What Does Matthew 5:17 Mean?

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matt. 5:17)

This verse is undoubtedly one of Christ’s more challenging statements. Two key questions often arise regarding its interpretation: (1) What does the phrase “Law or the Prophets” refer to? (2) What does “fulfill” mean? When reflecting on the relevance of God’s law, these are crucial questions to consider.

The Messianic Thrust of the Old Testament

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus uses the phrase “Law or the Prophets.” This expression is a set formula that appears in various forms throughout the New Testament, such as “Law and Prophets” or “Law, Prophets, and Psalms.” At times, “Law,” “Prophets,” or “Writings/Scriptures” are used separately as abbreviations of the full formula. In the New Testament, this phrase almost never refers exclusively to the laws of the Old Testament or just the Ten Commandments. Instead, the Jewish people used it as a reference to the entire Old Testament, consisting of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.

Thus, Christ uses this phrase to refer to the entirety of the Old Testament. In doing so, He first underscores its significance and ongoing relevance. He did not come to abolish the Old Testament, meaning He did not come to nullify or invalidate it, but rather to fulfill it.

The Greek word plēroō (“fulfill”) has three primary meanings in the New Testament. First, it can have an ethical meaning—fulfilling the requirements of something (such as keeping a promise; see Matt. 3:15). Second, it can have a prophetic meaning—bringing to pass what was promised, foretold, or foreshadowed (see Matt. 1:22; John 19:24). Third, it can have a temporal meaning—indicating the arrival of a divinely appointed time (see Mark 1:15; Gal. 4:4).

In Matthew 5:17, Christ uses the second meaning. We could paraphrase His statement as follows: “I have not come to abolish what the entire Old Testament testifies to, but to do it.” This understanding makes verse 18 clearer when Jesus says that not even the smallest letter or stroke of a pen from the Old Testament will pass away until everything “is accomplished.”

During His earthly ministry, Christ made no secret of the fact that the Old Testament is fundamentally Christian. It should be read as a Christian book from the outset, as its Author teaches us to interpret it that way. In His conversation with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, He began with Moses and all the Prophets and explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures concerning Himself (Luke 24:27; see also 24:44). The Apostles shared this same perspective, preaching the gospel of God as revealed through the prophets and the Holy Scriptures (Rom. 1:1–2). McClymond and McDermott explain it aptly: “Jesus Christ was not only the divine author of all revelation but also the content of that revelation. He was both the Revealer and the Revealed.”

The Old Testament can be compared to a rip current that carries everything forward with unstoppable force. It has a thrust that inevitably leads to the New Testament—a Messianic thrust.

The Law

This thrust is especially evident in the laws and rituals of the Old Testament. The tabernacle and temple reminded the people that the way back into God’s presence was through the temple by way of atonement that required the offering of sacrifices. The continual repetition of these sacrifices pointed to the need for a perfect sacrifice. The temple veil reminded them that no one could enter God’s most holy presence without atonement for sin.

Even the civil laws God gave to regulate order in society anticipated their fulfillment. Laws concerning restitution (see Ex. 22:1) looked forward with great anticipation to a time when corrective laws would no longer be necessary because restitution would flow naturally from hearts transformed by God’s law.

The ethical laws—the Ten Commandments—press toward the New Testament with even greater force. They establish God’s standard of perfection: The one who does them shall live by them (see Lev. 18:5). Yet, due to our sinful nature, this standard is unattainable. It leaves us searching desperately for One who can fulfill God’s righteousness on our behalf.

The Prophets

The prophets called God’s people to repentance while promising that He would send His Messiah to cleanse them, change their hearts, pour out His Spirit upon them, and raise them from the dead (Ezek. 36:25–27; 37). At the same time, they foretold how God’s judgment would be executed on “the day of the Lord” against His enemies (Zeph. 1:14). The prophets presented a vision of a future time of salvation, when a prophet greater than Moses would arise to whom all people will listen (Deut. 18:15), a time of peace and redemption.

The Writings

As early as Genesis 3:15, God promised that one born of the woman’s seed would crush the serpent’s head. The flood and Noah’s ark demonstrated that salvation from judgment could only be found in God’s means of deliverance. When Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, God provided a ram in his place. Joseph saved his brothers from certain death, and God led His people from slavery in Egypt to the promised land. The Writings, which make up the rest of the Old Testament beyond the Law and the Prophets, reminded Israel that the judges and kings who were supposed to guide God’s people—whether the courageous David or the wise Solomon—ultimately failed, pointing to the need for something greater. The exile foreshadowed the ultimate Redeemer, who would be forsaken by the Father (Ps. 22) for the salvation of His people from the land of darkness. The wisdom books looked forward to One who would ultimately embody wisdom, and Song of Songs set the table for the marriage feast of the Lamb with His bride.

Christ the Fulfillment

The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings all find their fulfillment in Christ. The book of Hebrews shamelessly draws a direct line between the ceremonial laws and their completion in Jesus Christ: “For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). He is the Lamb of God, our High Priest, and our righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30). With a loud cry, He declared, “It is finished!”—and the temple veil was torn (Matt. 27:50–51; John 19:30).

Christ not only taught the deepest meaning of the Law (Matt. 5–7), but He also lived it out through perfect obedience, even to the point of death (Phil. 2:8). The Ten Commandments serve as a tutor that patiently leads us to Christ so that we may be justified through faith in Him and His perfect obedience (Gal. 3:24). By His Spirit, He writes the law on our hearts so that we can truly love our neighbor as ourselves, even in civil matters.

Regarding the fulfillment of the Prophets, no statement is clearer than Christ’s own words. After reading from the scroll of Isaiah, He declared, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Again and again, the New Testament echoes this refrain: “. . . to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet” (Matt. 1:22).

Scripture after Scripture, story after story, character after character finds its fulfillment in Christ. He is the One who crushes the serpent’s head. John the Baptist identifies Him as our substitute, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). He is the true Brother who redeems His brothers. He is called from Egypt to lead the people of God out of slavery into the promised land. He is the great Judge who delivers His own from their enemies. He is the greater David who unites all nations under His rule, and the wiser-than-Solomon King (Matt. 12:42).

Conclusion

Matthew 5:17 is a key text for understanding the Old Testament and serves as a hermeneutical key to unlocking its message. Christ gives the church this key to rightly interpret the Old Testament as testifying to Him. To interpret the Old Testament apart from God’s redemptive plan in Jesus Christ is to misunderstand its true purpose.