Introduction
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made a puzzling statement in Matthew 5:17-19, where He declared that He did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it. This raises a fundamental question: Did Jesus say that the Law would last forever (Matthew 5:17-19)? Was He implying that no one would ever change any commandment? Or was He indicating that there would be a time when the Law would be fulfilled in some way? To understand this question, we need to examine the meaning of the “Law” mentioned by Jesus, its relationship to the Law of Moses and the Ten Commandments, and how His death and resurrection impacted these ordinances.
What Did Jesus Say in the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 5:17-19 – “Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a pen will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others so, he will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven“
What do you understand from the above verses? Was Jesus saying that the Law would last forever? After all, He Himself said, “until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a pen will pass from the law“. From these words, some people conclude that if heaven and earth have not yet passed away, then no one has changed the Law, not even the smallest part.
In order to defend the eternality of God’s Law, some people apply this interpretation to the verses in Matthew 5:17-18. Could this really be what Jesus was referring to?
Did Jesus Always Keep and Observe the Commandments of the Law?
First of all, we must consider the words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of John 15:10.
John 15:10 – “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love“
Notice that in this verse, Jesus is clearly stating that He had always kept His Father’s commandments. This could not have been a lie, because if He had transgressed the Law even once, the devil would have found some point in Him to accuse Him of breaking the Law, making Him a sinner like we are, and consequently making it impossible for Him to be our Savior (John 14:30).
In fact, Jesus stated this in His Sermon on the Mount when He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). During His earthly life, Jesus did not come to abolish (annul) His Father’s Law, but to fulfill it. Everything He did during His life was to fulfill the commandments. At no point did He annul any commandment whatsoever, including the commandments mentioned in the later verses of His Sermon on the Mount.
So, does this mean that in this verse, Jesus was saying that the Law would never undergo any modification and that the Law would last forever?
What is the Law? Matthew 5:17
To answer this question, we must first understand what “Law“. Jesus referred to. Some claim that this Law refers to the Law of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17). Others include the entire law of Moses. What would be the correct interpretation of the term “Law” used by Jesus in this passage? Consider the following verses:
Matthew 22:40 – “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets“
Matthew 7:12 – “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets“
Acts 13:15 – “And after the reading of the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on“
Did you find anything in common in the above passages with the verse in Matthew 5:17? If you paid attention, you may have noticed that the terms “law and the prophets” are repeated throughout these passages. And this is no coincidence, for these words refer to most of the inspired writings that existed up to the time of Jesus.
The term “law” refers to the first five books of the Bible, which Moses wrote, and where he also recounted the Covenant that God made with the people of Israel.
And what are the “prophets” (writings)?
The term “prophets” refers to the writings of other prophets found in the Scriptures.
However, these are not the only terms by which the Jews referred to the books in the Scriptures. There was a third category, called “writings“. This third category includes other books, such as the Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs, etc.
These three categories constitute all the writings present in the Hebrew Bible. We find a biblical text that mentions these three categories, although instead of “writings“, it specifically quotes the book of Psalms.
The Law of Moses: Would the Law Last Forever?
Luke 24:44 – “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me“
The text above makes it very clear that the term “law” refers to the Law of Moses. The verse Acts 28:23 conveys the same idea.
Acts 28:23 – “And when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, and he testified to them concerning the kingdom of God, and persuaded them concerning Jesus both out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets, from morning till evening“
In light of these considerations, let us return to the text in question, Matthew 5:17. When Jesus stated that He did not come to “destroy the law or the prophets“, He was referring to the Law of Moses, and not the Ten Commandments (although they are included within the Law of Moses). With this in mind, let us revisit our previous question:
Does this mean that in this verse, Jesus was saying that the Law would never undergo any modification?
So, Would the Law of Moses Last Forever?
If we consider all the commandments present within the Law of Moses, such as animal sacrifices, annual feasts, temple ordinances, the institution of the priesthood, etc., it is evident that such commandments ceased to exist, or at least underwent some modification after the death of Jesus on Calvary, since these commandments prefigured Christ or some event related to His future work. This modification in the Law of God is confirmed by Paul’s words to the Hebrews, when he says:
Hebrews 7:12 – “For if the priesthood is changed, there must of necessity be a change also of the law“
Hebrews 7:18 – “For the former commandment is annulled because of its weakness and uselessness“
Therefore, it is clear that Jesus did not mean that the Law would never undergo any modification. But if this was not Jesus’ intention, why did He say that “not a jot or a tittle” would ever pass from the law?
What Did Jesus Mean into Matthew 5:17?
Indeed, He made such a statement, but His sentence did not end with these words. Pay attention to the following words:
Matthew 5:18 – “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a pen will pass from the law until all is accomplished“
What was the condition for the law to remain unchanged? According to Jesus, until everything was fulfilled. In other translations, we find the verse as follows:
Matthew 5:18 – “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a pen will pass from the law until all is accomplished“
Conclusion: Would the Law Last Forever?
We therefore conclude that the term “law” used by Christ in Matthew 5:17 does not refer to just a group of commandments within the Law of Moses, but to the Law itself as a whole. It is a term used within the Scriptures for the entire Law of Moses. And when Christ mentioned that not one jot or one tittle would pass from the Law, He did not mean that it was eternal (the Law of Moses), but that it should not undergo any change until everything was fulfilled, and that happened at His death on Calvary.
May God bless the reader.
