Introduction
During Jesus’ ministry on earth, many claimed that He transgressed God’s Law by healing on the Sabbath and presenting the commandments. But is this claim true? Did Jesus disobey the Law or, on the contrary, fulfill it perfectly? To answer this question, we need to analyze His own words and actions in light of the Scriptures and understand the real meaning of His relationship with God’s Law.
Commandments Would Cease to Be in Force…?
Many people are teaching that during Jesus’ ministry here on earth, He even broke some commandments of the Law. According to these people, Jesus did this in order to show the people that such commandments would soon no longer be in force.
One such commandment cited as an example is the fourth commandment of God’s Law, the keeping of the Sabbath. To this end, these people cite the various biblical references where Jesus is mentioned as healing someone on that day.
New Covenant Would Be Established…?
Others also argue that Jesus was establishing the new commandments of the New Covenant, and therefore was failing to fulfill the commandments of the Old Covenant.
I don’t want to go into details about the Sabbath commandment, or about the difference between the Old and New Covenants, but I would like to leave some biblical passages for us to reflect on these issues of Jesus failing to fulfill certain commandments.
What Did Jesus Say About the Duration of the Law and the Prophets?
Let us begin by mentioning one of the words from His first public sermon.
Matthew 5:17-18 – “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.“
In the text of Matthew 5:17-18 cited above, we can read the warning that Jesus left about the relationship of His ministry with the law and the prophets. He makes it very clear that His objective is not to destroy or abrogate the “law and the prophets” (expression used to refer to the writings of Moses and the other writings of the Old Testament).
Interestingly, after this warning He states that He came “to fulfill” the things concerning these writings. From Christ’s own words, we can see that He would fulfill, that is, carry out, obey, do, etc., and not break any commandment. In the following verses, He guarantees that the validity of the commandments present in these writings would last until everything was fulfilled.
Did Jesus Obey or Disobey?
Did Jesus ever break God’s Law? We confirm His full obedience through other words mentioned by Jesus Himself:
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.“
It is clear that Jesus Himself claimed to have kept His Father’s commandments. He did not transgress or disobey any commandment in the law. He was obedient until the last moment of His life here on earth. This includes obedience to commandments such as keeping the Sabbath, or any other commandment in the law. Including all the commandments interpreted as “revoked” in the Sermon on the Mount.
Reflection
I would like you to reflect on the following thought: Jesus could not have transgressed any commandment of His Father, because if He had done so, He would have become a transgressor of the Law, and that would have made Him a sinner like us. Therefore, for our salvation, Jesus’ full obedience to the Law is necessary. When we place Jesus as a transgressor of the Law, we make Him a sinner, and consequently we take away from Him the merits of being our Savior before the Father, since a sinner cannot give his life for the sake of another sinner.
May God bless the reader.
