When Jesus said, “I have not come to abolish them [the Law and the Prophets] but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17), what did He mean?
I’m thinking that fulfilling the Law and the Prophets included at least two things:
- Jesus’ incarnation, life, and ministry fulfilled all the prophesies and types in the Old Testament which pointed to His coming to earth and providing for our redemption.
- Jesus reenergized and reapplied the purposes of the law by reimagining its commands for application under the New Covenant for all people rather than just for the nation of Israel.
The summary of the law and the prophets, according to Jesus, was to “love God” and to “love one’s neighbor.” This Jesus revised throughout His sermon on the mount by repeatedly saying: “You have heard that it was said . . . but I say to you . . .” These New Covenant mandates are for all of God’s people, not just the theocracy, Israel. Thus, Jesus’ teaching, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) becomes the new law/commandment for His New Covenant community, the church.
