Messiah Upholds the Law: Matthew 5:17,18,19

"Old Testament", "New Testament" or Both?

Christians often argue that the written Torah laws are "done away". Yet despite this, ironically one of the last verses of the (so called) "Old Testament" records a profound command from God to...

Malachi 4:

4 ¶  Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Only a few chapters later in the (so called) “New Testament” and recorded many years after the crucifixion, Matthew reminds us of Christ’s own words which, we probably shouldn't be surprised to learn, are entirely consistent with Malachi.

Matthew 5:

17 ¶  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Of course, there are arguments which say that Christ kept the law for us, so that we don't have to keep it. His sacrifice "fulfilled" the law. But the simple answer to this, lies nestled in the verses below it. For example:

Matthew 5:

19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:

So anyone who breaks one of these least commandments and teaches people to do the so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. So aren't those who suggest Paul preached that the law was “done away” in Galatians, suggesting that he will be called one of the “least in the Kingdom of Heaven”?

That's unlikely. Read the "Did You Notice" sidebar (below).

Negative comments about “law” in Galatians are more likely to be aimed at the Pharisaic “Oral Torah”, which was later codified in the Mishnah.

Importantly we should remember what Messiah Yeshua / Jesus says in:

Matthew 5:

18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

By the way, jots and tittles are very small elements of written text, in this case small elements of Hebrew within the written Torah law.

Doesn't this verse suggest that “'till all be fulfilled” means when “heaven and earth pass”?

Judians think so.

Although scripture tells us that heaven and earth will one day pass away....clearly this hasn't happened yet...

Revelation 21:

1 ¶ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

If that's right then, and we believe Jesus Christ's/Messiah Yeshua's own words, when you put Matthew 5:18 and Revelation 21:1 together; it seems as though not even the smallest parts of the written Torah can pass away until there's a "new heaven and a new earth".

Did You Notice ? There's something really interesting about Matthew 5:18 where it says: Matthew 5: 18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. ...particularly when you read it from the perspective of a first century Jewish society where the "Oral Torah" (later codified into the Mishnah) was considered an equally important part of Jewish law. Did you notice? Because Yeshua / Jesus is talking about "jots" and "tittles" He must be talking only about the written Torah not changing. Noticeably, Jesus/Yeshua didn't make any reference whatsoever to any similar longevity of the Pharisees' traditional unwritten laws and traditions, (the "Oral Torah") here. Similarly, Paul even in the highest court of law in Judea, being tried by his former Pharisee colleagues, and judged by the Roman governor Felix, affirmed too that he believed "all things which are written in the law". Acts 24 10 ¶ Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself: 11 Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. 12 And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: 13 Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. 14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: Isn't that strange, because many Christians argue that Paul "did away" with the written Torah laws...? Judians don't think so. Paul wrote this about his former self: Philippians 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Galatians 1:14 And profited in the Jews’ religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. Acts 22:3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. There were two main rabbinic schools of Pharisaic Judaism / "Oral Torah"; the School of Shamei and the School of Hillel. Paul was taught by Gamaliel at the latter. The reference in Galatians to the "traditions of my fathers" is a clear reference to the Pharisaic "Oral Torah", later codified in the Mishnah, which Paul would have been taught. To confirm this check out some of the Mishnah's content. The fact that when questioned during this court case, Paul explicitly endorses written Torah, but if as some claim he remained a practicing Pharisee (cf Acts 23:6) noticeably makes no attempt to endorse the "traditions of his fathers", and therefore is entirely consistent with our Messiah Yeshua's position on the same subject, as we've just read in Matthew 5:18. Both Paul and Yeshua / Jesus defended the written Torah, but noticeably neither endorsed the "Oral Torah" when presented with the same opportunity. In contrast with traditional Christianity's interpretation of Galatians, in fact Paul said of the written Torah law: Romans 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just and good. Neither Jesuse/Yeshua nor Paul make any reference to the Pharisees' "Oral Torah", with the same degree of authority as the written Torah law even though (as surprising as it seems) in Matthew 23: Yeshua said: 1 ¶ Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not... For a clearer understanding of what Jesus/Yeshua meant when he said this follow this link for an explanation of Matthew 23:3.

So, only when Revelation 21: comes to pass and "heaven and earth have passed away" can all said to have been "fulfilled" in the sense that Yeshua / Jesus meant it in Matthew 5:18. Only when this condition is met, can the written Torah be changed.  Therefore, whilst the New Covenant indeed contains additional “better promises”, it nevertheless must retain all elements of the written Torah in their entirety.

So let’s bear that in mind when we read about what the written Torah in what is often called the Old (which implies “Redundant”) Testament has to say. In fact (until "heaven and earth pass away") we still need to listen to it very carefully. That's why its probably better to refer to it as the "Hebrew Scriptures" or the "Tanakh" for example.

Go back to the start of Judianity - A "Third Way" Between Judaism or Christianity?.

In Acts, the modification to the application of the law to circumcise gentile proselytes before Passover, caused great controversy. Why isn't a similar level of fuss recorded if indeed the rest of the law was "done away"? If Paul kept Nazirite vows & offered sacrifices at the temple, after the crucifixion as many christian theologians believe does Galatians mean the Torah law is abolished ?

We hope you found this article on Judianity engaging. Let's now take a closer look at how Christianity attempts to artificially segment the written Torah so that it can pick and choose which (so called) "Old Testament" laws to keep.
© www.judianity.info May 2009.