Until all be fulfilled
Matthew 5:17–18 and the Law: Scripture Fulfilled, Covenant Changed

Introduction

Matthew 5:17–18 sits at the center of many debates about “the Law” in the Bible. Some read these verses as if Jesus is teaching that the Mosaic Law remains fully binding forever—because “heaven and earth” have not passed away. Others read Jesus as teaching that the Mosaic Law reached its goal in Him and therefore its covenantal authority could pass once “all” was fulfilled.

In this blog we will take Jesus’ words slowly and in context. We will also make an important distinction that often gets missed: in Matthew 5:17 Jesus speaks of “the law and the prophets,” a phrase that refers to the Hebrew Scriptures as a whole; then in Matthew 5:18 He speaks of “the law” specifically, where the question of the Mosaic covenant’s duration comes into view.

All Scripture quotations below are King James Version (KJV).

1) What does “the Law” mean?

Christians sometimes treat “the Law” as if it always means the same thing. But in Scripture the phrase can be used in more than one way:

• “The law and the prophets” is a common Jewish summary for the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures.
• “The law” can refer more narrowly to the Mosaic Law—the covenantal code given through Moses.

Matthew 5:17–18 uses both forms, and the shift is significant.

2) Matthew 5:17 — “the law and the prophets” (the Hebrew Scriptures)

Jesus begins:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
(Matthew 5:17, KJV)

2.1 Jesus is not saying, “I came to tear down the Old Testament.”

The first fear Jesus addresses is that His coming as Messiah might be understood as overthrowing Israel’s Scriptures—as if the promises, prophecies, patterns, and expectations of the Hebrew Bible were being invalidated, contradicted, or replaced by force.

In first-century Judaism this was a very real concern. If Jesus claimed to be the Messiah while acting contrary to Moses and the prophets, then He would not be fulfilling Scripture but denying it. Jesus therefore speaks preemptively, correcting that assumption.

The word translated destroy carries the sense of tearing down, overthrowing, dismantling, or nullifying something violently or illegitimately. It is the language of collapse and cancellation, not completion. Jesus begins by clearly denying that His mission functions in that way.

He is saying, in effect:

• Do not think My messianic mission contradicts or nullifies the Hebrew Scriptures.
• I am not overthrowing God’s prior revelation or starting a rival story.
• I am bringing what was already written to its intended completion.

This is crucial because the Old Testament was never an end in itself. From the beginning, it pointed forward—beyond itself—toward God’s promised Messiah.

The Law established categories the Messiah would fulfill: righteousness, sacrifice, priesthood, covenant, and kingship. The Prophets spoke explicitly of a coming Servant, King, and Redeemer who would accomplish what Israel could not. The Psalms gave voice to the suffering, vindicated, and enthroned righteous one. The entire narrative of the Hebrew Scriptures is forward-looking.

Seen in that light, Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17 are not defensive but clarifying. He is saying that His appearance as Messiah does not fracture the story of Scripture; it completes it. What Moses anticipated, what the prophets proclaimed, and what the Scriptures foreshadowed all find their coherence in Him.

This is why verse 17 includes both “the law” and “the prophets.” It is a comprehensive, Scripture-wide category referring to the whole Hebrew Bible—not merely a legal code, but a redemptive story that reaches its goal in Christ.

2.2 Fulfillment, not force — Jesus does not seize messiahship

There is an important theological nuance here that fits the wider Gospel narrative. When Jesus says He has not come to “destroy,” He is not only denying that He abolishes Scripture; He is also denying that He imposes Himself as Messiah by force or self-assertion.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently refuses to establish His identity through coercion, spectacle, or political power. He does not make Himself Messiah by force of will. Rather, He is the Messiah, and His identity is confirmed by God through Scripture, obedience, suffering, and ultimately resurrection.

This explains why Jesus is repeatedly accused of self-exaltation:

“For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”
(John 10:33, KJV)

The charge against Jesus is not merely that He speaks boldly, but that He is allegedly taking an identity that does not belong to Him. Jesus’ response throughout the Gospels is not to seize authority, but to appeal to the Father:

• The Father sent Me
• The works testify of Me
• The Scriptures speak of Me

In this light, Matthew 5:17 can be read as Jesus saying:

I am not tearing down God’s revelation or imposing myself illegitimately as Messiah. I am fulfilling what God already wrote.

2.3 Philippians 2 and the nature of Christ’s authority

This reading aligns naturally with Paul’s description of Christ:

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.”
(Philippians 2:6, KJV)

The idea is not that Christ seized equality with God, but that He did not grasp at something that was not His. His authority and identity are not stolen, forced, or self-appointed. They belong to Him by right, and He expresses them through humility and obedience rather than domination.

So when Jesus says He has not come to destroy but to fulfill, He is denying two false assumptions at once:

1. That He contradicts or invalidates the Hebrew Scriptures.
2. That He establishes Himself as Messiah by force or illegitimate authority.

Instead, He fulfills the Scriptures by being exactly who they foretold, and by allowing God—not coercion—to vindicate His identity.

2.4 The Emmaus road shows what “fulfil” looks like

After the resurrection, Jesus does precisely what Matthew 5:17 implies—He interprets the Hebrew Scriptures as a unified testimony about Himself:

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”
(Luke 24:27, KJV)

And a few verses later:

“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.”
(Luke 24:44, KJV)

Notice how Jesus lists the sections of the Hebrew Bible (“law of Moses… prophets… psalms”) and says “all things must be fulfilled… concerning me.” That is Matthew 5:17 in narrative form: Jesus is not destroying the Scriptures; He is completing what they were aiming at.

3) Matthew 5:18 — from “law and prophets” to “the law” itself

Now Jesus continues:

“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.”
(Matthew 5:18, KJV)

This is where many arguments turn—and where the distinction matters.

3.1 A deliberate narrowing

• Verse 17: “the law, or the prophets” → the Hebrew Scriptures as a whole.
• Verse 18: “the law” → now the focus tightens to the Law itself.

In other words:

• v.17 answers: “Is Messiah opposed to Moses and the prophets?” (No—He fulfills them.)
• v.18 answers: “Will the Law fail, collapse, or be discarded prematurely?” (No—every detail stands until its purpose is completed.)

3.2 The two ‘untils’ in verse 18

Verse 18 contains two time-markers:

1. “Till heaven and earth pass”
2. “till all be fulfilled”

Jesus is not saying only one thing. He is insisting on the Law’s stability up to the point of fulfillment. Not a “jot” (the smallest Hebrew letter) or a “tittle” (a tiny stroke that distinguishes letters) will fail or fall short of its purpose.

The Law is not flimsy. It will not be undone by human opinion. It will not be treated as disposable. It will stand until God’s intended completion arrives.

And Jesus has already told us in verse 17 that His mission is exactly that: fulfillment.

3.3 What does “till all be fulfilled” mean?

The phrase “till all be fulfilled” does not mean “until the end of time no matter what happens in history.” It means the Law remains in force without losing its authority until everything it is meant to accomplish is brought to completion.

That includes:

• the righteous standard the Law displayed
• the sin the Law exposed
• the sacrifices the Law required (pointing forward)
• the priesthood the Law regulated (pointing forward)
• the covenant structure the Law established (temporary by design)

The Law does not vanish by being “destroyed.” It reaches its goal by being fulfilled.

• ment predicts that only sacrificial laws will be removed.
• No passage authorizes a Messiah to dismantle part of the Law while preserving the rest.
• No passage divides the Law into permanent and temporary sections in this way.

The Law is consistently treated as a single, unified covenant. James later confirms this unity:

“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
(James 2:10, KJV)

If the Law functions as a unified whole, then it cannot be selectively dismantled. Either it remains intact as a covenant, or it passes as a covenant. There is no scriptural mechanism for partial repeal.

4.2 Jesus’ teaching intensifies the problem if the old covenant remains

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly says:

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time… but I say unto you…”

For example:

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…”
(Matthew 5:21–22, KJV)

If the Mosaic Law were still the governing covenant, this would raise an unavoidable problem. The Law itself forbids adding new commands or expanding existing ones. Yet Jesus does exactly that—pressing the Law beyond external behavior into internal motives and desires.

This means one of two things must be true:

1. Jesus is unlawfully adding to the Mosaic Law.
2. Jesus is speaking with the authority of a new covenant lawgiver, not as a reformer of the old covenant.

Scripture consistently affirms the second.

4.3 The impossibility of “ceremonial law only” removal

If Jesus removed the sacrificial system while leaving the rest of the Law intact, He would still be violating the Law’s own boundaries. The Law does not authorize internal dismantling. Sacrifices are not an optional appendix; they are woven into the covenant’s structure.

Without sacrifice:

• the priesthood loses its function
• atonement loses its mechanism
• covenant enforcement collapses

Removing sacrifice alone would not preserve the Law; it would render it incoherent.

This is why Scripture never says, “The Messiah will remove the ceremonial law.” Instead, Scripture says the priesthood itself changes, and with it, the covenantal Law:

“For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.”
(Hebrews 7:12, KJV)

Notice the language: of necessity. This is not optional or partial. The Law stands or falls as a covenantal system.

4.4 Why fulfillment solves the problem

Jesus does not break Deuteronomy 4:2 because He does not add to or subtract from the Mosaic Law as a lawgiver within that covenant. He fulfills it.

Fulfillment means:

• the Law accomplishes its purpose
• the covenant reaches its intended endpoint
• a new covenant is inaugurated on lawful grounds

This allows Jesus to introduce new commands—not as amendments to Sinai, but as the governing law of a new covenant.

That is why Jesus can later give a new commandment:

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you…”
(John 13:34, KJV)

This is not an illegal addition to Moses. It is the lawful expression of a new covenant established through fulfillment, not force.

5) John 13:34 — the “new commandment” of the new covenant

Jesus is explicit that He gives something new:

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
(John 13:34, KJV)

This is not merely “love your neighbour as yourself.” The standard is higher and more specific:

• “as I have loved you”

That standard is cross-shaped. It is measured by Christ’s self-giving love—something that comes to full clarity through His death and resurrection.

So the New Testament picture is not “no law,” but a new law under a new covenant—the Law of Christ.

6) The priesthood problem: Jesus cannot be a Levitical high priest

Under the Mosaic Law, the priesthood is tied to Levi and Aaron. But Jesus is not from Levi.

Hebrews states:

“For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.”
(Hebrews 7:14, KJV)

If the Mosaic legal system remained the binding covenant framework, Jesus could not serve as priest—let alone high priest—within that framework.

But Scripture teaches that Jesus is a priest of a different order—one that predates Sinai:

“If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?”
(Hebrews 7:11, KJV)

Then comes the unavoidable conclusion:

“For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.”
(Hebrews 7:12, KJV)

This is not merely “some ceremonial parts changed.” Hebrews grounds the change in the deepest structure of the covenant: priesthood and law are linked. If the priesthood changes, the law covenant changes.

7) Not under “no law,” but under grace and the Law of Christ

It is vital to say clearly: being freed from the Mosaic covenant does not mean Christians live without moral authority. The New Testament does not teach anarchy; it teaches a new covenant.

Believers are “under grace,” which changes how righteousness is produced—by new birth and the Spirit, not by the old written code.

And Scripture summarizes the new covenant commands plainly:

“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”
(1 John 3:23, KJV)

Notice how direct this is:

• believe on the name of Jesus Christ
• love one another as He commanded

When believers read “keep my commandments,” they often assume “the Ten Commandments.” But 1 John explicitly defines the core new covenant command in terms of faith in Christ and Christlike love.

8) Love fulfills the law—because love does what the Law aimed at

Paul explains the practical effect of new covenant life in terms that are both simple and profound:

“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.”
(Romans 13:8, KJV)

He then makes the point unmistakably clear:

“For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
(Romans 13:9–10, KJV)

8.1 Love does not reinstate the Mosaic covenant

When Paul says that love “fulfills the law,” he is not placing believers back under the Mosaic covenant. He is explaining that what the Law demanded externally is now produced internally through the Spirit.

The Mosaic Law could define sin and restrain behavior, but it could not transform the heart. It could say “Thou shalt not”, but it could not make someone love. Love, by contrast, naturally excludes what harms others.

So Paul’s point is not that Christians must consult Sinai to know right from wrong. His point is that Christlike love accomplishes the Law’s moral aim without reinstating its covenantal form.

8.2 Law written with pen versus law written on the heart

Scripture repeatedly contrasts two kinds of law:

• law written externally, on stone or parchment
• law written internally, on the heart

The old covenant relied on written commands:

“And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.”
(Deuteronomy 4:13, KJV)

But the prophets anticipated a different kind of covenant:

“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts…”
(Jeremiah 31:33, KJV)

The New Testament declares this promise fulfilled in Christ:

“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”
(2 Corinthians 3:6, KJV)

And again:

“Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”
(2 Corinthians 3:3, KJV)

This is the decisive difference. Under the old covenant, obedience came from external instruction—being told what is right and wrong. Under the new covenant, obedience flows from internal transformation—knowing what is right and wrong.

8.3 From childhood to maturity: milk and meat

Scripture consistently describes the Law as appropriate for spiritual childhood. Children require clear external rules: do this, do not do that. This is not a criticism of the Law; it is a recognition of its role.

Paul uses maturity language to describe covenant transition:

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
(1 Corinthians 13:11, KJV)

The author of Hebrews makes a similar distinction:

“For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”
(Hebrews 5:12, KJV)

The Law functioned as milk—necessary, protective, instructive. But maturity brings something deeper: not merely knowing the rule, but understanding the reason; not merely avoiding wrong, but loving what is right.

8.4 Why love automatically excludes sin

When love governs the heart, certain actions no longer need prohibition. One does not refrain from murder, theft, adultery, or deceit because a rule exists on a tablet, but because love refuses to harm.

This is the difference between:

• “I won’t do this because I was told not to.”
• “I won’t do this because love will not injure another.”

When believers love as Christ loved, they do not need a written list to tell them not to do what love itself forbids.

This is not moral weakness; it is moral completion. It is the Law’s goal reached through a transformed heart.

8.5 The Law’s aim achieved in Christ

The Law aimed at a people who would reflect God’s character. It revealed righteousness, but it could not produce it. Christ accomplishes what the Law anticipated by creating a people who obey from the inside out.

That is why love fulfills the law—not by reinstating Sinai, but by accomplishing its purpose through grace.

This is covenantal maturity: not external restraint by written code, but internal transformation by the Spirit—where obedience flows naturally from love.

9) Bringing it together: what Matthew 5:17–18 really says

Here is the integrated flow:

1. Matthew 5:17—Jesus affirms the Hebrew Scriptures (“the law and the prophets”). He is not destroying Israel’s Bible; He is fulfilling it.
2. Luke 24:27 and 24:44—Jesus later explains explicitly that Moses, the prophets, and the psalms wrote of Him, and that these things must be fulfilled.
3. Matthew 5:18—Jesus safeguards the Law’s authority until its work is completed: not a jot or tittle will fail “till all be fulfilled.”
4. John 13:34—Jesus gives a “new commandment,” establishing the shape of new covenant obedience.
5. Hebrews 7:11–14—Jesus cannot serve as priest under the Levitical system; therefore the priesthood is changed.
6. Hebrews 7:12—with that priesthood change comes, “of necessity,” a change of the law.
7. 1 John 3:23—the commands of the new covenant are summarized as faith in Christ and Christlike love.
8. Romans 13:8–10—love fulfills the law because love does not injure others; it produces the Law’s moral aim from the inside out.

So Matthew 5:17–18 does not teach that the Mosaic covenant remains forever unchanged. It teaches that:

• The Hebrew Scriptures will not be invalidated by Messiah.
• The Mosaic Law will not fail or be discarded prematurely.
• The Law stands in full integrity until its fulfillment.
• Jesus is the fulfiller.

He does not “destroy by force.” He completes by fulfillment.

Conclusion

Matthew 5:17–18 is not a call to pretend the cross, resurrection, priesthood change, and new covenant never happened. It is a declaration that everything God spoke in the Hebrew Scriptures stands true—and that the Law of Moses reaches its intended goal in Christ.

Christians are not lawless. We are not under Sinai as a covenant. We are under grace—under Christ—under the new covenant commands of faith and love.

And the evidence is written into the very structure of Scripture: the Scriptures are fulfilled, the priesthood is changed, and therefore the covenantal law is changed—lawfully, purposefully, and completely—in Jesus Christ.

 

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