This past week I had the great privilege of hiking through the Grand Canyon. I went with my brothers in law and some other friends, and the night before the hike our group went to see the Canyon from one of the many scenic overlooks and we were stunned with its beauty. Grand truly is a fitting name for such a Canyon. But I must say there is a great difference between standing on the edge of the Canyon and seeing its beauty from going down into the Canyon and exploring its nooks and crannies for yourself. You truly get an idea of what the Canyon is all about from the scenic viewpoints, but you behold far more beauty when you descend into it yourself.
Something similar occurs in our text this morning. The OT is truly filled with glory and beauty to witness but many in Jesus’ own day just remained on the edge of it. Yes, many built a life around the OT Scriptures, there were religious professionals who dedicated their lives to the OT, but sadly, they missed the true spirit and intent of the OT. Enter Jesus, who is eager to show us the true glory and beauty of the OT, by taking us into it firsthand with Him. In our text today, He begins taking us down into it, not just to show the OT to us, but to show us its fulfillment in Himself.
Matthew 5 could have gone straight from v16 to v21, but it doesn’t because Jesus must address a misinterpretation of His ministry. This clarification in v17-20 is where we’ve arrived this morning.
Matthew 5:17-20, “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 say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
This passage presents us with two clear headings.[1] First, in v17-18 we learn that everything Jesus teaches is in absolute harmony with the OT. That’s what the phrase ‘Law and Prophets’ means, it’s shorthand for the entirety of the OT.[2] Jesus’ first point is all about His teaching being in exact harmony with the OT. Second, in v19-20 we learn that everything Jesus teaches is in absolute disharmony with the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. One might expect the religious professionals of Jesus’ day to be teaching in line with the Scriptures, but Jesus makes it crystal clear that they’re not.
Let’s take each of these points in order.
Harmony with the Old Testament (v17-18)
“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 say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”
Here in v17-18 Jesus says a great deal.[3] As it begins Jesus uses a play on words. This passage is all about the Law and the Prophets and Jesus’ relationship to it. Jesus begins saying “Do not think…” which is a phrase that comes from a single Greek word nomizo.[4] Why does this matter? Because the Greek word for Law is nomos. See the close connection between nomizo and nomos? They’re only a few letters apart. So as Jesus begins a discussion on the Law and Prophets and how it relates to His followers, the very words He uses brings these Scriptures to mind. There is purpose here to see. For in the rest of chapter 5 Jesus will expand on this very reality using six examples.
The phrase “Do not think…” also clues us in on what is happening among those who have been hearing Jesus teach.[5] Some of His hearers might really be wondering if a new teacher has come to town who’s going to overthrow everything they’ve ever been taught. Is that the case? Will this Jesus teach that there is a new way to God, or a new way of viewing God, or a new way of pleasing God? Before this can get any traction Jesus corrects them in v17 stating clearly that He’s hasn’t come to get rid of the OT Scriptures, but to fulfill them. This is the central claim Jesus is making. That all the Law and the Prophets, all the OT, point to Him, will be fulfilled in Him, and will realized in Him. What a claim! One might hear Him say this and think, ‘Who does this guy think He is? What an arrogant and egotistical claim!’ Well, either this is the most arrogant statement ever made, or it’s the truth.
Before we dive into this and see what it means, notice what’s lying there on the surface of this statement. That Jesus has come to fulfill the OT implies no one can follow this Christ and reject the OT. In other words, Christians can’t be just NT Christians. We who follow Christ must be whole Bible people. And not only so, we must be whole Bible people who have Christ-centered view of the whole Bible. Far too many ignore Jesus in the OT. We shouldn’t do this, reading the OT as if it were merely a collection of commands, morals, or heroes and anti-heroes. Instead we should see Christ in it all. How so? St. Augustine said it best, “In the OT we have Christ concealed, in the NT we see Christ revealed.” Remember Jesus Himself in Luke 24 on the road to Emmaus taught from the OT about Himself, and Paul later on in Acts 28 did the same, reasoning from the OT about Jesus from morning till evening. Here in Matthew 5:17-18 we have the same truth given to us in short form.
Let’s now lean into what v17-18 means. What exactly does it mean for Jesus to fulfill the Law and Prophets? Many things come to mind when we think on this, here are four points that I want you to know.[6]
First, Jesus fulfills the OT by living out the righteousness of the Law. Deut. 6:23-25 says it clearly, “God brought us out from Egypt, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us.’” There it is. The Lord commanded Israel to do all these statues. After the giving of the Law, it was the prophets who continually pointed Israel back to this perfect standard. And, it was a standard they never met. They always fell short of it. Yet, when Christ came He came and lived the life Israel never did. He perfectly obeyed the Law in all of its requirements and statues, and by obeying it He earned a perfect righteousness. So, Jesus fulfills the OT by living out the righteousness of the Law.
Second, Jesus fulfills the OT by embracing the curse of the Law. This is the surprising and stunning twist in the life of our Savior. He willingly embraced the cursed of the Law. What was the curse of the Law? Death. Yet He was the ultimate Law keeper, not a Law breaker. Why then did He embrace this curse? To save His people. By being the Law keeper in His life He can gift all who believe in Him His perfect righteousness, and by embracing the curse of the Law in His death He paid the penalty for all who believe in Him. In this way, Jesus provides everything needed to save all those who come to Him in faith. Paul rejoiced over this fact in Galatians 3 as he writes, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” So, Jesus fulfills the OT by embracing the curse of the Law.
Third, Jesus fulfills the OT by bringing the OT to its completion, to its destined end. This was Jesus’ mission. See at the start of v17, He mentions His coming. “Do not think that I have come…” means Jesus doesn’t want us to think He came for the wrong reason. The reason He came wasn’t to abolish but to fulfill. Thus, it is Jesus’ mission and role to bring into being that which the OT always pointed to, to carry the Law and the prophets forward into its appointed fulfillment. The OT remains the authoritative Word of God, yes, but its role is no longer the same now that what it pointed forward to has come.[7] Now that the new reality has arrived in Christ, all the OT will be seen in a new light. How? Jesus explains this in the rest of Matthew 5.[8]
Paul will even go on to elaborate further on this in Romans 8:2-4, saying this, “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Did you hear that? Paul calls the Law the “Law of sin and death” and says clearly there is a “righteous requirement” of the Law. But what we could never do, because of the weakness of our flesh (sin) God did by sending His Son! Now, those united to the Son by faith actually begin to carry out and live according to the true spirit of the Law. How? Not by their own might, but by the Holy Spirit. In this way Jesus the fulfiller of the Law makes it so that His people also fulfill the Law by the power of the Spirit. How we fulfill the Law by the Spirit? The Spirit so works within us that we live the kind of life Jesus describes in the rest of Matthew 5.
Fourth and lasty, v18 colors all of our interpretation of v17. v18 reminds us of the vast scope in view. “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” This means the OT, down to its smallest details, is as permanent as heaven and earth, and will never lose its importance. Or perhaps we can put it like this, all that the OT points forward to will become a reality in the end.[9]
This leads to a wonderfully difficult question: how are we to view the Law and prophets as Christians today? Many answers have been given, but I would say this.[10] We are no longer under the curse of the Law, and the Law is not to be a national covenant for us like it was for Israel. But we with Paul in Romans 7 must say the Law is holy, righteous, and good. So while none of the Law and prophets has passed away, all of the Law and prophets must now be seen in the light of Christ. Seen like this, the Law and the prophets now become for the Christian a mirror and a guide. A mirror to expose our sin and remind us of our continual need for the Savior, and a guide to learn God’s will and learn how to live to as those who belong to Christ.
All of this and more can be found in v17-18, Jesus’ harmony with the OT.
Disharmony with the Religious Teachers (v19-20)
Though there are certainly unique points to see here, all that is within v19-20 really comes to us as implications of v17-18. Implications about those who mishandle the OT.
Hear v19-20 again, “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Before getting to the main thrust in v20 when He identifies a specific group, Jesus teaches on those in the Kingdom who will be the least and the greatest. Because of the lasting importance to the OT, He says whoever relaxes the OT and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom. This word relax in Greek is the word luo. It’s used all throughout the NT and its meaning ranges from unfasten, loose, unbind, untie, relax, lessen, relieve, and more. All those meanings are present here in this word. So what Jesus is saying is clear isn’t it? Jesus says all of those who luo the OT, those who lessen, relax, and unbind what God has bound will be called the least in the Kingdom. And the opposite is also true. Those who live in line with the OT, whoever upholds it, embraces it, and teaches others to do so will be called greatest in the Kingdom. v19 isn’t really getting at a kind of leveling system within the Kingdom here, so much as to make the importance and significance of the OT clear to us.
v19 is basically stating that whoever denies v17-18 is out of bounds and you should not heed their teaching or their life. This then leads to v20, where Jesus gives an example of those who do just that, the religious professionals themselves, the scribes and the Pharisees.
v20 is the first time the titles of scribe and pharisee are placed side by side.[11] This will occur many times throughout the gospels, especially here in Matthew. But who are these people? There is some room in these labels, but generally the term scribe refers to those who are professional students of the Mosaic Law, focusing on the foundation and practical outworking of the Jewish life. The term Pharisee refers to those who were devoted to a kind of separatist movement aimed at reforming Judaism to be more meticulously devoted to the Law and purity of life. While the two terms are separate roles they do overlap a great deal with one another, such that many scribes would have also been members of the Pharisaic movement.[12]
Now, in this time these religious teachers appeared to be and would have largely been viewed as the most holy people in the nation. After all, they spent their lives teaching the Law, expounding the Law, and applying the Law to all kinds of situations in life. Yet, even though everyone held them as most holy people and as the paragons of virtue, they tragically misunderstood and misinterpreted the Law.[13] At first v20 would seem impossible to those in that day. How could anyone exceed the righteousness of the most righteous people in the world? But if you recall, Jesus has already mentioned a different kind of righteousness so far, even mentioning a hungering and thirsting after true righteousness in the Beatitudes.[14] So by saying “…unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven…” Jesus isn’t talking about beating the scribes and Pharisees at their own game, He’s speaking of a different kind righteousness altogether.[15] Certainly, the scribe and Pharisee did have a kind of righteousness to them, that they pursued, that they taught, and lived out. But it was a righteousness that was restricted to the exterior of one’s life. There were rigid rules, strict behavioral limitations, but it largely neglected the internal, the heart level realities within us. This was the problem with their so-called righteousness. By speaking this way Jesus is clearly saying the way of the scribe and Pharisee is the wrong way and that if we’re to enter the Kingdom of God we must come by a different way.[16] A way that radically internalizes total obedience to God.
Perhaps then we can summarize Jesus’ teaching in v17-20 like this.[17] Do not conclude that I came to undermine the authority of the Law of Moses or the entire OT, no. I did not come to set that aside or give you a new way to God. I came to bring into reality that which the OT pointed forward to. Yes, the OT is as permanent as heaven and earth but it all points to a coming reality that is dawning in My life and ministry. So if you relax the OT you relax and make it all about strict external behavior modification, you relax the standard I am here to set and call people to. True righteousness goes far deeper than that. Only those who embrace My way will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
This would’ve stunned everyone back then, and in a very real sense it needs to stun us still today. The teaching of Jesus is in exact harmony with all of the OT, while also being in stark disharmony with the religious leaders and teachers of His own day. They were held as the holiest of people, yet they missed the true spirit of God’s Law. This means a scary reality is possible. It is possible to be very religious, to be very devoted to scrupulosity of life and behavior, and yet totally miss the Kingdom of Christ.
Church, hear this loud and clear. The days of formal religion or mere external religion are over. Christ came to change the heart. Where are you in this? Is your religion a matter of the heart of a matter of mere externals? Does your religion give others the appearance of godliness, or is it true religion? This will be the whole theme and focus of the rest of Matthew 5 from this point on. So as we descend into it, may the Lord open our eyes to the true spirit and meaning of the OT, that we would see Christ more clearly, enjoy Christ more deeply, and obey Christ more gladly.
[1] Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon of the Mount (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1981), 1:181.
[2] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, PNTC (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992), 108.
[3] R. C. Sproul, Matthew, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), 83.
[4] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, footnote 56, 107.
[5] Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon of the Mount, 1:183.
[6] Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, 108.
[7] R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007), 183.
[8] France, 186.
[9] France, 186.
[10] Kevin DeYoung, Daily Doctrine (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2024) 153-154.
[11] France, The Gospel of Matthew, 188.
[12] France, 189.
[13] Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon of the Mount, 1:201.
[14] Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, 111.
[15] France, The Gospel of Matthew, 189.
[16] Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, 112.
[17] France, The Gospel of Matthew, 190–91.
