SOTM 12—Fulfillment

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.17 “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. 18 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.19 "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."The Old and the New Jesus is about to deliver the new "legislation" of the Kingdom of God. He knows that, at first glance, some of these teachings may sound as though they are contradicting what Moses said in the Law.Thus he explains in advance that he is neither annulling nor opposing the Law.The "commandments" are his commands, found throughout the gospels.What is "fulfillment"?It is not obedience – although Jesus did obey the Law.It is not annulment — although it is true that we are no longer living under the Law.It involves more than loose verbal connections with the details of prophecies.It is completion—in the same way that Christianity is the fulfillment and extension of Judaism.Think of a jigsaw puzzle. The OT gives us the frame, and several sections of the puzzle are nearly completed. But we're missing the box with the cover picture!Examples of fulfillment:Divine presence: Tabernacle – Temple – Body of Christ — Church — New JerusalemSacrifice: Animal sacrifices etc. — Christ, the perfect and complete and final sacrifice.Holy times / occasions; now, all time holy.Anointing (Messiah = anointed one)ProphetPriestKing[Further material in our series Christ Through the Ages]David Bercot: "The early Christians understood Jesus to be saying that he was filling out the Law. He was completing some parts of it, while amplifying other parts of it. He was both reshaping it and sometimes widening it." (The Early Christian Study Bible)Not an iota? The iota is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, and is equivalent to the Hebrew yodh and the English lower case i.The entire OT Torah is important!When is the time of fulfillment?The Cross? This is what I used to teach, referring to John 19:30 ("It is finished") and Col 2:14 ("canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands"), and to some extent this is true. But more likely, the meaning is:Until Christ returns, the Law will not pass away. Nevertheless, the NT teaches that we are no longer bound by the ritualistic and temporary requirements of the Law—a large part—since they have already served (fulfilled) their purpose.However, the Law itself is still very relevant.Christ is both typified and specifically prophesied about in the Law.The Law contains a large amount of background material, without which we would be disoriented as we read the NT.Although the ceremonial provisions of the Law have served their purpose and are no longer binding, we are still under what Paul calls the “righteous requirements of the Law” (Rom. 2:26 NKJV). That is, we are under the righteous moral precepts taught by the Law. Commandments? The commandments (v.19) are Jesus’ own commandments, not the commandments of the Law.Those who disregard them are called “least in the kingdom of heaven”; the Law of Moses Law did not pertain to the kingdom of heaven.Jesus is telling His listeners that he expects them to honor his kingdom commandments with the same (or greater) honor that the ancient Jews rendered to the Law of Moses.Some object that there are no laws or commandments in the gospel. Yet “He that has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him” (John 14:21). See also John 13:34; 14:14, 21; 15:10, 12.Of course not all commandments are equally important—as with the Law of Moses (Matt 23:23). Some requirements of the Law were weightier than others. But the lesser ones were not to be neglected. Obedience is expected.ChallengeWe need to take the OT seriously. Most Christians have never read the entire OT.We also need to pay close attention to how the OT is completed in the New.When it comes to obeying God’s commands, there is no room for slackness!