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<\/mark>” mentioned by Jesus, its relationship to the Law of Moses and the Ten Commandments, and how His death and resurrection impacted these ordinances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/mark>“<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n 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<\/mark>“. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to defend the eternality of God\u2019s Law, some people apply this interpretation to the verses in Matthew 5:17-18. Could this really be what Jesus was referring to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, we must consider the words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of John 15:10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/mark>“<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n 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).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/mark>” (Matthew 5:17). During His earthly life, Jesus did not come to abolish (annul) His Father\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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?<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Did Jesus Say in the Sermon on the Mount?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Did Jesus Always Keep and Observe the Commandments of the Law?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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