Don’t
think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5:17-20
Matthew 5 [13.] “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5 [17.] “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5 [21.] “You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
Meaning:
Jesus’ teaching sounded new and fresh, and some may have wondered whether he intended to set aside the Scriptures of Israel. In these verses he answers that question before he goes on to explain the commandments about murder, adultery, oaths and love of enemies (Matthew 5:21-22). He has not come to abolish God’s Word but to fulfill it, and he calls his disciples to a righteousness deeper than that of the most religious people of their day.
- “I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill”
“The law or the prophets” was a common way of describing the whole Old Testament. Jesus fulfills it in several ways. He perfectly obeyed God’s commandments. He brought to completion what the sacrifices, the temple and the priesthood pointed to. He accomplished what the prophets foretold. After his resurrection he told his disciples, “all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). He also fulfills the law by revealing its true depth, as the rest of this chapter shows.
- “Not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke”
The smallest letter was the Hebrew yod, a mark hardly larger than an apostrophe. The tiny pen stroke was the small hook or serif that distinguishes one Hebrew letter from another. Jesus uses these images to say that every part of God’s Word matters and will stand. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). God’s purposes in the law will be carried through “until all things are accomplished.”
- “Least” and “great” in the Kingdom
Jesus warns against treating any of God’s commands as unimportant, whether by breaking them or by teaching others that they do not matter. Greatness in the Kingdom belongs to those who both do and teach God’s will. Doing comes first: teaching without obedience is hollow.
- “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees”
This statement must have astonished the crowd. The scribes were experts in the law and the Pharisees were known for strict observance, tithing even their herbs. Yet Jesus said they had “left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith” (Matthew 23:23). Their righteousness was largely outward. The righteousness Jesus requires reaches the heart: not only no murder, but no hatred; not only no adultery, but no lust.
No one can produce such righteousness alone. God promised a new covenant: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it” (Jeremiah 31:33). Paul longed to be found in Christ, “not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:9). The greater righteousness is first received as a gift and then lived out by the Spirit, “that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).
The Significance of Matthew 5:17-20
- The Old Testament still matters
Christians sometimes treat the Old Testament as outdated. Jesus teaches the opposite. The law and the prophets reveal God’s character, show our need of a Savior and point to Christ. Read in the light of his fulfillment, they remain the Word of God for his people.
- Love fulfills the law
Jesus summed up the law in love for God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39). Paul writes, “Love doesn’t harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10). The greater righteousness is not a longer list of rules, but a heart made new and shown in love.
Cross-References:
Luke 24:44: "all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled." Jesus fulfills the Scriptures.
Jeremiah 31:33: "I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it;" The law written on the heart.
Philippians 3:9: "not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ," The righteousness that comes from God.
Matthew 23:23: "and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith." The scribes and Pharisees fell short.
Conclusion: In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus declares that he came not to destroy the law and the prophets but to fulfill them. Every letter of God’s Word will stand, and those who do and teach it are great in his Kingdom. Yet the righteousness he requires goes deeper than the outward observance of the scribes and Pharisees. It is the righteousness of a heart renewed by God, received through faith in Christ and lived out in love.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible