We are meant to read the Old Testament in the light of Jesus and his coming and his death and his resurrection. This means, we are to read the Bible through the lens of Jesus. If Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, we should then learn and grow to see Jesus as the center of the story and on every page of Scripture. Hopefully you began to see how to do this as I led us through Ruth. But there are others who do this faithfully. Go and listen to a Mark Dever sermon from Capitol Hill Baptist Church and hear him or others there unfold the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus.

And this is what we are to do and teach others then. We are to obey the law of God through the lens of Jesus and to teach others to do the same. This means that we do not teach that we are called to offer sacrifices every time we sin, but we are to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. This means that we are not under the law of old, but we are under the law of Christ who fulfills the law of old. This means as men we are no longer under the law of circumcision, but we are under the call to have circumcised hearts.

It is this that we are to do and teach others if we are to be great in the kingdom, because the law of God still stands, the holiness of God still exists. But if we relax on these commands, if we teach others to relax in keeping the law of God, the law of Christ, we shall be called least in the kingdom. Church, those who relax the standards of God are unfit for teaching God’s word on any level. We need not those teachers who make less of God’s holiness, but more. And therefore call us to a greater righteousness.

Point #4: The Law and Prophets’ Righteousness

Verse 20…

While we may not be struck by this verse today, the original hearers of this might have been driven to a bit of despair in hearing that their righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees if they were to enter the kingdom of heaven. For the scribes and the Pharisees would have been thought of as the most righteous. They took such great care to not allow themselves to even dare come close to breaking the law.

In his commentary, Daniel Doriani writes this on the Pharisees and their extremes for keeping the Sabbath. He says, “They codified how far one might walk (one thousand yards), how much one might write (one word), and how much food one could take out of storage (one gulp) without breaking the Sabbath.”(1)

And yet, this is not the law, it exceeds the law in failing to pursue greater righteousness. Legalism which adds to the law of God is not the great righteousness needed to enter God’s kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.

The greater righteousness that Jesus is calling his disciples and ultimately us here this morning to is a righteousness that is a righteousness of heart. A righteousness as we will see next week in Matthew 5:21-48 that is more than just the mere command, but the keeping of the law in the heart. A greater righteousness that can not come from within ourselves, but only through Christ. A righteousness that we are to hunger and thirst for, a righteousness that is to cause us to seek to be pure in heart and see God in all his glory.

Friend, if you are here and think that you can somehow earn your way to heaven, let this warning that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees pierce your heart. May it cause you to see that it is impossible to do apart from seeing your desperate need in Jesus! For it is only in repenting and believing in Jesus that you can attain such righteousness and gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven. Will you repent and believe today?

And you who are weary of trying to earn, see that Jesus points you to the fact he came to fulfill what you could not, the call for you is to also repent and believe. See your need for Jesus and his willingness to save!

And beloved, let us here not grow slothful in the pursuit of holiness because Jesus has come to fulfill all, including all righteousness. Let us not take the call to holiness lightly. For to quote that great theologian, J.C. Ryle, “The Christian who is content with a low standard of personal holiness has got much to learn.”

A greater righteousness is to call us to pursue a holiness of the heart, a holiness that seeks to obey out of the desire of our hearts rather than out of begrudging duty. Beloved, will we here at Land O’ Lakes Bible Church be a people that pursue such greater righteousness? I pray so.

Let’s pray…

Endnotes:

1. Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 141.