Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
After calling His disciples to be salt of the earth and light of the world, Jesus now explains His relationship to “the law or the prophets” (v. 17). This expression refers to the whole Old Testament, especially God’s covenant instruction given through Moses and the message spoken through the prophets.
Jesus says, “I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (v. 17). To fulfill means to bring to completion. Jesus fulfills the Law because He obeys the Father perfectly, reveals the full meaning of God’s commandments, and brings the promises of the Old Testament to their goal. He also fulfills the prophets because the hope they announced reaches its completion in Him.
Jesus does not simply repeat earlier Old Testament teaching. He speaks with divine authority. He shows the deepest meaning of God’s will. The commandments are now understood through Him, because He is the Son who reveals the Father.
Jesus then says, “until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place” (v. 18). The smallest letter and the smallest part of a letter point to the tiniest details of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus is teaching that God’s word is faithful, firm, and lasting. What God has spoken cannot be treated lightly.
At the same time, Jesus’ fulfillment brings the Old Covenant into the New Covenant. The sacrifices and ritual laws of the Old Testament reach their completion in His sacrifice. The moral commandments remain, and Jesus brings them to their full depth. Later in the Sermon, He will show that God’s commandments reach into the heart, including anger, lust, truthfulness, mercy, and love of enemies (vv. 21-48). God had promised through the prophet Jeremiah, “I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts” (Jer. 31:33). In Christ, that promise begins to shine more clearly.
Jesus also says, “whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” (v. 19). The disciple’s life and teaching belong together. A person who treats God’s commandments as unimportant harms both himself and others. A person who obeys and teaches them faithfully serves the kingdom of heaven.
This obedience is more than outward rule-keeping. Jesus calls His disciples to a righteousness that reaches the heart and becomes visible in daily life. Love of God and love of neighbor will later be called the greatest commandments (Matt. 22:36-40). Mercy also belongs to the true meaning of God’s will, as Jesus teaches from Hosea: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matt. 9:13; Hos. 6:6).
For the Christian, the commandments are not separated from Christ. He fulfills them, teaches their true meaning, and gives His disciples the grace to live them. The Holy Spirit forms the heart so that obedience becomes a response of faith and love. In this way, the disciple who follows Christ does more than repeat God’s commandments. He lives them, teaches them, and allows them to bear witness to the Father.
Lord Jesus, You fulfill the Law and the Prophets and reveal the will of the Father. Teach me to love God’s commandments, to live them with a faithful heart, and to guide others by word and example toward Your kingdom. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Matthew 5:17-19 and notes on Matthew 5:17 and 5:19.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Page 15.
- José María Casciaro, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Page 62.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Page 641, paragraph 26.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 920.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Pages 1182-1183.
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