Let’s turn first to the book of Matthew, today, for a quick review of the meaning of Jesus’ words in verses 17-20…
Mat 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Mat 5:18 For 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.
Mat 5:19 Whoever 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.
Mat 5:20 For 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.
Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees; 400-500 years of massaging the law via carnal interpretation.
Did Jesus Do Away with the Law? (UCG.ORG)
Jesus stated unequivocally in His sermon: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill," (Matthew 5:17). The Greek word pleroo, here translated "fulfill," means "to make full," "to fill to the full," "to make complete in every particular," "to render perfect" or "to carry through to the end" (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2005, Strong's number 4137).
Far from destroying or abolishing the law, as some interpret this verse, Jesus said He came to fill the law to the full—to complete and perfect it. This He did by showing the deeper spiritual intent and application of the law.
Today, however, I want to quickly focus on a huge part of what was fulfilled in the life of Christ that may add even greater value to Christ’s words in Matthew 5:17, “"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”
“might be fulfilled” ten times in Matthew (NKJV)
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
Mat 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
Mat 1:20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Mat 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
Mat 1:22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
Mat 1:23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which is translated, "God with us."
“might be fulfilled” seven times in John (NKJV)
Joh 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"
In the modern vernacular “may” and “might” are used interchangeably, but they don’t actually mean the same thing. From writingexplained.org we can find their distinguishing characteristics.
May is used to express what is possible, factual, or could be factual. For example,
- He may lose his job.
- We may go on vacation.
- I may have dessert after dinner.
Might is used to express what is hypothetical, counterfactual, or remotely possible. For example,
- If you hurry, you might get there on time.
- If I had shown up on time, I might have kept my job.
- If I win the lottery, I might buy a Ferrari.
Referring back to John 19:28, but in different translations.
LITV reads…
Joh 19:28 After this, knowing that all things have now been finished that the Scripture be completed, Jesus said, I thirst.
NLT reads…
Joh 19:28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.”
Here, Jesus was referring back to Psalm 22:15 and Psalm 69:21.
So we see, then, that the interpretation of “might” and “may” is inserted into the inspired Greek text, and the way these phrases should be read, all 18 of them, is without these words.
And if we had any doubt, let’s say we did not have access to the Greek text, let us go to the scripture that got me on to this subject in the first place.
Luk 24:44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
Jesus, after being resurrected, and in less than 24 hours from when the disciples first realized He had been resurrected, revealed to them that Sunday evening that “all things must be fulfilled – concerning Me.” And, from what sources? The first five books of the Bible, the major and minor prophets, and the Psalms.
Some rules of interpretation important to remember.
Variation in word meanings, or accuracy of translation
Context
- Letting the sentence, phrase, or entire thought interpret itself
Cross Reference
- “righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees”
Not all is fulfilled, however...
Luk 22:14 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.
Luk 22:15 Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
Luk 22:16 for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."
Luk 22:17 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves;
Luk 22:18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
We know from these statements that Jesus is clearly denying Himself the consumption of a Passover lamb and the fruit of the vine until “it is fulfilled in or until the kingdom of God.” This is very valuable and encouraging information, because it then means that Jesus did not just come to save the disciples, or Jews, or Gentiles, but that the fulfillment of His sacrifice is not actually completed until all of mankind has had the opportunity to choose eternal life relying on the covering blood of the Lamb, sacrificed from the foundation of the world.
Our elder Brother, Jesus, came not only to establish the spiritual depth of the law, He also came to fulfill the prophecies related to the salvation of man by the shedding of His blood, those prophecies revealing how He came into the world as a human baby, how the religious establishment would react to His righteousness, how He would be the ultimate Passover sacrifice, and also how He will continue fulfilling the plan of God, many things which still have not been fulfilled.
No matter how one interprets Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 during His sermon on the mount, it cannot be denied that all is still not yet fulfilled, so obedience to God’s law remains, and, if there have been any doubts as to God’s confidence in fulfilling prophecy seeing phrases like, “might be fulfilled” or “may be fulfilled”, we have learned today that proper interpretation removes all doubt about what was prophesied and fulfilled in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Therefore, we can have all the more confidence in the value of our ongoing obedience to Christ and our Father, and we can have all the more confidence in the many prophecies yet to be fulfilled concerning the salvation of mankind.
