The Sermon on the Mount: The Law

The Sermon on the Mount: The Law



The Conclusion of the Law (Matthew 5:17-18)
The relationship of Jesus to the Mosaic Law has been debated among certain people for many years. Most acknowledge that there is a difference between the law delivered by Moses and the one delivered by Jesus, but just how much of the Old Law was replaced and exactly when it was replaced has been contested.Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).
The word “destroy” is from the Greek word kataluo. It means “to disintegrate, to demolish, to overthrown, or to abolish.” Jesus’ purpose was not to make ruin of the Old Law. That law had a purpose and served its purpose well.
The word "fulfill" comes from the Greek word pleroo, which means "fill, make full, supply fully, complete." Its meaning can be seen in how it is used in other passages. For example there are numerous passages that speak of something being done in order that a prophecy might be fulfilled, such as in Matthew 1:22, 2:15, 17, etc. The word means that the prophecy was answered in full and brought to completion.

When something is made completely full by a task, the task is finished. We say this in English when we say we went to the gas station and filled up the car. In other words, we stopped pumping gas into the car once it reach the full mark because no more gas could be added.


This sense of a completed purpose is seen in Luke 7:1, "Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum." The word "concluded" is the Greek word pleroo. Jesus fulfilled his purpose in that particular lesson. There was nothing more that needed to be said at that moment, so he stopped. It is also seen in Acts 19:21, "When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."" Paul had completed what he set out to do in Ephesus, so he looked to move on to another region. The same Greek word pleroo is being used, though it is translated as "accomplished."

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