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 tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
REFLECTION
In the previous 16 verses of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has revealed the character of a true disciple of his Way. Those verses were not a guide to citizenship in God’s kingdom, but rather a way to tell who already belongs. In today’s reading, the Lord turns to questions about the law of the Old Testament and its place in Christian faith. Does faith in Jesus replace the requirements of the law and the call of the prophets?
By no means! God is the author or morality and that objective standard of holiness has never been lowered. Jesus came into the world not to abolish the law and prophets…but to fulfill them. The law reveals our broken nature and inability to live without sin. But Jesus closes the loop and restores us to his Father; there is no other way. As Peter, James, and John saw in the Transfiguration, Moses (law) and Elijah (prophets) disappeared leaving Jesus alone on the mountain top…which prefigured the fulfillment of both in Christ.
PRAYER: Father, during this season of Lent we repent of our shallow discipleship, of our moral laziness, and of our desire for legalism. Turn us away from attempts to satisfy your will with our rule-following and fill us with a profound trust in the one who fulfilled them on our behalf. Help us to walk more closely with our Savior, day by day. AMEN
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