Jesus' Fulfillment of the Law of Moses: A Key Issue in the Gospels
In the Gospels, Jesus makes a number of key statements about the Law and its fulfillment. His teachings about the Law are crucial to understanding the scope of what He meant when He said, "It is finished" (John 19:30), and what exactly was fulfilled in relation to the Law of Moses.
One of the most direct statements Jesus makes about the Law of Moses comes in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:17-18:
“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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17-18, ESV)
Here, Jesus clearly indicates that He has not come to abolish the Law of Moses, but rather to fulfill it. This is significant because Jesus’ relationship with the Law is not one of rejection or replacement, but one of completion. The Law, which was given to Israel as a guide to living in covenant with God, was not voided by Jesus’ coming, but brought to its intended end in Him.
What does this fulfillment mean in practical terms? To explore this, we need to understand that the Law encompasses various aspects: moral laws, ceremonial laws, and civil laws.
Moral Law and Its Fulfillment
The moral law of Moses, as seen in the Ten Commandments and other ethical teachings (such as Leviticus 19), represents God's standard for human behavior, which reflects His holy character. Jesus upholds and intensifies this aspect of the Law, often going beyond the literal interpretation of commandments to show their deeper spiritual intent.
For example:
Matthew 5:21-22: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder’; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment...”
Here, Jesus deepens the moral law, showing that it is not just the outward act of murder that violates God’s command, but the inward attitude of anger.
Matthew 5:27-28: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
In this case, Jesus brings out the heart issue that underlies the seventh commandment. He fulfills the Law by showing that true obedience is not only external but internal.
In this sense, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the moral law by embodying its intent, showing the fullness of God’s righteousness in both His actions and His teachings. His life demonstrates the fulfillment of the moral law because He lived it out in perfect obedience to God's will.
Ceremonial Law and Its FulfillmentThe ceremonial laws of Moses, including animal sacrifices, feasts, and rituals, were meant to set Israel apart as a holy nation and point forward to the ultimate sacrifice that would deal with sin once and for all. In Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, these ceremonial aspects of the Law find their fulfillment.
John 2:19-21: “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking about the temple of His body.”
Jesus here connects the Temple with His own body. The temple was the center of Israel’s worship and sacrifices, but in Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice was made once for all. The fulfillment of the ceremonial laws, particularly the sacrificial system was completed in Jesus' death on the cross, where He offered Himself as the final sacrifice for sin (something He alludes to directly in Matthew 26:28 with His reference to the "new covenant in My blood").
Matthew 12:6: “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”
In this statement, Jesus affirms that He is the fulfillment of what the temple represented—God's presence among His people. The ceremonial system with all its sacrifices, feasts, and rituals pointed to the coming of Christ, who would fulfill these types and shadows.
Civil Law and Its Fulfillment
The civil laws were given to Israel as a way to govern their society, particularly in the Promised Land. While these laws were important for the nation of Israel during the time of the Old Covenant, they do not apply in the same way to the church or the nations under the New Covenant. Jesus did not come to directly fulfill these civil laws, but His teachings about the Kingdom of God and His ethical instructions provide a new framework for how believers should live in a fallen world.
For instance, Jesus taught that His followers should live in love, forgiveness, and peace, transcending the need for vengeance or harsh judgments (e.g., Matthew 5:39-41), which mirrors the heart behind the civil law in the Old Testament but is now applied in a way that is rooted in grace rather than in the specifics of Israel's national governance.
The Prophetic Fulfillment
Jesus also fulfills the prophetic law by being the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah found in the Old Testament. For example:
Matthew 5:17: Jesus is the fulfillment of the Prophets. He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets because He is the promised one who would bring about the salvation they pointed to.
Matthew 12:40: Jesus refers to the prophecy of Jonah and says, “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” This points to His death, burial, and resurrection, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah's suffering and the ultimate victory over death.
Jesus' own death and resurrection are the ultimate fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, because they fulfill the requirement for atonement and demonstrate that He is the Savior promised throughout the Scriptures.
What Was Fulfilled in the Law of Moses?
When Jesus says He came to fulfill the Law, He means that He accomplished everything the Law pointed to—He did not come to abolish it, but to complete its purpose.
The moral law (such as the commandments regarding love, purity, and justice) was fulfilled in Jesus, both in His perfect life and in His deeper interpretations of the law (e.g., not just the act of murder, but the issue of anger in the heart).
The ceremonial law, including sacrifices and temple worship, found their completion in Jesus, who became the final sacrifice and the fulfillment of God’s presence (no longer confined to a building or rituals, but through the body of Christ).
The prophetic law pointed directly to Jesus, who is the fulfillment of all the Messianic promises.
The civil law, while still offering principles for justice and morality, is now seen through the lens of the Kingdom of God as inaugurated by Christ, not as a nation-state with specific legal codes but as a people living under Christ’s rule.
Thus, Jesus did not come to negate the Law, but to bring it to its intended end, fulfilling all that was written in it about righteousness, sacrifice, and the coming Kingdom of God.
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