He IS our Fulfillment

{My Journey Through the Sermon on the Mount}

v.17 “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.”
This section presents the heart of Jesus’ message, for it demonstrates His relationship to the Law of God. Jesus was not presenting a rival system to the Law of Moses and the words of the Prophets, but a true fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets—in contrast with the Pharisees’ traditions. “The Law and the Prophets” refer to the entire Old Testament.

Fulfill:
a : to put into effect : EXECUTE
b : to meet the requirements of (a business order)
c : to bring to an end
d : to measure up to : SATISFY

v.18 "For truly, I say to you, . . .
I tell you the truth is literally, “Surely (or Verily, KJV) I say to you.” “Surely” renders the word “Amen” (Gr. amēn, transliterated from the Heb. ’āman, “to be firm, true”). This expression, “I tell you the truth,” points to a solemn declaration that the hearers should note. It occurs 31 times in Matthew alone.

. . . until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
Jesus’ fulfillment would extend to the smallest Hebrew letter, the “jot” (lit., yôd), and even to the smallest stroke of a Hebrew letter, the “tittle.” In English a jot would correspond to the dot above the letter “i” (and look like an apostrophe), and a tittle would be seen in the difference between a “P” and an “R”. The small angled line that completes the “R” is like a tittle. These things are important because letters make up words and even a slight change in a letter might change the meaning of a word.

Jesus said He would fulfill the Law by obeying it perfectly and would fulfill the prophets’ predictions of the Messiah and His kingdom. But the responsibility of the people was made clear. The righteousness they were currently seeking—that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law—was insufficient for entrance into the kingdom Jesus was offering. The righteousness He demanded was not merely external; it was a true inner righteousness based on faith in God’s Word.

*Thank you Logos for the information above.

Have you, like me, thought that the Old Testament, was well OLD and that Jesus is NEW?? It’s texts like these that remind me, Jesus was not “new”. He is not Plan B. He is not a different way, a better way . . . He IS the way.

Jesus is fulfillment.
All that was taught in the Old Testament points to Him. He doesn’t abolish, he fulfills. Like the missing pieces to the puzzle, he fits it ALL together to see the big picture.

While in Israel, they encouraged us on the last day to rip out the page in our bible that says “Old Testament”. We were taught to see Christ throughout all of the pages in our bible, not just the “new”.

He IS the fulfillment of our OLD Testament and He IS our hope in the NEW!