From Matthew 5:17-20 / Something Old, Something New – Verse 17 is an astounding statement Jesus; one which is of vital importance. He is at one and the same time showing that there is no disconnect between His ministry and the Old Covenant revelation- but also, that it is not a mere continuation of it. Indeed, later, Jesus Himself will inaugurate the New Covenant in the Last Supper. But there is a radical TRANSITION which must be reckoned with. What is evident is that something in His teaching this way is so radically different from what they already knew, that He has to qualify what is being said by this statement. It is in defining the precise nature of the relationship between the two which is at the heart of so much confusion and division within the Church. How did Jesus fulfill the law and the prophets? In at least these 3 ways. 1. He obeyed all on our behalf – out of pure, holy desire. He fulfilled its REQUIREMENTS. 2. He fulfilled all that it typed and foreshadowed. He fulfilled all of its PROPHECIES. 3. He fulfilled its punishments on our behalf. He suffered in our place on the cross. He fulfilled all of its PENALTIES. In other words, all that was and is foreshadowed in the OC constructs, must be entirely fulfilled and completed in Christ. Every aspect down to the tiniest particle must be fulfilled (for they were not the substance but the shadow) and all in Him and Him alone. Therefore, the Old cannot simply be thrown away; instead we must see it, understand it and teach it as it relates to Christ. If we fail in this, we miss everything. We don’t teach the Old Covenant as mere precepts in themselves, but as revelations of Jesus. To do any less (i.e. to teach them as mere precepts) will bring us into judgment. Only as this leads us to and opens Christ to us, can our righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees. For they are experts in mechanical obedience. And something far greater is needed – infinitely greater has come. Anywhere we reduce the Law’s demands, we make less of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. But praise God, He had indeed fulfilled all for us!