Matthew 5:17-18 17Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or small accent will pass from the law until all things take place.
The Jewish leaders may have thought that Jesus was preaching a message that contradicted their Scriptures. Jesus makes it clear in these verses that he came to fulfill what the law (referring to the laws give to Moses and recorded the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament) and the prophets. Someone has counted that Jesus fulfilled over 300 messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. The prophets believed God would intervene and bring about a new day (Romans 16:25-26). Jesus inaugurated the new covenant, about which the prophets foretold, with his sacrifice upon the cross.
He also did what the law could not do. In Genesis 2:16-17, God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit. Paul later summarized in Romans 6:23 the human problem: “For the wages of sin is death.” Any time a person walks away from God who is the source of life, he or she will experience death. God in his grace allowed ancient Israel to substitute animals for the penalty of death (Leviticus 17:11). However, animals could not resolve the deep sin problem and were only a temporary representation of people’s repentance. As Hebrews 9:11-14 states, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, fulfilling what the law could not do. No more sacrifices were needed after Jesus.
Jesus came to fulfill the law and not replace it. Verse 18 implies that the Law is still important as the guide for God’s will for humanity. An iota is the smallest Greek letter and an accent likely refers to the smallest Hebrew notation. The laws of God are given as a blessing to show us what it means to be holy and loving. The law reflects God’s character and what people need to do to live in his image. The summary of the law is found in Leviticus 19:2: “Be holy, for I am holy.” God gave ancient Israel specific ways to live out this holiness in their time and culture. The law provides the application of holiness to daily living. God gave the law to show the people what it means to live as holy people in an unholy world. They were called to be different and model God’s character of righteousness. The law did not make Israel holy but showed them how to lives as people set aside in their relationship with God.
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