He came to fulfil all that had gone before

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.” Matthew 5:17

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Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s revelation throughout the Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets). The Old Testament is the gospel in bud, and the New Testament is the gospel in flower. This doesn’t mean that the Law no longer matters; rather it now has a fuller and enhanced meaning.

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In fact, Jesus goes on to say – shockingly – that his followers must be even more righteous than the Pharisees, a group renowned for their legalistic devotion to law-keeping (5:20). But he then makes clear through a series of examples that the emphasis is no longer on dutifully (and self-righteously) keeping laws, but rather on living in accordance with their full meaning (5:21-48).

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In the final example he tells us to love our enemies, not just our friendly neighbours, for this is what God is like (5:43-48). In fact, the whole of the Law and the Prophets is summed up by Jesus in two commands: love God wholeheartedly and love your neighbours, whoever they are (Matt.22:37-40). This is what followers of Jesus are called to, because “love is the fulfilment of the law” (Rom.13:10).