Troublesome Mt 5.17-20

[Madaglan]

17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

I often read “heaven and earth” passing away as meaning the end of the world. In apocalypse this kind of language is used. However, when Christ is resurrected, he tells his apostles that all has been fulfilled in Scripture. What exactly is going on in these verses of Matthew? If even the least commandments (including those commandments ordering that one should execute others for adultery, witchcraft, and those requiring circumcision, abstaining from certain foods, etc.) are according to this verse not to be broken until the apocalypse, then why in the council of Jerusalem do the apostles seem to go against this early verse of Jesus when they decide to abandon as Christian requirements circumcision and the ceremonial aspects of the law?

These verses are extremely confusing to me.

 

[Buzzard]

Madaglan:

I often read “heaven and earth” passing away as meaning the end of the world. In apocalypse this kind of language is used. However, when Christ is resurrected, he tells his apostles that all has been fulfilled in Scripture.

I think he meant all things concerning him had been fulfilled

~{Luke 24:44}~

• And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled*, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
  45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
  46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
  47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

 

[SteveT]

I think you have to remember that there were two “laws” under the old covenant, the moral law (as encapsulated in the ten commandments) and the ritual law (the Levitical code of animal sacrifices and dietary rules). In the context of Matthew 5, I think it’s pretty clear that Jesus is talking about the moral law, not the ritual law (cf., v. 21 and v.27). The moral law indeed will never pass away, and woe to anyone who teaches others that any aspect of it no longer applies!

The ritual laws were added (Gal 3:19) to the moral law after the golden calf incident, as a kind of penance, a continual renunciation of the idolatry of the Egyptians. They were never salvific in nature (c.f., Isaiah 1:11ff)

 

[enanneman]

And, in any event, Peter makes it clear that Christians need not become Jewish in Acts 15.

Peace and God bless!

Eric

 

[Madaglan]

Butzzard ,

Thank you for your help. Earlier I had used the quote from Luke to support the traditional Christian understanding; so thanks for corroborating that for me.

Steve T,

Thanks for pointing out the distinction between the levitical laws and the moral laws. The Scriptural verses really help out, too

Ennanem,

Thanks for your post, too. I also had used Acts 15; so thanks for corroborating.