Matthew 5:19
“Christ Fulfills the Law”Matthew 5:17–20
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Bible text: King James Version with Strong's numbers · Public domain
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible · Public domain
Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain
Bible text: World English Bible, Messianic edition · Public domain
Bible text: Geneva Bible (1599) · Public domain
Bible text: Young's Literal Translation · Public domain
- ὋςHosWho[ever]G3739R-NSMRelative pronoun Nominative Singular Masculine
- ἐὰνeanifG1437CONDConjunction
- οὖνounthenG3767CONJConjunction
- λύσῃlusēshall breakG3089V-AAS-3SVerb Aorist Active Subjunctive 3rd Singular
- μίανmianoneG1520A-ASFAdjective Accusative Singular Feminine
- τῶνtōnof theG3588T-GPFDefinite article Genitive Plural Feminine
- ἐντολῶνentolōncommandmentsG1785N-GPFNoun Genitive Plural Feminine
- τούτωνtoutōnof theseG3778D-GPFDemonstrative pronoun Genitive Plural Feminine
- τῶνtōntheG3588T-GPFDefinite article Genitive Plural Feminine
- ἐλαχίστωνelachistōnleastG1646A-GPFAdjective Genitive Plural Feminine
- καὶkaiandG2532CONJConjunction
- διδάξῃdidaxēshall teachG1321V-AAS-3SVerb Aorist Active Subjunctive 3rd Singular
- οὕτωςhoutōssoG3779ADVAdverb
- τοὺςtoustheG3588T-APMDefinite article Accusative Plural Masculine
- ἀνθρώπουςanthrōpousothersG444N-APMNoun Accusative Plural Masculine
- ἐλάχιστοςelachistosleastG1646A-NSMAdjective Nominative Singular Masculine
- κληθήσεταιklēthēsetaihe will be calledG2564V-FPI-3SVerb Future Passive Indicative 3rd Singular
- ἐνeninG1722PREPPreposition
- τῇtēatheG3588T-DSFDefinite article Dative Singular Feminine
- βασιλείᾳbasileiakingdomG932N-DSFNoun Dative Singular Feminine
- τῶνtōnof theG3588T-GPMDefinite article Genitive Plural Masculine
- οὐρανῶνouranōnheavensG3772N-GPMNoun Genitive Plural Masculine
- ὃςhoswho[ever]G3739R-NSMRelative pronoun Nominative Singular Masculine
- δ᾽d᾽nowG1161CONJConjunction
- ἂνanmaybeG302PRTParticle or Disjunctive
- ποιήσῃpoiēsēmay keepG4160V-AAS-3SVerb Aorist Active Subjunctive 3rd Singular
- καὶkaiandG2532CONJConjunction
- διδάξῃdidaxēmay teach [them]G1321V-AAS-3SVerb Aorist Active Subjunctive 3rd Singular
- οὗτοςhoutosthis [one]G3778D-NSMDemonstrative pronoun Nominative Singular Masculine
- μέγαςmegasgreatG3173A-NSMAdjective Nominative Singular Masculine
- κληθήσεταιklēthēsetaiwill be calledG2564V-FPI-3SVerb Future Passive Indicative 3rd Singular
- ἐνeninG1722PREPPreposition
- τῇtēatheG3588T-DSFDefinite article Dative Singular Feminine
- βασιλείᾳbasileiakingdomG932N-DSFNoun Dative Singular Feminine
- τῶνtōnof theG3588T-GPMDefinite article Genitive Plural Masculine
- οὐρανῶνouranōnheavensG3772N-GPMNoun Genitive Plural Masculine
English is a literal word-by-word gloss of the Greek, not the KJV's wording. Why?
This is the original text the KJV's translators worked from — each Greek word with its own literal English meaning in this verse, prepared by scholars at Tyndale House, Cambridge. The KJV translates whole sentences, not word by word, so its wording differs: one Greek word can become several English words, and the KJV may choose “charity” where the gloss reads “love”. Both are faithful — they answer different questions. For the KJV's own rendering, switch to the KJV text.
Words in [ ] are added by the English.
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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry wrote on whole passages, and this entry covers Matthew 5:17–20. He set out his notes in a three-level outline, kept here as he numbered it.
Those to whom Christ preached, and for whose use he gave these instructions to his disciples, were such as in their religion had an eye, 1. To the scriptures of the Old Testament as their rule, and therein Christ here shows them they were in the right: 2. To the scribes and the Pharisees as their example, and therein Christ here shows them they were in the wrong; for,
I.The rule which Christ came to establish exactly agreed with the scriptures of the Old Testament, here called the law and the prophets.
The prophets were commentators upon the law, and both together made up that rule of faith and practice which Christ found upon the throne in the Jewish church, and here he keeps it on the throne.
1.He protests against the thought of cancelling and weakening the Old Testament; Think not that I am come to destroy the law and the prophets. (1.) "Let not the pious Jews, who have an affection for the law and the prophets, fear that I come to destroy them." Let them be not prejudiced against Christ and his doctrine, from a jealousy that this kingdom he came to set up, would derogate from the honour of the scriptures, which they had embraced as coming from God, and of which they had experienced the power and purity; no, let them be satisfied that Christ has no ill design upon the law and the prophets. "Let not the profane Jews, who have a disaffection to the law and the prophets, and are weary of that yoke, hope that I am come to destroy them." Let not carnal libertines imagine that the Messiah is come to discharge them from the obligation of divine precepts and yet to secure to them divine promises, to make the happy and yet to give them leave to live as they list. Christ commands nothing now which was forbidden either by the law of nature or the moral law, nor forbids any thing which those laws had enjoined; it is a great mistake to think he does, and he here takes care to rectify the mistake; I am not come to destroy. The Saviour of souls is the destroyer of nothing but the works of the devil, of nothing that comes from God, much less of those excellent dictates which we have from Moses and the prophets. No, he came to fulfil them. That is, [1.] To obey the commands of the law, for he was made under the law, Galatians 4:4. He in all respects yielded obedience to the law, honoured his parents, sanctified the sabbath, prayed, gave alms, and did that which never any one else did, obeyed perfectly, and never broke the law in any thing. [2.] To make good the promises of the law, and the predictions of the prophets, which did all bear witness to him. The covenant of grace is, for substance, the same now that it was then, and Christ the Mediator of it. [3.] To answer the types of the law; thus (as bishop Tillotson expresses it), he did not make void, but make good, the ceremonial law, and manifested himself to be the Substance of all those shadows. [4.] To fill up the defects of it, and so to complete and perfect it. Thus the word plērōsai properly signifies. If we consider the law as a vessel that had some water in it before, he did not come to pour out the water, but to fill the vessel up to the brim; or, as a picture that is first rough-drawn, displays some outlines only of the piece intended, which are afterwards filled up; so Christ made an improvement of the law and the prophets by his additions and explications. [5.] To carry on the same design; the Christian institutes are so far from thwarting and contradicting that which was the main design of the Jewish religion, that they promote it to the highest degree. The gospel is the time of reformation (Hebrews 9:10), not the repeal of the law, but the amendment of it, and, consequently, its establishment.
2.He asserts the perpetuity of it; that not only he designed not the abrogation of it, but that it never should be abrogated (Matthew 5:18); "Verily I say unto you, I, the Amen, the faithful Witness, solemnly declare it, that till heaven and earth pass, when time shall be no more, and the unchangeable state of recompences shall supersede all laws, one jot, or one tittle, the least and most minute circumstance, shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled;" for what is it that God is doing in all the operations both of providence and grace, but fulfilling the scripture? Heaven and earth shall come together, and all the fulness thereof be wrapped up in ruin and confusion, rather than any word of God shall fall to the ground, or be in vain. The word of the Lord endures for ever, both that of the law, and that of the gospel. Observe, The care of God concerning his law extends itself even to those things that seem to be of least account in it, the iotas and the tittles; for whatever belongs to God, and bears his stamp, be it ever so little, shall be preserved. The laws of men are conscious to themselves of so much imperfection, that they allow it for a maxim, Apices juris non sunt jura - The extreme points of the law are not the law, but God will stand by and maintain every iota and every tittle of his law.
3.He gives it in charge to his disciples, carefully to preserve the law, and shows them the danger of the neglect and contempt of it (Matthew 5:19); Whosoever therefore shall break one of the least commandments of the law of Moses, much more any of the greater, as the Pharisees did, who neglected the weightier matters of the law, and shall teach men so as they did, who made void the commandment of God with their traditions (Matthew 15:3), he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. Though the Pharisees be cried up for such teachers as should be, they shall not be employed as teachers in Christ's kingdom; but whosoever shall do and teach them, as Christ's disciples would, and thereby prove themselves better friends to the Old Testament than the Pharisees were, they, though despised by men, shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Note,
(1.)Among the commands of God there are some less than others; none absolutely little, but comparatively so. The Jews reckon the least of the commandments of the law to be that of the bird's nest (Deuteronomy 22:6, Deuteronomy 22:7); yet even that had a significance and an intention very great and considerable.
(2.)It is a dangerous thing, in doctrine or practice, to disannul the least of God's commands; to break them, that is, to go about either to contract the extent, or weaken the obligation of them; whoever does so, will find it is at his peril. Thus to vacate any of the ten commandments, is too bold a stroke for the jealous God to pass by. it is something more than transgressing the law, it is making void the law, Psalm 119:126.
(3.)That the further such corruptions as they spread, the worse they are. It is impudence enough to break the command, but is a greater degree of it to teach men so. This plainly refers to those who at this time sat in Moses' seat, and by their comments corrupted and perverted the text. Opinions that tend to the destruction of serious godliness and the vitals of religion, by corrupt glosses on the scripture, are bad when they are held, but worse when they are propagated and taught, as the word of God. He that does so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, in the kingdom of glory; he shall never come thither, but be eternally excluded; or, rather, in the kingdom of the gospel-church. He is so far from deserving the dignity of a teacher in it, that he shall not so much as be accounted a member of it. The prophet that teaches these lies shall be the tail in that kingdom (Isaiah 9:15); when truth shall appear in its own evidence, such corrupt teachers, though cried up as the Pharisees, shall be of no account with the wise and good. Nothing makes ministers more contemptible and base than corrupting the law, Malachi 2:8, Malachi 2:11. Those who extenuate and encourage sin, and discountenance and put contempt upon strictness in religion and serious devotion, are the dregs of the church. But, on the other hand, Those are truly honourable, and of great account in the church of Christ, who lay out themselves by their life and doctrine to promote the purity and strictness of practical religion; who both do and teach that which is good; for those who do not as they teach, pull down with one hand what they build up with the other, and give themselves the lie, and tempt men to think that all religion is a delusion; but those who speak from experience, who live up to what they preach, are truly great; they honour God, and God will honour them (1 Samuel 2:30), and hereafter they shall shine as the stars in the kingdom of our Father.
II.The righteousness which Christ came to establish by this rule, must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, Matthew 5:20.
This was strange doctrine to those who looked upon the scribes and Pharisees as having arrived at the highest pitch of religion. The scribes were the most noted teachers of the law, and the Pharisees the most celebrated professors of it, and they both sat in Moses' chair (Matthew 23:2), and had such a reputation among the people, that they were looked upon as super-conformable to the law, and people did not think themselves obliged to be as good as they; it was therefore a great surprise to them, to hear that they must be better than they, or they should not go to heaven; and therefore Christ here avers it with solemnity; I say unto you, It is so. The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to Christ and his doctrine, and were great oppressors; and yet it must be owned, that there was something commendable in them. They were much in fasting and prayer, and giving of alms; they were punctual in observing the ceremonial appointments, and made it their business to teach others; they had such an interest in the people that they ought, if but two men went to heaven, one would be a Pharisee; and yet our Lord Jesus here tells his disciples, that the religion he came to establish, did not only exclude the badness, but excel the goodness, of the scribes and Pharisees. We must do more than they, and better than they, or we shall come short of heaven. They were partial in the law, and laid most stress upon the ritual part of it; but we must be universal, and not think it enough to give the priest his tithe, but must give God our hearts. They minded only the outside, but we must make conscience of inside godliness. They aimed at the praise and applause of men, but we must aim at acceptance with God: they were proud of what they did in religion, and trusted to it as a righteousness; but we, when we have done all, must deny ourselves, and say, We are unprofitable servants, and trust only to the righteousness of Christ; and thus we may go beyond the scribes and Pharisees.
Historical interpretation
Eight Centuries of Reception
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With a beautiful introduction Christ moves beyond the work of the law. He does not intend to abolish it but to enhance it by fulfilling it. He declares that his apostles will not be able to enter heaven unless their righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. Therefore he bypasses what is laid down in the law, not for the sake of abolishing it, but for the sake of fulfilling it.
He means not that we should seek glory of men, but that though we conceal it, our work may shine forth in honour of God to those among whom we live.
From the expression here used pass, we may suppose that the constituting elements of heaven and earth shall not be annihilatedb.
Or, He calls the passion, and the cross, the least, which if one shall not confess openly, but be ashamed of them, he shall be least, that is, last, and as it were no man; but to him that confesses it He promises the great glory of a heavenly calling.
(Hom. xvi.) Christ then fulfilled the Prophets by accomplishing what was therein foretold concerning Himself—and the Law, first, by transgressing none of its precepts; secondly, by justifying by faith, which the Law could not do by the letter.
He speaks not this of the old laws, but of those which He was now going to enact, of which he says, the least, though they were all great. For as He so oft spoke humbly of Himself, so does He now speak humbly of His precepts.
Or, when you hear the words, least in the kingdom of heaven, imagine nothing less than the punishment of hell. For He oft uses the word 'kingdom,' not only of the joys of heaven, but of the time of the resurrection, and of the terrible coming of Christ.
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of Heaven."
Thus, having rid Himself of the evil suspicion, and having stopped the mouths of them who would fain gainsay, then at length He proceeds to alarm, and sets down a heavy denunciation in support of the enactments He was entering on.
For as to His having said this in behalf not of the ancient laws, but of those which He was proceeding to enact, listen to what follows, "For I say unto you," saith he, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven."
For if He were threatening with regard to the ancient laws, how said He, "except it shall exceed?" since they who did just the same as those ancients, could not exceed them on the score of righteousness.
But of what kind was the required excess? Not to be angry, not even to look upon a woman unchastely.
For what cause then doth He call these commandments "least," though they were so great and high? Because He Himself was about to introduce the enactment of them; for as He humbled Himself, and speaks of Himself frequently with measure, so likewise of His own enactments, hereby again teaching us to be modest in everything. And besides, since there seemed to be some suspicion of novelty, He ordered His discourse for a while with reserve.
But when thou hearest, "least in the kingdom of Heaven," surmise thou nothing but hell and torments. For He was used to mean by "the kingdom," not merely the enjoyment thereof, but also the time of the resurrection, and that awful coming. And how could it be reasonable, that while he who called his brother fool, and transgressed but one commandment, falls into hell; the breaker of them all, and instigator of others to the same, should be within the kingdom. This therefore is not what He means, but that such a one will be at that time least, that is, cast out, last. And he that is last will surely then fall into hell. For, being God, He foreknew the laxity of the many, He foreknew that some would think these sayings were merely hyperbolical, and would argue about the laws, and say, What, if any one call another a fool, is he punished? If one merely look on a woman, doth he become an adulterer? For this very cause He, destroying such insolence beforehand, hath set down the strongest denunciation against either sort, as well them who transgress, as them who lead on others so to do.
"But whosoever shall do and teach," saith He, "shall be called great."
For not to ourselves alone, should we be profitable, but to others also; since neither is the reward as great for him who guides himself aright, as for one who with himself adds also another. For as teaching without doing condemns the teacher (for "thou which teachest another," it is said, "teachest thou not thyself"?) so doing but not guiding others, lessens our reward. One ought therefore to be chief in either work, and having first set one's self right, thus to proceed also to the care of the rest. For on this account He Himself hath set the doing before the teaching; to intimate that so most of all may one be able to teach, but in no other way. For one will be told, "Physician, heal thyself." Since he who cannot teach himself, yet attempts to set others right, will have many to ridicule him. Or rather such a one will have no power to teach at all, his actions uttering their voice against him. But if he be complete in both respects, "he shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven."
(Verse 19 and following) Therefore, whoever shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but he who shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your justice exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to those of old: You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment. But I tell you. This chapter, sticking with the previous testimony, in which he said: Not one iota, or one apex, will pass from the Law, until all things are fulfilled. Therefore, he seals the Pharisees, who, despising the commandments of God, establish their own traditions, which do not benefit them in teaching the people if they destroy even a small thing that is commanded in the Law. However, we can also understand that the education of teachers, even if subject to a small sin, leads them down from the highest rank, and it does not benefit them to teach righteousness, which the smallest fault destroys. And let perfect happiness be to fulfill with action what you have taught in words.
This head is closely connected with the preceding. It is directed against the Pharisees, who, despising the commandments of God, set up traditions of their own, and means that their teaching the people would not avail themselves, if they destroyed the very least commandment in the Law. We may take it in another sense. The learning of the master if joined with sin however small, loses him the highest place, nor does it avail any to teach righteousness, if he destroys it in his life. Perfect bliss is for him who fulfils in deed what he teaches in word.
(ubi sup.) Or, the precepts of the Law are called 'the least,' as opposed to Christ's precepts which are great. The least commandments are signified by the iota and the point. He, therefore, who breaks them, and teaches men so, that is, to do as he does, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Hence we may perhaps conclude, that it is not true that there shall none be there except they be great.
(ubi sup.) Otherwise; he who breaks the least of these commandments, that is, of Moses' Law, and teaches men so, shall be called the least; but he who shall do (these least), and so teach, shall not indeed be esteemed great, yet not so little as he who breaks them. That he should be great, he ought to do and to teach the things which Christ now teaches.
Hence it is the least commandments that are meant by one iota and one tittle. And therefore, whosoever shall break and shall teach [men] so,— i.e. in accordance with what he breaks, not in accordance with what he finds and reads—shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; and therefore, perhaps, he will not be in the kingdom of heaven at all, where only the great can be. But whosoever shall do and teach [men] so, — i.e. who shall not break, and shall teach men so, in accordance with what he does not break—shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. But in regard to him who shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven, it follows that he is also in the kingdom of heaven, into which the great are admitted: for to this what follows refers.
Whoever sets aside “one of the least of the commandments” of the law is set aside by God as God’s enemy and as an inventor of laws opposed to God. And now out of the law of the gospel that one receives the retribution which, under the ancient law, was not defined. For this reason Christ fittingly says, “I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.” For that which then was lacking, here is made full. It is said in the law: “Stand in the presence of the elderly” and “If you see the beast of your enemy fallen under its load, go help him lift it up.” If anyone transgressed these commandments, there was no retribution specified under the law. So Christ makes up this lack when he says that in the kingdom of heaven such a person will be treated with scorn.
And that for two reasons. First, that by these words He might admonish His disciples, that as He fulfilled the Law, so they should strive to fulfil it. Secondly, because the Jews would falsely accuse them as subverting the Law, therefore he answers the calumny beforehand, but in such a manner as that He should not be thought to come simply to preach the Law as the Prophets had done.
But since all things which should befal from the very beginning of the world to the end of it, were in type and figure foreshewn in the Law, that God may not be thought to be ignorant of any of those things that take place, He therefore here declares, that heaven and earth should not pass till all things thus foreshewn in the Law should have their actual accomplishment.
If even an honourable man blushes to be found in a falsehood, and a wise man lets not fall empty any word he has once spoken, how could it be that the words of heaven should fall to the ground empty? Hence He concludes, Whoso shall break the least of these commandments, &c. And, I suppose, the Lord goes on to reply Himself to the question, Which are the least commandments? Namely, these which I am now about to speak.
Otherwise; the precepts of Moses are easy to obey; Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not commit adultery. The very greatness of the crime is a check upon the desire of committing it; therefore the reward of observance is small, the sin of transgression great. But Christ's precepts, Thou shalt not be angry, Thou shalt not lust, are hard to obey, and therefore in their reward they are great, in their transgression, 'least.' It is thus He speaks of these precepts of Christ, such as Thou shall not be angry, Thou shalt not lust, as 'the least;' and they who commit these lesser sins, are the least in the kingdom of God; that is, he who has been angry and not sinned grievously is secure from the punishment of eternal damnation; yet he does not attain that glory which they attain who fulfil even these least.
He here asserts two things; He denies that He was come to subvert the Law, and affirms that He was come to fulfil it.
Amen is a Hebrew word, and may be rendered in Latin, 'vere,' 'fidenter,' or 'fiat;' that is, 'truly,' 'faithfully,' or 'so be it.' The Lord uses it either because of the hardness of heart of those who were slow to believe, or to attract more particularly the attention of those that did believe.
But shall abide in their essence, but pass through renewal.
(Hom. in Ev. xii. 1.) Or, by the kingdom of heaven is to be understood the Church, in which that teacher who breaks a commandment is called least, because he whose life is despised, it remains that his preaching be also despised.
He fitly mentions the Greek iota, and not the Hebrew jod, because the iota stands in Greek for the number ten, and so there is an allusion to the Decalogue of which the Gospel is the point and perfection.
The "least commandments" are those which He Himself is about to give, not those of the law of Moses. He calls them "least" out of humility, to instruct you, O reader, to have moderate thoughts of yourself as you give your teachings. He who "shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven" means he who will be last in the resurrection and who will be cast into gehenna. For such a one shall not enter the kingdom of heaven, far from it! By "kingdom" understand the resurrection.
First Christ says, "whosoever shall do," and then, "and shall teach"; for how can I guide another along a road that I have not myself travelled? By the same token, if I practice the commandments, but do not teach them, my reward is not so great. There can even be condemnation, if I do not teach because of spite or sloth.
(ord.) Having now exhorted His hearers to undergo all things for righteousness' sake, and also not to hide what they should receive, but to learn more for others' sake, that they may teach others, He now goes on to tell them what they should teach, as though He had been asked, 'What is this which you would not have hid, and for which you would have all things endured? Are you about to speak any thing beyond what is written in the Law and the Prophets;' hence it is He says, Think not that I am come to subvert the Law or the Prophets.
(ord.) By 'break,' is meant, the not doing what one understands rightly, or the not understanding what one has corrupted, or the destroying the perfectness of Christ's additions.
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This verse
Whoever sets aside even the least of God’s commands and teaches others to do so is called least in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever does and teaches them is called great.
“Whosoever therefore”
Anyone at all, and “therefore” draws the lesson from verses 17 and 18.
“shall break one of these least commandments,”
Lýō, to loosen or set aside, and eláchistos, least. The commands that look smallest still carry God’s authority.
“and shall teach men so,”
Didáskō, to teach. Leading others to treat God’s word lightly makes the fault graver.
“he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:”
The lowest honour in the kingdom, spoken of someone who is still within it.
“but whosoever shall do and teach them,”
Doing comes first, then teaching, which joins life and doctrine.
“the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
High honour and reward, given by God to faithful obedience and faithful teaching.
Passage studyMatthew 5:17–20
Christ Fulfils the Law and the Prophets
Summary
Jesus tells his hearers that he has come to fulfil the Law and the Prophets, the whole of the Scriptures God had already given. Every jot and tittle of the Law stands until all is accomplished. Anyone who sets aside the least of its commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, and the one who does and teaches them will be called great. Then comes the word that startled his hearers: the righteousness of those who enter the kingdom must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. In four verses Jesus shows us that the Old Testament is God’s lasting word, that he himself is its goal, and that the righteousness God asks for reaches the heart and comes to us through him.
Why Jesus speaks about the Law here
These words come early in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1–7:29), after the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3–12) and the sayings about salt and light (Matthew 5:13–16). Jesus has described who his disciples are and what they are to be in the world. Now he speaks to a question his hearers would surely have had: how does his teaching stand toward the Scriptures they already held as God’s word?
They had grown up with the Law, the Torah, as God’s own revelation, guiding every part of life. The Prophets, the Nevi’im, spoke of God’s covenant with Israel, of his judgment and of the hope still to come, above all the coming Messiah. Groups such as the Pharisees kept the Law with great care, together with their oral traditions, and any teacher thought to be undermining it would have met suspicion or open hostility. So Jesus makes clear at the outset that his ministry is the appointed completion of what God had already said, and those who loved their sacred heritage could hear that it was safe in his hands.
These four verses also open the rest of Matthew 5. In Matthew 5:21–48 Jesus takes one command after another with the words “Ye have heard that it was said” and “But I say unto you”, and shows how far into the heart each one reaches. The command against adultery, for example, reaches to the lustful look (Matthew 5:27–28).
What Jesus came to do with the Law and the Prophets
“Think not” uses nomízō, “to deem, regard or suppose”. Jesus answers a supposition before anyone voices it, the idea that he had come to set aside what God had revealed before. “The law, or the prophets” means the whole of the Old Testament Scriptures. After his resurrection he says the same of himself, 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).
The word for destroy, katalýō, is built from katá, “down”, and lýō, “to loosen”, so it pictures loosening something until it falls apart. It means to demolish, overthrow, annul or abolish. Jesus names that purpose twice and sets it aside both times, and then he gives his own: “but to fulfil.”
Fulfil is plēróō, to fill full, to complete, to carry out, to finish or to verify. It speaks of bringing something to its intended completion and full meaning. Fulfilment runs through all of Matthew’s Gospel, which often shows events in Jesus’ life fulfilling what the prophets said, beginning with the promise of Immanuel (Matthew 1:22–23). Jesus fills the Law and the Prophets full in several ways at once:
Paul puts it in one sentence: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4). He also writes that “all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). In Christ the shadows of the old covenant give way to their substance, and he is the mediator of “a better covenant, which was established upon better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).
This is why the Old Testament is still God’s word to us. It is the foundation he laid, pointing forward to Christ, and we read it well when we look for him in its stories, its prophecies and its types. God has had one plan of salvation from the beginning, and the gospel is that same plan come to its fullness.
Are Christians still under the Law of Moses?
Christians live under the new covenant that Christ brought, in which God says, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33), words the letter to the Hebrews applies to believers (Hebrews 8:10). Christ fulfilled the Law in every part. He obeyed it perfectly, and on the cross he paid the penalty for the sin it exposed, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us ... nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:13–14).
So Paul can say, “ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). The Law was “our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24–25), and our standing with God rests on Christ, received by faith.
We often speak of the Law as having ceremonial, civil and moral parts. Its sacrifices, temple rituals and food laws find their completion in Christ’s death, and its regulations for Israel as a nation belonged to the old covenant. Its moral commands, such as the Ten Commandments, are repeated in the New Testament, and Christ upholds and deepens them, as the rest of this chapter shows. We are called to “fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2), which is the law of love, for “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8–10). God sent his Son “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:4).
Every jot and tittle of the Law stands
“Verily I say unto you” is Jesus’ own way of opening a weighty statement. “Verily” is amēn, and in John’s Gospel it is doubled, “Verily, verily”. It marks what follows as certain and spoken with his authority.
The jot is iōta, the Greek name for the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the yod (י). The tittle is keraía, literally “a little horn”, a small stroke or hook that tells one Hebrew letter from another that looks almost the same, such as resh from daleth. Together they were a proverbial way of naming the smallest detail of the written Law, and Jesus’ hearers, who knew how carefully the Law was copied and handed down, would have felt their force at once.
“In no wise” translates ou mḗ, two Greek negatives side by side, which make the denial emphatic, “not at all”. The verb “pass” is parérchomai, to pass by or pass away. Luke records the same teaching: “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail” (Luke 16:17). The Old Testament speaks of God’s word in the same way: “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89), and “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).
Since Jesus held the Law in such regard, down to its smallest stroke, we can trust all of Scripture and come to it with reverence and careful study. God’s word stands above every human revision, and it stays settled while the opinions and fashions of each age shift around it.
What “till heaven and earth pass” and “till all be fulfilled” mean
“Till heaven and earth pass” is a strong expression for lasting permanence: as long as the present heaven and earth endure, the Law stands. The second “till” sets the other limit. Here the word for “fulfilled” is gínomai, where verse 17 had plēróō. It means to become or come into being, and so to come to pass. The Law stands until all things have come to pass, and Jesus has just told us that he came to fulfil it.
People ask whether this means the Law will one day pass away. Its passing is its accomplishment. The Law pointed to Christ, revealed sin and set out righteousness, and when he completed those purposes through his life, death and resurrection, its work as a guardian and its system of rituals reached their end. Its moral heart is upheld for ever, lived out perfectly by Christ and by believers who walk by the Spirit (Romans 8:4). So the Law is accomplished and taken up into the finished work of Christ.
Least and great in the kingdom of heaven
“Therefore” ties this verse to the two before it. Since every stroke of the Law stands, how we treat even its smallest commands matters. To “break” is lýō, to loosen, dissolve or put off, the simple verb inside the katalýō of verse 17. Here it means to loosen a command’s hold, treating it as void.
“One of these least commandments” uses eláchistos, least in size, amount or dignity, and “these” points back to the Law Jesus has just upheld. In Jewish teaching the commandments were sometimes sorted into “heavy” and “light”, by their importance or difficulty, though all were held to come from God. Jesus counts every one of them as God’s command, the light with the heavy, and he condemns the attitude that would treat any part of God’s revealed will lightly. James says the same of the Law as a whole: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).
The same word eláchistos then gives the outcome. The one who breaks a command and teaches others to do the same “shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven”, and the one who does and teaches them “shall be called great”. The two halves of the verse mirror each other, and “whosoever” in each makes the rule apply to anyone at all.
Doing and teaching
Jesus adds “and shall teach men so” with didáskō, the ordinary word for teaching. He weighs what a person teaches along with how he lives, because our teaching shapes how others treat God’s word. That weight falls on anyone who teaches or influences others, from a pulpit or in daily conversation. Doing comes first and teaching follows, as Jesus later says of the wise man who hears his sayings and does them (Matthew 7:24–27) and of the one who “doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). James writes, “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22–25).
Jesus is himself the one who did and taught perfectly. He was “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), and he sent his disciples out “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). We do and teach his commands by the power of the Holy Spirit, whom he promised: “he shall teach you all things” (John 14:26).
Does “least in the kingdom” mean someone is shut out?
The one called least is still in the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus is speaking of the honour and reward each person has there. Salvation is God’s gift, received through faith: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Within the kingdom there are degrees of honour, given according to faithfulness, a truth the parable of the pounds also teaches (Luke 19:11–27). Paul writes that each man’s work will be tried by fire, and that a man whose work is burned “shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:13–15). So “least” and “great” speak of standing and commendation, and to be in the kingdom at all is God’s grace. Being called great is God’s own recognition of faithful obedience and faithful teaching, and it gives every disciple reason to pursue a life of integrity.
What “the kingdom of heaven” is
Kingdom is basileía, a word that comes from basileús, “king”, so it speaks first of a king’s rule. Heaven is ouranós, the word for both the sky and heaven. The kingdom of heaven is God’s own sovereign rule. Many in Israel expected it to come as a political kingdom on earth, and Jesus shows it to be God’s reign, present now and still to be completed, entered through repentance and faith and marked by obedience to God’s will. John the Baptist had already preached, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).
A righteousness that exceeds the scribes and Pharisees
“For I say unto you” opens with gár, “for”, the little word that introduces the reason for what has just been said. Jesus has told us that the Law stands and that its least command matters, and now, on his own authority, he says what kind of righteousness the kingdom requires.
Righteousness is dikaiosýnē, uprightness of character and of action. In this verse it covers both a right standing before God and the right conduct that flows from it.
The scribes, grammateús, a word meaning a writer or secretary, were experts in the Law who copied, interpreted and taught it. The Pharisees, Pharisaîos, a name meaning a separatist, were a leading sect known for strict keeping of the Law and of oral traditions: ritual purity, tithing, the Sabbath and other outward observances. People regarded both groups as the very models of piety. That is why this verse would have shocked its hearers. Jesus names the most scrupulous people they knew and says that those who enter his kingdom must be more righteous still.
What kind of righteousness exceeds theirs
To exceed is perisseúō, to abound, overflow or excel, and here it is joined to pleíōn, “more”. Our righteousness must overflow and surpass theirs. What Jesus means becomes clear from the rest of his teaching. He later says that the scribes and Pharisees tithe mint and anise and cummin and have omitted “the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith”, and that they are like whited sepulchres, beautiful outside and full of uncleanness within (Matthew 23:23–28). In the next chapter he warns against giving alms and praying “that they may be seen of men” (Matthew 6:1–6).
The righteousness he asks for is of a deeper kind, reaching thoughts, motives and desires. It flows from a heart made new, one that loves God and neighbour, seeks God’s approval above the applause of others, and shows itself in deeds that match God’s character. The rest of the sermon shows what this looks like in matters of anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation and love for enemies.
“Ye shall in no case enter” uses ou mḗ again, the same emphatic double denial as in verse 18. Entry into the kingdom is at stake, and so the standard is as serious as any Jesus ever set.
How can anyone have this righteousness?
Christ has this righteousness in full, and he gives it to everyone who believes in him. Set beside the scribes and Pharisees, the demand sounds impossible, and it is meant to show us how little our own effort can do. The Law itself shows us our need: “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Paul goes straight on to the answer, “the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Romans 3:20–22).
Jesus lived in perfect obedience to his Father, in every thought and intention as well as in his deeds (Hebrews 4:15), and his righteousness truly exceeded that of every other man. Through his death and resurrection he gives that righteousness to those who believe: God “hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Paul counted his own law-keeping as loss so that he might “be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:7–9).
So the righteousness that exceeds is first received as a gift, through union with Christ. Then, by his Spirit, it is lived out, for God sent his Son “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:3–4). Right standing and right living both come from him.
Taking God’s word as Jesus took it
Jesus held the Scriptures in such regard that he spoke of their smallest strokes. You can open the Old Testament with the same confidence, reading it as God’s word and looking in it for Christ, who fulfils it. Every command of God is worth keeping, including the ones that look small, and what you say about God’s word to others, at home, in church or in passing, carries weight with him. Jesus asks for a heart that loves God and wants to please him, and he gives what he asks: his own righteousness to all who trust him, and his Spirit so that we can do and teach what he has commanded.
Matthew 5:17
“Think not that I am come”
The verb is nomízō, “to suppose”. Jesus answers a mistaken idea about the purpose of his coming before it can take hold.
“to destroy the law, or the prophets:”
Katalýō, to tear down or annul. “The law, or the prophets” is the whole of the Old Testament.
“I am not come to destroy,”
The repetition presses the point home for hearers who feared for their sacred heritage.
“but to fulfil.”
Plēróō, to fill full and complete. He obeys the Law, reveals its meaning, completes its sacrifices and is the Messiah its prophecies promised.
Matthew 5:18
“For verily I say unto you,”
“Verily” is amēn, which opens a solemn statement spoken on Jesus’ own authority.
“Till heaven and earth pass,”
For as long as the present heaven and earth endure.
“one jot or one tittle”
The iōta, the Hebrew yod, smallest of the letters, and the keraía, the small stroke that tells one letter from another.
“shall in no wise pass from the law,”
Ou mḗ with parérchomai, “pass away”, an emphatic denial. The Law is meant down to its smallest detail.
“till all be fulfilled.”
Gínomai, to come to pass. The Law stands until everything it speaks of has come about, and Jesus came to fulfil it.
Matthew 5:19 This verse
“Whosoever therefore”
Anyone at all, and “therefore” draws the lesson from verses 17 and 18.
“shall break one of these least commandments,”
Lýō, to loosen or set aside, and eláchistos, least. The commands that look smallest still carry God’s authority.
“and shall teach men so,”
Didáskō, to teach. Leading others to treat God’s word lightly makes the fault graver.
“he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:”
The lowest honour in the kingdom, spoken of someone who is still within it.
“but whosoever shall do and teach them,”
Doing comes first, then teaching, which joins life and doctrine.
“the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
High honour and reward, given by God to faithful obedience and faithful teaching.
Matthew 5:20
“For I say unto you,”
Gár gives the reason, and Jesus speaks on his own authority.
“That except your righteousness shall exceed”
Dikaiosýnē, right standing and right conduct, and perisseúō with pleíōn, to overflow and be more.
“the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,”
The grammateús, expert in the Law, and the Pharisaîos, the strict separatist, were the models of piety in their day.
“ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Ou mḗ once more. Entry into God’s rule, basileía of ouranós, is at stake, and Christ supplies the righteousness it needs.
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