Jesus Fulfills the Scriptures

Have you ever asked the question, why do we still read and study the Bible after all these years? After all, the Bible in its completed form has been around for almost 1800 years, and the Old Testament even longer than that! Wouldn’t there be something more relevant, more pertinent to our study, more up-to-date than that by now?

These kinds of question may be tongue-in-cheek for some of us. But for many people, the question of whether or not the Bible is still important or relevant is not a trivial matter, its a life crisis.

Many people would deny the Bible’s relevance because of science - we hear a lot about science today, but the advent of science vs. faith is not a 21st or even a 20th century phenomenon. The dance between faith and enlightenment, faith and modernism, then post-modernism, has been happening for hundreds of years.

Many people would deny the Bible’s relevance for other traditions. After all, they say, all religions are essentially alike, they all have the same common goals in mind, they are just differing interpretations of the same basic principles, right?

Some would deny the Bible’s relevance in favor of new revelation. Many cults have sprung up as “offshoots” of the Christian faith over the years, some quite prominent, some who may even still knock on your door after a while. Still others feel the written word of God is not sufficient, and would look for signs, wonders, and a new Word from God to “freshen” or “bring new life” to their religious experience.

Still, others deny the Bible’s relevance because, well, they just aren’t interested. They just don’t care. Maybe its not an overt hostility to the Scripture, its simply an indifference to it. Its fine, it’s maybe even helpful in some ways, it has some nice principles and ideas in it, but beyond that it is just another work of antiquity.

This can work itself out practically in many ways. Some would agree that the Bible is relevant, but perhaps it is not all true. Some would pick and choose which parts of the Bible are true or relevant for today. Some popular Bible-teachers, for instance, would suggest that we un-hitch ourselves from the Old Testament, leaving it behind as simply a work of history.

Sometimes there is a theme, especially when you are speaking to other Christians who would deny the relevance or importance of some parts of the Bible - they say, “well Jesus came and He really changed things!” There may be a sense of, “well, Jesus sort of did away with any of the relevance of the Old Testament” for instance. We could go on and on, but whether someone’s objections are scientific, religious, traditional, or just preferential, it is important to wrestle with and grasp what we believe about God’s Word. Otherwise, what are we doing here each week?

The passage that we are in today really addresses all of these concerns in a simple way. Jesus anticipates the fact that His ministry would bring up a lot of questions. And one of those questions would be, “are you trying to destroy the law? Do you deny the Law?

Matthew 9:3 ESV

And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”

Matthew 9:11 ESV

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

Matthew 12:2 ESV

But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

Matthew 15:1–2 ESV

Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”

The list could go on and on, and these are just from Matthew - but one of the big questions from the religious leaders in Jesus’ day was, “do you deny the law?”

Well, Jesus answers that question here early in His teaching, and the answer is relevant for today as much as it was relevant for that day. Because in our day, that question is still being asked, but it is being asked with other motives. We ask, “is all of the Bible really relevant for us? Aren’t we in the New Covenant, after all?”

So as we look at this passage today, here is the big idea.

Jesus’ Fulfilling of the Scriptures teaches us that all of God’s Word is true, it is lasting, and it is relevant to our lives.

Jesus Came To Fulfill - The Word is True - Vs. 17

Its not clear whether Jesus is answering objections that He has already heard, or if He is simple anticipating objections that He knew would come as His ministry progressed. Either way, we have already seen several passages where Jesus’ words here were made relevant in His interactions with the Scribes and Pharisees.

We will say more on this later, bu the Religious Leaders, like the Scribes and Pharisees, in Jesus’ day were law-experts. The Scribes whole business was to study, copy, and make commentary on the Law. The Pharisees were more public and political in their role, but their knowledge of the Law was no less.

So for at least these groups, and those who followed them closely, it really was a major question to ask how this up-and-coming Rabbi, Jesus, would interact with the Law.

So what Does Jesus say? Jesus says, “I have not come to Abolish the Law or the Prophets...” Right out of the gate, He is making his position known. To abolish is to invalidate something - to make it irrelevant, to do away with it.” So Jesus is denying any attempt, interest, or complicity in doing away with “The Law and Prophets.”

The Law and the Prophets, as a phrase, is sort of a literary or rhetorical device to refer to what we often call the “Old Testament.” The Hebrew Scriptures were usually referred to in three parts, the Law (or Tanakh), The Prophets, (Nevi’im), and the Writings (Ketuvim). These together were called the TaNaK. The Law is the first five books, the Pentateuch, the Books of Moses. The Prophets referred to the Former Prophets, which would have included the Historical Books, and the Latter Prophets, what we refer to as the prophetic books like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, etc. The Writings included the books like the books of poetry and the story of Job.

When someone said “the law and the prophets” it was really an all-inclusive statement, from the books of Moses to the Latter Prophets - the whole thing. So Jesus is saying, “I have not come to do away with one single part of the TaNaK.” And, remember, there were no New Testament writings, so Jesus was really saying, “I have not come to do away with one single part of the Scriptures.”

When Jesus says “I have come,” that really is a purpose statement - a mission statement. Its an awareness of His purpose, and He states it in both positive and negative. “Not to abolish, but to fulfill.”

If you think back a few months to the beginning of our time in Matthew, you will remember that we spent a lot of time talking about the “fulfillment” theme in Matthew. That is, Matthew over and over again shows how Jesus is the Fulfillment of the Scriptures - from the first chapter on, there is no denying the purpose. To Show Jesus as the Fulfillment of the Sciptures.

Well, there is no clearer evidence or testimony to that than Jesus’ statement here. “I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

What does that mean? What does it mean to fulfill?

Well, it could mean that Jesus came to obey the Old Testament law. And He did do that, He kept it perfectly, like nobody else could or ever will again. But that is not the normal meaning of the word “fulfill.”

It could mean that Jesus meant to “repair” or “fix” the law and prophets. But, if we read any of the Gospels, we find that Jesus didn’t see the Scriptures as someting that needed fixing at all. Jesus quotes the scriptures over 70 times, from over 25 different Old Testament books - Jesus loved the Scripture more than anyone else.

Finally, it could mean that Jesus came to “complete” or “accomplish” the Law and Prophets, and I believe this is exactly what Jesus meant. In other words, Jesus is saying “I am not an enemy of the law, I’m not here to do away with it, I’m here to teach and show exactly how it is true.”

Jesus shows us how the Old Testament Scriptures are true. He didn’t come to destroy or nullify, but to accomplish and prove. His birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and promised return are all points of fulfillment - and as we continue through Matthew, we will see Christ fulfilling the Scriptures over and over again.

To a group of Jewish people who were seeking to persecute Him, Jesus says, “The scriptures bear witness about me.”

John 5:37–39 ESV

And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

The scriptures are not done away with in Christ, they bear witness to Him - the are proven in Him.

Not One Word will Pass Away - The Word is Lasting - Vs. 18

Jesus goes on, though, and gives an amazing attestation to the longevity of God’s Word.

“Not an iota, not a dot.”

Your translation may say, “not one jot or one tittle.”

These are references to the smallest characters in a written language. In Greek, the “iota” is the smallest letter - it looks sort of like our letter I. Jesus was probably referring there to the Hebrew “Yodh,” again, the smallest letter in the Hebrew Alphabet. The “Dot” or the “tittle” is not even a letter, but just a penstroke that makes up the difference between letters - like the dot on an I, or the Cross of a T.

Jesus says “Not a letter, not a penstroke will pass away from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Rather than speaking for its abolishment, Jesus is speaking for the total fulfillment and undying truthfulness of God’s Word.

Its as if He is saying, “Don’t disregard God’s word, and Don’t think you have it mastered - God is not done with it yet.”

Of course, the Jewish people would have been familiar with the concept of God preserving His word. Remember Isaiah 40:8?

Isaiah 40:8 ESV

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

There was really no doubt about the enduring nature of God’s Word in the Jewish mind - but really, Jesus takes it a step further. He is saying, not only will it remain as a document, as a guide, as a written record, but it remains truthful and everything it says will be accomplished.”

Of course, he had already tied Himself to this claim - He Himself came not to abolish, but to accomplish. This goes back to that “i have come” idea. Jesus was sure of His purpose and mission - it was to bring fulfillment to the Law. To Bring Accomplishment.

Paul would wrestle with similar questions in His letter to the Romans, and I love the simple statement He makes in Romans 10:4

Romans 10:4 ESV

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Paul says this in the context of praying for His fellow Israelites to come to faith in Christ. He is really affirming what Jesus says - Christ is not denying or belittling the law - He is the end of it, the fulfillment of it. He is where the law points to.

In another place, Paul says the law is a “schoolmaster” that brings us to Christ. The law is good, is true, is God’s word, it reveals God’s character, nature, demands, righteousness, Holiness, Justice, Mercy, and Love, and so much about Him - but it was and is always pointing to Jesus Christ. And it still points to Him.

We still find out who God is, some of what He looks like, His Holiness and Righteousness, but, as Paul says, the works of the Law cannot justify us in His sight - but the Law, the Prophets, the Whole Scripture points to Christ - He came to Fulfill it - He is the goal of it, the intended result of it, the end.

The Truth Determines our Kingdom Citizenship - The Word is Relevant - 19-20

It is important to note, though, that while Jesus fulfills the Law, He is in a sense still “fulfilling it.” The Old Testament testimony and teachings have not passed away, because the fulness of the Kingdom has not yet come. For that we are still waiting, and praying. Even as Jesus teaches in the Lord’s prayer, we pray “thy will be done, thy Kingdom come.”

So, that means that God’s word is still relevant - it is still living and active, as Hebrews 4 tells us.

Jesus starts verse 19 with the word “therefore.”

In other words, “because I haven’t come to abolish the law but to fulfill it, and because the Old Testament scriptures will not pass away until the fulness of the Kingdom comes” then it is still important and vital.

Jesus here speaks of those who would teach God’s word and says, “whoever relaxes the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be the least in the kingdom. But whoever does and teaches them will be the greatest.”

There was a way of speaking of the law in Jesus’ day, and still today for many, in which there were some commandments that were considered “light” and some that were considered “weighty.”

Jesus is really addressing that concept here, and he would continually address it in His teaching. He is addressing an overall mindset of “letter-keeping.” That is, strictly keeping the law to the letter, but being ignorant of the true sense - the spirit of the Law.

There were many in Jesus’ day who were law experts, but very few who really sought the deeper heart of God in His word. There were many teachers who could tell you exactly how many “laws” there were in the TaNaK, exactly how many letters and words were in a particular book, but very few who were interested in the true depth of it.

Matthew 23:23 ESV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Jesus, again, is calling attention to the importance of God’s commands, but He is saying that many have missed the depth. Many have missed the forest for the trees.

It reminds me of an interaction I had as a young man. I played Baseball for several years, I enjoyed it. I was never an all-star player, but I loved the Game. I loved watching the game, I loved reading about the game, I loved learning about the game, and I loved playing the game.

I had a friend who was one of these guys who had a myriad of useless facts in his head, and he loved to “stump” people with questions to show His knowledge. He asked me one day, “how many stitches are on a major league baseball?” He was eager, of course, to hear me say “I don’t know.” He couldn’t wait to get that satisfaction of knowing something that someone else didn’t.

He asked, “How much does a major league baseball weigh?”

He asked, “How many baseballs, on average, do major league teams use in a game?”

“How high does the pitcher’s mound project off the surface of the field?”

After he was well-satisfied with his ability to “stump” me with his superior knowledge, I asked Him one question. “You want to go play catch?”

I knew the answer to that - he didn’t want to. He didn’t even have a glove. He hadn’t hardly ever even thrown a baseball, let alone played the game. He knew everything to know except how to play the game.

I think that is an illustration of Jesus’ interactions with the scribes and pharisees. They knew how many stitches were on the baseball of the law, but they didn’t understand God’s heart in it. They tithed mint, dill, and cumin - which was commendable. But they didn’t understand justice, righteousness, and mercy. They had an extreme head-knowledge of God’s law, but little knowledge of God Himself.

And with this in mind, Finally, Jesus drops the Bomb -as it were.

Matthew 5:20 ESV

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Righteousness is right relationship, right standing primarily before God, and also before others. If that came from strict, to the letter law-keeping, then the Scribes and Pharisees couldn’t be bested at their game. They were the top of the top. When it came to law-keeping, they were it. Yet, Jesus says that our righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees if we even want to enter the Kingdom. That is, He places the most elite religious group of His day below the entry point of His Kingdom.

Whatever we make of the Law, and our approach to it, we can know one thing - the Scribes’ and Pharisees’ was the wrong one. It wasn’t enough to be experts, and to keep the letter, they seem to have missed God’s true intention, which ultimately would point to Jesus.

Again, Jesus said to them, “you search the scriptures because you think you have eternal life - but they testify about me.”

The Pharisees would have sneered at Jesus words, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit. Blessed are they who mourn. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” because they thought they had it nailed. They weren’t poor in spirit, they were living well! They weren’t mourning sin and unrighteousness, they had moved beyond that! They weren’t hungering and thirsting for righteousness, they already had that as well! So what a shock when Jesus says that they are below the entry point of the Kingdom.

They had so focused on the externals, the letter, that they had missed the truth. The missed mercy, justice, and mostly, they missed the Messiah.

They were well-known for smoothing out the law in their writings, making it applicable, adding qualifications and standards and explanations so that they could be sure they kept it to the letter, but they missed the big point of the whole Scripture - that God was not done yet. That He would send a Redeemer.

If righteousness is right standing and right relationship to God, then the Pharisees missed it. They had right actions, but their relationship to God was purely religious, without any life.

Christ came to bring righteousness. He desires that our righteousness would be true righteousness. Now, that comes first to us as imputed righteousness - even Abraham was justified by Faith. We stand, ultimately, before God with the righteousness of Christ on our account - otherwise, we would have no standing. And from that, Christ desires true growth. Not growth in mere letter-keeping, but in knowledge of God, devotion, obedience, and love for Him.

If we ever say, “I’ve made it!” Then there is a good chance that we’ve actually missed it. Only through Christ can our righteousness “exceed” that of the Scribes and the Pharisees.

A few points of application.

The Truth and Authority of the Bible is critical to everything about us as Christ-followers.

We want to find ourselves as the Blessed man in Psalm 1 - who loves God’s word and meditates on it Day and Night.

The Old and New Testaments are the living, active, inspired word of God - they point to Jesus and what He has done in the Gospel, and we live or die by the truth God has revealed.

2. If the Scriptures point to Jesus, then so should we.

Hebrews 1:1–2 ESV

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Jesus is the point of the Scriptures. If we become experts on the Bible but miss Jesus, we have missed everything. We are no better than the Scribes and Pharisees.

3. We should realize that God’s demand for righteousness is more than just letter-keeping.

Again, Jesus’ authority, his person and work, is central to the Bible. If we think that we can have relationship to God apart from Jesus, then we have made a major assumption. If we think we can “earn” our standing with God, if we think we can “out-do” the scribes and pharisees in strict lawkeeping and thereby have entrance into God’s Kingdom, we will find ourselves in the same place as them - full of knowledge, but missing the Gospel - missing Jesus - missing Grace.

God’s demands of righteousness, when we take them seriously, throw us upon Jesus and His Mercy, because we realize that we can never accomplish what is demanded. But Jesus has, and in fulfilling the law, He also made a way for us to be made right - to be given a right standing, right relationship, and the grace to grow in love and obedience to Him.

Do you know and love the Bible? Do you know and love Jesus? The two cannot be separated. If you are here today, and you have a knowledge of scripture, but no relationship to Christ, please speak with someone - Christ calls us to Himself, to follow Him, to look to Him. Christ is the point and goal of all the scriptures.

Jesus’ Fulfilling of the Scriptures teaches us that all of God’s Word is true, it is lasting, and it is relevant to our lives.