When Law Met Grace: The Day the Commandments Found Their Completion
Matthew 5:17–20 through the lens of the cross; how the Law’s last word became Love’s first whisper.
For centuries, Christians have wrestled with one question:
Did Jesus come to end the Law, or to enforce it forever?
In Matthew 5:17–20, Jesus makes it clear that His mission wasn’t to reject what came before but to bring it to completion in Himself.
When Jesus said, “I came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets,” He was announcing the turning point of all Scripture: the moment when promise becomes Person, and commandment becomes communion.
Matthew 5:17–20 (ESV)
17 “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.
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Tension at the Heart of Jesus’ Words
17 “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.
Few statements of Jesus have generated as much debate as this one.
It stands at the intersection of covenants, where the Mosaic Law meets the Gospel, and where centuries of prophetic expectation collide with the arrival of their fulfillment.
Historically, the Church has been divided over what exactly Jesus meant by “fulfill.”
Was He upholding the Law for all time?
Was He declaring its end?
Or was He describing a deeper, spiritual fulfillment that transcends literal observance?
Understanding this passage depends on what we believe about the cross.
If “fulfill” means “continue,” then the cross merely confirms the old system.
But if “fulfill” means “complete,” then “It is finished” (John 19:30) is the divine commentary on Matthew 5:17… the moment when “until all is accomplished” becomes reality.
The Meaning of πληρόω — Completion, Not Continuation
The Greek verb πληρόω (plēroō) is the key to this passage.
The word’s meaning focuses on bringing something to completion or achieving its intended purpose.
According to BDAG (3rd ed., 828–829), it means:
“to make full,”
“to complete what was begun,” or
“to bring to a designed end — to fulfill a prophecy, obligation, or law.”
The word carries the idea of consummation; something brought to completion, not something endlessly repeated.
In Matthew’s Gospel, plēroō always signals the arrival of divine purpose.
“This happened to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet…” (Matt. 1:22; 2:15; 4:14, etc.)
So when Jesus says, “I came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets,” He is not promising to keep them running indefinitely.
He is announcing that their goal has arrived. That everything they anticipated will find its completion in Him.
As R.T. France notes:
Matthew’s use of plēroō “is not concerned with Jesus’ actions in relation to the Law, but rather with the way in which He brings into being that to which the Law and Prophets pointed forward.”
Until All Is Accomplished
Verse 18 clarifies verse 17:
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Two “until” clauses form the tension:
“Until heaven and earth pass away,” and
“Until all is accomplished.”
In rabbinic idiom, “heaven and earth” represented permanence.
Jesus uses this phrase to say, in effect:
“God’s Word is unbreakable until it has fully achieved its purpose.”
The Law’s authority stood intact until that purpose was realized… and that moment came at the cross.
The phrase “until all is accomplished” (Greek: heōs an panta genētai) mirrors John 19:30: tetelestai — “It is finished.”
Both verbs (genētai and tetelestai) denote the same idea: something brought to completion, fulfilled, done.
Thus, “not a jot or tittle will pass” was true until the very moment Jesus declared the work complete.
After that, the Law’s role shifted from covenant code to completed testimony. No longer binding as regulation, but enduring as revelation fulfilled.
The Commandments in Context — Torah or Jesus’ Words?
This is where interpretation diverges sharply among different schools of thought.
Verse 19 warns:
19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Traditional Christian interpretation has often assumed “these commandments” refers to the Mosaic Law itself.
Hebrew Roots movements use this verse to insist that Torah observance remains mandatory.
However, context suggests otherwise:
Matthew’s narrative flow points forward, not backward.
Jesus has just mentioned the Law and the Prophets (v. 17), but the very next verses (vv. 21–48) are a series of new teachings introduced by the formula,
“You have heard that it was said … but I say to you.”
That phrase signals contrast and fulfillment, not repetition.
Jesus is reinterpreting the Law in light of Himself, replacing external conformity with internal transformation.
Therefore, “these commandments” refers not to Torah as written code but to Jesus’ own kingdom commands: the fulfilled, Spirit-centered ethic He reveals in the rest of the sermon.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount reveals what life looks like under the new covenant. Not rules etched in stone, but truth written by the Spirit on living hearts.
A Spectrum of Interpretive Ideologies
To grasp the depth of Jesus’ claim, we must recognize the major theological frameworks that have emerged around this text.
1. The Legal-Continuity View
This view, prominent in traditional Judaism and adopted by Hebrew Roots or Torah-observant Christians, interprets “fulfill” as “obey”.
Jesus came, they say, not to end the Law but to perfectly model it. Thereby affirming that His followers must keep it as well.
Festivals, Sabbaths, and dietary laws remain binding expressions of covenant faithfulness.
However, this view fails to account for the temporal language of verse 18 (“until all is accomplished”) and the New Testament’s witness that Christ is the end (telos) of the Law for righteousness (Rom 10:4).
Paul’s argument in Galatians 3 and 4, that the Law was a guardian until Christ came, also directly challenges any notion of its perpetual jurisdiction.
2. The Moral-Continuity View (Reformed and Traditional Protestant)
Here, the Law is divided into three parts: moral, civil, and ceremonial.
Christ fulfills the ceremonial and civil, but the moral law (summarized in the Ten Commandments) continues as a standard of holiness.
This view respects God’s moral character but sometimes risks creating a “two-tier” system: grace for salvation, law for sanctification.
While moral continuity is undeniable, Scripture locates that continuity in Christ Himself, not in the reapplication of Sinai.
The moral content of the Law lives on through the indwelling Spirit (Rom 8:4), not through adherence to an external code.
3. The Kingdom-Realization View (N. T. Wright and Narrative Theologians)
This interpretation treats the Sermon on the Mount as the manifesto of the kingdom: the announcement that God’s reign has begun through Jesus.
The Law’s story finds its climax in the new exodus inaugurated by the Messiah.
Here, “fulfill” means “bring Israel’s story to completion.”
This view rightly emphasizes the narrative unity of Scripture but can understate the substitutionary and judicial dimensions of fulfillment at the cross.
4. The Finished-Work View
This is the framework of redemptive completion.
“Fulfill” means “to finish,” “to accomplish,” “to bring to its designed end.”
The Law and the Prophets are not annulled but completed in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
The cross is the fulfillment point where “until all is accomplished” becomes true.
The believer’s righteousness now flows not from law-keeping but from union with the One who kept and completed it.
This view preserves the integrity of both Scripture and grace:
The Law’s holiness remains unquestioned.
Its demands remain met.
Its purpose remains fulfilled.
Beyond the Righteousness of the Pharisees
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
When Jesus warns, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven,” He is not setting a higher legal bar.
He is redefining righteousness altogether.
The Pharisees sought righteousness by rule; Jesus offers righteousness by relationship.
Theirs was the obedience of fear and form; His is the obedience of faith and transformation.
Paul echoes this when he contrasts “a righteousness based on the Law” with “the righteousness of God through faith in Christ” (Rom 3:21–22; Phil 3:9).
Jesus’ righteousness is not added to ours. It replaces ours.
He fulfills the Law not merely as our example but as our substitute, satisfying its every demand and crediting its completed righteousness to those who believe.
The Law’s True Purpose in Redemptive History
The Law functioned as:
A mirror revealing sin (Rom 3:20).
A guardian leading to Christ (Gal 3:24).
A shadow pointing to substance (Heb 10:1).
At the cross, all three functions reached their goal.
The mirror was no longer needed once the Cure was given
The guardian’s role ended when the Heir arrived
The shadow disappeared when the Light came.
What was preparatory has become fulfilled.
The Witness of the Commentators
R. T. France captures the progression perfectly:
“Far from wanting to set aside the Law and the Prophets, it is my role to bring into being that to which they have pointed forward.”
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown emphasize the same truth but from another angle:
“Not to subvert, abrogate, or annul, but to establish — to unfold and embody the Law in living form.”
Both perspectives meet in the finished work of Christ.
He establishes the Law by fulfilling it.
He upholds it by completing it.
He honors it by carrying it to its intended end.
Life Under the Fulfilled Law
For the believer, the Law no longer stands as a covenant of obligation but as a witness that the work has been finished. What once demanded perfection now declares it accomplished. The cross didn’t erase the Law’s moral weight. It revealed its purpose. Everything the Law pointed toward has found its completion in Christ.
Paul captures this reality when he writes:
“The righteous requirement of the Law is fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4)
This isn’t the Torah being written again on tablets of stone. The covenant of Sinai has served its purpose; it was a shadow pointing to a greater reality. The believer doesn’t live under the administration of that covenant any longer, because its demands were fully met in the Son.
What the Spirit now writes on the heart is not the old code of commandments but the living nature of Christ Himself; what Scripture calls the Law of Christ (Gal 6:2) or the Royal Law of Love (James 2:8).
This is the same law Jesus described when He said, “A new commandment I give you: that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34)
The Spirit internalizes what Sinai externalized. He doesn’t engrave regulations; He imparts relationship. He doesn’t reproduce the Torah; He reproduces the character of Jesus. The heart of stone is replaced by a heart of flesh, and the Word once written on stone now beats with life inside the redeemed (Jer 31:33).
In this way, love becomes the law’s true fulfillment:
not because love ignores holiness,
but because love accomplishes what commandments could only demand.
The Torah revealed God’s standards; the cross revealed God’s heart.
What was once a law to obey has become a life to express.
The moral essence of God’s will is not abolished. But it is incarnated, embodied in Christ and imparted by His Spirit to those who walk with Him.
The Cross as the “Until” of the Law
Everything in Matthew 5:17–20 pivots on the phrase “until all is accomplished.”
That phrase finds its echo and resolution in John 19:30: “It is finished.”
At that moment:
The veil tore (Matt 27:51): the symbol of separation under the Law was removed.
The sacrificial system lost its purpose: the true Lamb had come.
The old covenant ended: the new began in His blood (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25-26).
The Law was not overthrown; it was fulfilled.
The shadow did not vanish in contempt; it bowed to the reality that it had foretold.
Conclusion — The Law That Lives Through Love
Jesus did not come to erase Scripture’s authority; He came to embody its purpose. Everything written in the Law and the Prophets was pointing forward to Him; the true Word made flesh, the living fulfillment of all that was promised, commanded, and anticipated. In Him, the story of Scripture reaches its climax.
Every covenant finds its completion in His blood. Every symbol, every sacrifice, every shadow cast by the Law now resolves in the reality of the Son.
As Paul writes:
“All the promises of God find their Yes and Amen in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
That means the moral law’s holiness, the prophetic law’s hope, and the covenantal law’s structure all converge at the cross. Nothing God spoke is cancelled; everything God spoke is completed.
The commandments that now define the disciple’s life are not the old statutes of the Torah, but the teachings of Jesus: the fulfilled Word speaking with authority from the mount of grace.
Where Moses gave the Law on stone, Christ gives the Spirit who writes His word on hearts. His commands do not come from Sinai’s thunder, but from the gentle power of His indwelling presence.
The Law once demanded righteousness; grace now enables it.
The Law exposed sin; grace transforms sinners.
The Law said, “Do and live.”
The gospel doesn’t command life through effort; it produces life that expresses itself in action.
This is not a lowering of the standard but the raising of the soul. The external code that once revealed God’s holiness now lives as a Person within us. The righteousness the Law required is now the righteousness Christ imparts. The very holiness the Law described has taken up residence in human hearts through the Spirit.
So the shadow has not been destroyed. But it has been outshone by the Light of the world.
The Law has not been weakened. But it has been completed, absorbed into the greater reality it foretold.
Sinai was never the destination; it was the road that led to Calvary.
And the story of Sinai ends in the sentence of the Savior:
“It is finished.”
A Challenge to the Reader
If the Law has been fulfilled, what does obedience look like now?
Is it the memorizing of commands, or the manifestation of Christ?
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He did not declare the end of holiness. He declared the beginning of wholeness. The question is no longer, “How well can I keep the law?” but, “How freely does His life flow through mine?”
The Torah demanded that we reflect God’s character; the cross makes it possible to share it. The Law could define righteousness but could never deliver it. Christ not only fulfills what the Law required.. He becomes what the Law described!
So pause and ask yourself:
Am I living by effort or by overflow?
Do I treat obedience as a rule to keep or as a relationship to express?
Has my pursuit of holiness become self-driven or Spirit-led?
When people encounter me, do they see someone striving to live for God, or someone through whom Christ is living?
The Sermon on the Mount is not a list of moral targets but a revelation of a transformed nature. A portrait of what happens when heaven takes residence in human hearts.
You were never called to rebuild Sinai. You were called to reveal the Son.
Closing Reflection
The Law came through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. What the mountain of stone demanded, the Man of Sorrows delivered. In Him, every “thou shalt” becomes “you are,” and every command turns into communion.
The Word that once thundered from Sinai now whispers within hearts of flesh: “Follow Me.” The righteousness once measured by effort now flows from union. The fire that once fell on tablets has moved inside the temple of your soul.
This is the mystery of fulfillment, not the end of the Law, but the indwelling of the Lawgiver.
The goal was never law-keeping. The goal was that love, once revealed in flesh, would now live through ours.
So walk, not under burden, but under grace.
Not in fear of breaking the Law, but in awe of the One who finished it.
And let your life become what the tablets always longed to say:
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Works Cited
Brown, David, A. R. Fausset, and Robert Jamieson. A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Matthew–John. Vol. 5. London and Glasgow: William Collins, Sons & Company, n.d.
Danker, Frederick William, ed. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007.
Heiser, Michael S. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015.
Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996.
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