“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 5:17 Mean?
Jesus preemptively addresses the accusation that will follow him: that he's come to destroy the law and the prophets. His response is unambiguous: "I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." The law isn't abolished; it's completed. The prophets aren't dismissed; they're realized. Everything in the Old Testament was pointing toward what Jesus is about to accomplish.
The word "fulfil" (pleroo) means to fill up, to make complete, to bring to intended fullness. A glass isn't destroyed by being filled; it reaches its purpose. The law wasn't defective — it was incomplete, waiting for the one who would fill it to the brim. Jesus is the water the glass was designed to hold.
This verse prevents two opposite errors: the error of thinking Jesus invalidated the Old Testament (he didn't — he fulfilled it), and the error of thinking the Old Testament continues unchanged alongside Jesus (it doesn't — it has been brought to its intended completion). The relationship between old and new is neither replacement nor mere continuation. It's fulfillment.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does 'fulfil' differ from both 'destroy' and 'continue unchanged'?
- 2.What changes about how you read the Old Testament when you see it as a container Jesus filled?
- 3.Where have you treated the law as abolished rather than fulfilled — and what's the difference?
- 4.How does Jesus' relationship to the law inform your understanding of grace and obedience?
Devotional
Jesus didn't come to tear down the law. He came to fill it up. To bring it to the fullness it was always pointing toward. The commandments weren't abolished; they were completed. The prophecies weren't dismissed; they were realized. Everything in the Old Testament was a container waiting for this content.
This matters because people on both sides get it wrong. Some think Jesus swept away everything before him — that the Old Testament is obsolete, that the law no longer matters, that the prophets are historical curiosities. Jesus says no: not one jot or tittle passes until all is fulfilled. Others think the law continues exactly as before, unchanged by Jesus' arrival. Also wrong: fulfillment changes the relationship. A promise fulfilled is different from a promise pending.
The word "fulfil" is the key. A glass isn't destroyed by being filled — it reaches its purpose. A prophecy isn't eliminated by coming true — it's completed. A law isn't abolished by being fully obeyed — it's satisfied. Jesus is what the whole system was building toward. He doesn't cancel the old; he completes it.
This should change how you read the Old Testament. It's not a discarded rough draft. It's the blueprint that the builder followed. Every law, every prophecy, every type and shadow was a line in the design that Jesus built to specification. When you read Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, or Malachi, you're reading the plans for the building that arrived in Bethlehem.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets,.... From verse 3 to the 10th inclusive, our Lord seems…
Think not that I am come ... - Our Saviour was just entering on his work. It was important for him to state what he came…
Those to whom Christ preached, and for whose use he gave these instructions to his disciples, were such as in their…
B. The Kingdom of Heaven is a fulfilment of the law, Mat 5:17-48. Stated generally, Mat 5:17-20.
17. I am come Lit. I…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture