Following Christ-Rediscovering the Jewish Faith of JesusSample

Day 14: Until Heaven and Earth Pass Away

Jesus followed God’s commands as given through Moses. Throughout His ministry, Jesus affirmed the Law. One of the strongest affirmations is in His Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew early in His ministry. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore, anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-19)

First, Jesus warns people against thinking that He came to abolish the law. He denies that, in no uncertain terms. Therefore, it’s ironic that much of Christianity has taught that Jesus did come to abolish the law. They are able to claim that because Paul used a couple of phrases that are vastly misunderstood. We’ll look at those more in the future.

Then Jesus clarifies the time frame that He is addressing—“until heaven and earth disappear.” Clearly, He wasn’t limiting His remarks to the few years in which He taught before His crucifixion. As of this writing, heaven and earth have not yet passed away, which means that not the smallest part of the law has become obsolete.

It’s worth noting that the Greek word, which is often translated “fulfilled,” is not the word that refers to prophecy being fulfilled. It means until everything happens. The fact that Jesus fulfilled (kept perfectly) the Law doesn't mean that He abolished it. Far from it!

The passage concludes by saying that anyone who practices and teaches the Law will be considered great in the kingdom, while anyone who breaks it and teaches contrary to it will be considered least. Someday Jesus will return to reign over Israel and the world, and He will exalt those who loved God and obeyed His commands over those who didn’t. He couldn’t have been more emphatic on this topic. Which group will you be in?

Reflection

The question was already posed: Which group would you be in?

James wrote that teachers would be judged with greater strictness. What do you think that means?