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.

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.

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