How do you understand Matthew 5:17?

He was trying to reveal himself as the Messiah, but in doing that Jesus was telling the crowd that he didn't come to make a new religion. He wanted them to know that he was one of them: a Jewish man bound by the law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets.

Jesus was very careful throughout his ministry not to be worshipped by people. He wanted it to be clear that while on earth, he was a servant for his father.

The Old Testament is all about Christ and His sacrifice for our sin. His life and death for us on the cross is the fulfillment of all the blood sacrifice in the OT. A lot of the prophesies are all about His coming and His sacrifice. The Law is still there to show us our need for Him. The prophets are there to show us that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.

Hi Xena,

The whole book of Matthew is proof that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. That's why it begins with a geneology in Chapter 1 that traces Jesus' right to be the promised King.

Matthew 5:17- tells us that Jesus fulfills all the propehcies of the Old Testament and the laws of the OT. Jesus summarized the laws we are to follow now by the two great commandments: The first being that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and the 2nd is that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. (We are to love our neighbors with the same concern that we have for ourselves, so just as we are hungry we would feed ourselves, etc.)

So in that way many of the laws of the OT are still relevant, ie: loving our parents, not coveting our neighbor's wife, not lying, using the Lord's name in vain, etc.

These would all fall under loving God and loving others.

Hope that helps...

Nickster

Haveing laid the foundation of the message in summary of the beatitudes Jesus now proceeds to show his superiority of his message, he had not come to destroy the law that is the new teatament gospel is not contradictory to the old testament law;

rather ir is the ultimate fulfilment of the spiritual intention of the law. Jesus now takes the law to the spiritual intention of God

There are 332 prophecies written a -fore -time about Jesus. He fulfilled all of them in his 33 and one half years. He stated that scriptural account to let his followers know that he was now the Messiah that was promised. They didn't need to look further.

This scripture is the one I base all my answers on about old testament law.

The laws are still in effect, the only thing that changed with Jesus is that he paid the debt (punishment) for the law.

Therefore, we no longer have to make sacrifices for atonement for sin (Jesus paid the debt for us).

Jesus also said, if you love me, you will keep my law. This sentence also shows clearly that old testament law is still in effect. Now as to the 600 plus explanations (additions) to the law, you can interpret most of them to culture and power plays of men in power and their love for control of people. The ten commandments are the old testament law that must be kept to this day if we love and follow Jesus.

If we strive to keep the commandments, all other things will be kept.

The New Testament does not make the Old Testament obsolete. It fulfills the Old Testament's prophecies.

for years Jesus' life, death and resurrection had been phophesied in the old testament scriptures. Now all things written by the prophets concerning Jesus are about to be fulfilled.

I hope this helps.......???

"The law" involved a Covenant between God and His people.

But this Covenant was incomplete, and would remain so until the coming of the Messiah.

But with Jesus, the Covenant was completed -- He would be the Lamb of God who would take away their sins, not just once a year as the old lambs did, but eternally.

Christ predicts that he will "fulfill" God's law and the earlier predictions of the "prophets." You be the judge. Did he fulfill them?