Matthew 5:17 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.
A lot of people are confused by this statement of Jesus. In what ways does Jesus fulfill the Law? And if Jesus fulfills the Law, then what is the benefit to us? What are the consequences to his fulfillment?
Jesus clearly says that He has come not to abolish but to fulfill the law. His reliance, reference and quotation of the Torah clearly reflect the foundation upon which His teachings are based. He not only accepts as true the written moral law but He draws out further the inward implications that God's law carries.
His coming into the world as the Son of God fulfills the predictive aspects of the Old Testament prophets of old. This is further testimony to the authenticity of those prophets as having been called by God. This reflects the foundation of the authority upon which Jesus claims to reveal the true and full intent of the law. His authority does not lead him to negate the Old Law and usher in a New Law. His authority maximizes the importance and implications of the Mosaic Law as he now fulfills it in his teaching and in his suffering.
Jesus does this by contrasting his teaching with the Pharisees. Their teaching is a perversion and distortion resulting from their oral tradition. For their righteousness was founded on outward works intended to gain God's favor. They completely disregarded the intent or inward requirements of the Law.
The consequence for the believer is that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If the commandments of God are kept and taught then we can be assured of our place in the Kingdom of Heaven. But can we do this on our own? Are we stronger than the Pharisees?
