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Chapter I - The Old Testament Law
Chapter II - The Transition
Chapter III - Jesus and The Spirit or Intention Behind The Law
Chapter IV - The Sabbath
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Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
Jesus and The Law
Did Jesus reaffirm/validate Old Testament Law or did He abolish it?
Types and Antitypes
In Christian theology a type is a historical event (or person) that gives us a glimpse of one or more actual events (or a person) yet to come. The Old Testament laws were no exception.
The Scribes and Pharisees
Beginning in the second half of Matthew 5, Jesus strongly criticized the Pharisees' strict compliance to the letter of the law - the literal interpretation of the words, while ignoring the spirit if the law - God's original intent or the general principle behind each law.
Jesus' Exact Wording in Matthew 5
"You have heard that it was said... But I say to you...". Had Jesus been referring to Scripture, he likely would have used the phrase "it is written" rather than "it was said ".
The Beatitudes
How Did Jesus Fulfill The Law?
What did Jesus mean when He said He had come to fulfill the Law
Conclusion
Living under the New Covenant actually demands a higher degree of holiness and obedience to God.
In any case the intent behind the laws was always the governing factor.
Jesus and The Law
Jesus was born and lived under the Old Testament law - "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law" (Galatians 4:4 NASB). Therefore it is not in the slightest bit extraordinary that He was circumcised (Luke 2:21), his parents brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord and to offer the traditional sacrifice required by the Law of Moses, He kept the Sabbath (Luke 4:16,) and other feast days (Matthew 26:17), showed great zeal for the Temple (John 2:13-17), and instructed the healed leper to show himself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded..."
In fact, the Jews were unable to convict Jesus of any transgression of the law (John 8: 46).
Besides which Jesus unambiguously stated that He had not come to abolish, but to fulfill the Law and The Prophets.
A Jot Or Tittle
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount began with the Beatitudes - a description of the characteristics of those who would be "blessed" (inherit the kingdom of heaven). But then, in verse 17, He added
Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19 NASB)
Note the KJV uses the terms "jot or tittle: in place of the NASB's "smallest letter or stroke of a letter". See Footnote I
Jesus' statements that He had not come to abolishthe law or the prophets and that even the tiniest part of the law would not pass away until all things be accomplished suggests that the binding nature of the law of Moses will remain forever in effect.
The Messiah's words seem to contradict many of the statements made by the New Testament authors.
So the million dollar question is - Did Jesus reaffirm/validate Old Testament Law or did He abolish it?
Actually He did both, or neither - depending on how you look at it.
An understanding of just what it was that Jesus abolished, and what it is that will endure until Heaven and Earth pass away, is impossible without a basic grasp of a) The fascinating subject of Types and Antitypes, and b) The point Jesus was making in a key chapter of Mathews's Gospel.
Types and Antitypes
We shouldn't forget that much of the Old Testament was but a shadow of something to come - a type, which in Christian theology is a historical event or person that gives us a glimpse of one or more actual events or person yet to come. The significance of the original event was rarely apparent at the time it happened.
For example, the Seven Feasts of Israel with their historic and staggeringly important prophetic significance, is one of the most fascinating Scriptural studies in typology. Although Christians are not require to keep these feasts, every believer should be very familiar with them, as they not only celebrated a historical event in Israel's past but at the same time were a harbinger of future events... in other words, a type. See Typology and The Seven Feasts of Israel
The Old Testament laws were no exception. As Jesus Himself made clear they were a representation or precursor of something to come.
"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33 NASB)
The Scribes and Pharisees
As the Gospels show, the scribes and the Pharisees were two groups of people who sought to preserve Judaism against 'revolutionaries' like Jesus.
The Pharisees were considered to be the epitome of righteousness and piety, the ultimate authority on Jewish law and rigid defenders of Jewish traditions. In fact, the Pharisees (the word essentially means 'separatist') were legalists second to none equating righteousness with external compliance to a code of conduct. They had nothing but contempt for the ordinary people of the land who were considered "sinners".
The Scribes: were high officials and leaders of the community associated with the Chief Priests. Although their beliefs differed to some extent, they worked hand in glove with the Pharisees to protect Judaism, As learned teachers their knowledge gave them authority in the eyes of the common people.
It must have shocked many people when Jesus told them that their righteousness had to surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20) and many must have wondered what He meant...
The Letter of the Law Vs. The Spirit of the Law
(Note that the exact terms the spirit of the law and the letter of the law are not found in Scripture. The phrase comes from 2 Corinthians 3: 6 that says "who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.")
What was considered to be the Pharisees' meticulous adherence to God's Law was actually a meticulous adherence to their interpretation of the Law. They often justified themselves by twisting or even altering God's commands, and introducing hundreds of rules and prohibitions of their own.
They spent endless hours arguing whether a man could or could not lift a lamp from one place to another on the Sabbath, whether a tailor committed a sin if he went out with a needle in his robe, whether a woman might wear a brooch or false hair, even if a man might go out on the Sabbath with artificial teeth or an artificial limb, if a man might lift his child on the Sabbath Day. These things to them were the essence of religion. Their religion was a legalism of petty rules and regulations." [01]
Beginning in the second half of Matthew 5, Jesus strongly criticized the Pharisees' strict compliance to the letter of the law - their literal interpretation of the word completely ignored the spirit of the law - the underlying principle. Their insistence on ceremonial details at the expense of the more important precepts of the Law was in reality a perversion of God's laws.
Hypocrisy Unlimited
If that wasn't bad enough - they were hypocrites who did not practice what they preached. In their strict adherence to the letter of the law they completely overlooked basic precepts like the protection of the more helpless among them which Jesus chastised them for.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation. (Matthew 23:14 NASB)
He also pronounced several 'woes' on the heads of both groups,
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. "
You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:23-28 NASB)
Jesus' Exact Wording in Matthew 5
Beginning around the middle of Matthew 5 Jesus showed how the scribes and Pharisees interpreted and outwardly obeyed each law, and then revealed what was God's true intent in each case. He began His examples with one or another variation of "You have heard that it was said - but I say to you..."
1. You have heard that the ancients were told, 'you shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that ... (Matthew 5:21)
2. You have heard that it was said, 'you shall not commit adultery'; But I say to you that ... (Matthew 5:27)
3. Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'you shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.' But I say to you that ... (Matthew 5:33 NASB)
4. You have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I say to you ... (Matthew 5:43)
5. It was said, 'whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce'; But I say to you that... (Matthew 5:31)
6. You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'. But I say to you ... (Matthew 5:38)
At first glance these verses give the impression that He and His Father were NOT in perfect harmony.
However, anyone who pays careful attention to His words will realize that Jesus was not opposing or contradicting any of God's laws. What He was setting Himself up against was the false interpretations, erroneous understanding, and additions to the law that were all prevalent in His time.
Had Jesus been referring to Scripture, He would have used the phrase "it is written" commonly used to point to a particular Scriptural text. As an example, in His confrontation with Satan in Matthew 4 Jesus using the word gegraptai "it is written" based His answers to Satan's temptations on passages of Scripture.
On the other hand, the phrase "it was said" or "you were told/heard" clearly points to unwritten Jewish tradition that was being taught as Scriptural truth.
See examples from Matthew 5 that showed the intent of the law in Footnote II
The Messiah made the transition from a mere letter-of-the-law, minimal standards approach, to understanding and obeying the spiritual intent behind the law.
The Beatitudes
Matthew 5 begins with the Beatitudes, which has Jesus saying things like the merciful will receive mercy and the pure in heart will see God. However since it is hardly likely that only the pure in heart will see God, only the gentle will inherit the earth, and only the poor in spirit will gain heaven, it is reasonable to conclude that Jesus was teaching that His followers should manifest all these character traits - the many blessings promised are different aspects of God's blessings in the coming kingdom.
However, these blessings were a direct reversal of the value system of the Pharisees.
When Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit", He was challenging (and warning) the arrogant religious leaders who loved the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. (Matthew 23: 6-7)
When He said, "Blessed are those who mourn" He was describing heartfelt repentance and remorse over sin. The tax collector who humbly bowed his head in the Temple and cried out for God's mercy was justified. The Pharisee in the Temple at the same time prayed "God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector" was not.
Apparently the scribes and Pharisees didn't mourn over sin, since in their minds they were already righteous - an attitude Jesus said would be humbled. See Repentance - The Missing Message.
All of which brings us to one final subject. What did Jesus mean when He said He came to fulfill the law?
Fulfill The Law?
Jesus said that He had not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill (Gr. pleroo) it (Matthew 5:17-18). Fulfillment was a major topic in Matthew's Gospel - he used the word fulfill or fulfilled close to 20 times, far more often than the other Gospel writers. This is actually no surprise considering that Matthew's Gospel was aimed at the Jews whom he was endeavoring to show that Jesus was the Messiah repeatedly prophesied in the OT.
The problem is that while articles on various aspects of Matthew 5 abound, few offer an accurate explanation of the word fulfill. The problem is that the English fulfill has several shades of meaning including,
Bring to completion. Achieve or realize something desired, promised, or predicted: My desires were fulfilled -
Carry out a task, duty, or role as required, pledged, or expected: He fulfilled his promise.
Satisfy or meet a requirement, condition, or need: I hired the person who fulfilled all my conditions.
The Greek pleroo, used some 90 times in the New Testament, carries similar nuances of meaning.
1) Bring to completion, or bring to reality.
Now all this took place to fulfill (Gr. pleroo) what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call his name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:22-23 NASB)
2) Literally filling something.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled (Gr. pleroo) they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. (Matthew 13:47-48 NASB)
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled (Gr. pleroo) the whole house where they were sitting. (Acts 2:1-2 NASB)
3) Completing a time period or a task,
When He had completed (Gr. pleroo) all His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum. (Luke 7:1 NASB)
4) It is also used in the sense of completely or entirely
in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully (Gr. pleroo) preached the gospel of Christ. (Romans 15:19 NASB)
5) And along the lines of being as free as possible from all flaws or defects - nothing wanting or lacking...
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete (Gr. pleroo). (2 Corinthians 10:5-6 NASB)
'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed (Gr. pleroo) in the sight of My God. (Revelation 3:2 NASB written to the church at Sardis)
In virtually every case the word in the New Testament was used to mean fill to the fullest, complete, or to finish. So when Jesus said He had come to fulfill the law He was not saying that He came to change or dismiss it. Much to the contrary, His teachings carried Old Testament revelation forward to it's intended consummation.
Conclusion
In the Old Testament, the demands of the law were satisfied by physically doing what the law required of you and by not doing what it forbade. It mattered not whether your heart was in any of it.
We are now living under the New Covenant which actually demands a higher degree of holiness and obedience to God - only achieved with the aid of the Holy Spirit. See What is Holiness God judges us by whether we freely and willingly keep His laws or are simply going through the motions. Whether we do not want to do those things the law forbids, or secretly desire them but refrain out of fear of punishment.
It has to be noted that the intent behind the laws was always the governing factor. It was...
Nothing New
Amos and Isaiah who prophesied to Israel and Judah respectively provide classic examples.
Amos: The people of the time were obviously going through the motions and observing all the physical requirements of the law, but their hearts were far from God. Although they were still offering the burnt-offerings and meal-offerings, the Lord did not see any real righteousness. Amos 8 tells us that they swallowed up the needy, and caused the poor of the land to fail. They were going through the motions of keeping keeping the Lord's festivals but were keen to see the end of the Sabbath so they could buy and sell again. They cheated on their weights making the ephah small and the shekel great. They also bought the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes, and sold the refuse of the wheat.
At all this the Lord swore that He would "never forget any of their works" and told them what He thought of their festivals in no uncertain terms. In His words,
"I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. "Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. "Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. "But let justice roll down like waters And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:21-24 NASB)
Isaiah: The Bible tells us over and over again that Judah followed in the footsteps of her sister Israel. The supposed 'righteousness' of going through the motions - traipsing down to the temple to pray and offer sacrifice while oppressing the widow and orphan was just as prevalent in Judah as it was in Israel and brought nothing but God's contempt and anger. When the people asked the Father why they fasted and He did not see - why they had humbled themselves and He had not noticed, He replied in part (Do take the time to read everything He said).
"Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. "Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? "Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?
"Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? "
Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. "Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness. (Isaiah 58:4-9 NASB)
This sham righteousness, apparently widespread in that day, is what Isaiah called "Filthy Rags". The prophet was addressing a specific situation not, as it is commonly believed, making a generalized statement that applied to all people of all time.
Footnote I
Jot Or Tittle
The word jot is derived from iota, the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet commonly used in English phrase to mean a tiny or scarcely detectable amount. A tittle is a sign such as an accent, vowel mark, or dot placed above or below a character or letter to indicate that it is stressed, has a different phonetic value etc.
The Law And The Prophets: The Hebrew Bible is called the Tanakh - an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the three traditional subdivisions: The Torah ("Teaching" or the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im ("Prophets") and Ketuvim ("Writings"). It was a common expression used by the Jews to refer to the entire Old Testament. (See for example Matthew 7:12; 11:13; 22:40; John 1:45; Acts 13:15; Romans 3:21).
Footnote II
Examples of the Intent Of The Law
The first four examples (Matthew 5:21, 27, 33, 43) were directly centered on the commandments.
1.) Matthew 5: 21: "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'you shall not commit murder' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'
Jesus followed this up with the words "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell"..
What the Messiah was saying is that even anger with ones brother without cause puts one in danger of the judgment. Prior to this, unjustified negative feeling towards another human being was acceptable as long as one did not actually commit murder. However since murder, like all sin, begins in the human mind, Jesus was addressing the adverse emotion behind the deed and calling it wrong (Vs. 21-26). The apostle John elaborates on this "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." (1 John 3:15).
2.) Matthew 5:27
reads "You have heard that it was said, 'you shall not commit adultery' which Jesus followed up with "but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Vs. 28)
Since the Old Testament laws only forbade the actual act of adultery, the spirit of the law was ignored and lusting would not have been considered as a violation of the law. However, Jesus, once again getting to the heart of the matter, said that even looking at a woman with desire constituted adultery (Vs. 27-30). It is one thing to never commit adultery, but quite another to control lust in the heart and mind.
3.) Matthew 5:33
has Jesus saying "Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, 'you shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.' This He followed up with
"But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. "Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil. (Matthew 5:34-37 NASB)
4.) Matthew 5:43:
You have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy'.
In this verse, Jesus is referring to Leviticus 19:18, which simply states "thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself". The hate your enemy bit was never part of God's law, but was assumed to be the natural sequel to loving your neighbour,. Jesus instructed his listeners to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, repudiating the commonly held belief that hating one's enemies was acceptable.
Matthew 5:31:
"It was said, 'whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce'; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Jesus came down hard on their lax approach to marriage replacing their anything-goes version with just one justifiable reason to break the marriage covenant.
Unfortunately the 21st century also has it's fair share of Pharisees, who see no further than the actual words on paper and have no idea what God's intent behind His laws are. These Pharisees are divided on the divorce issue, one camp insisting that in spite of Jesus' clear words, even adultery is not justifiable grounds for divorce, while the second camp insists that ONLY adultery is.
However, all this legal wrangling does not take into account several other reasons a person may justifiably seek divorce... abuse for one. It is hard to believe that anyone in their right mind would imagine that God would actually condemn a person seeking divorce under these circumstances. Again, it bears repeating that Jesus was reprimanding a casual anything goes approach to the marriage covenant.
Matthew 5:38
reads "You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'. "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. "If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. "Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you". (Matthew 5:38-42 NASB)
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth was a legal code known as lex talionis, a Latin phrase meaning law of retaliation.” It was not intended to be used for personal revenge, but was a guideline for the judges to administer justice fairly. If someone injured another, the punishment was to be of equal severity - no more, no less. Personal vengeance was forbidden (see for example, Proverbs 20:22, 24:29. Leviticus 19:18, Romans 12:19 ) If people took retaliation into their own hands vendettas could spiral out of control.
All these examples, encompassing even our thoughts toward others, served to show the intent of the law extended far beyond the exact wording. Behind every Mosaic command lay a principle that transcended time and culture and was therefore applicable to all God's people regardless of when or where they live.
Continue on to Chapter IV - The Sabbath. It is well worth noting that eight of the Ten Commandments, were specifically renewed under the New Covenant. However, the silence is deafening when it comes to the Seventh Day Commandment. HERE
End Notes - Chapter III
[01] Bob Deffinbaugh. The Sabbath Controversy in the Gospels.
Bible.org. https://bible.org/seriespage/sabbath-controversy-gospels
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