What did Jesus mean by “I came to fulfill the law”?

Jesus meant that He did not come to tear the Law down. He came to fill it all the way up and bring it to its goal. Every picture in the Law pointed to Him. When He finished His work on the cross, the Law had done what it was given to do.

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.

Matthew 5:17

Two words side by side

Some people read the first half of this verse and stop. Keep reading. Two Greek words stand side by side. “Abolish” is καταλύω katalyō: to tear down, like a crew taking a building apart. “Fulfill” is πληρόω plēroō: to fill all the way up and bring to its goal.

Picture an empty glass and a pitcher of cold water. You pour until it reaches the top. Did you break the glass? No. You filled it. That is what Jesus did with the Law.

Every picture pointed to Him

The lambs pointed to the Lamb of God. The priests pointed to our great High Priest. The Sabbath pointed to our true rest. After He rose, Jesus told His friends, “Everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44). The Law was a story that pointed to Jesus. He was the point all along.

Until all is accomplished

Not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Matthew 5:18

That verse has an “until” built in. The Law would stand until its work was done. So when was it done? On the cross Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30). That word could be written on a bill that was paid off. He did not say “I am finished.” He said “It is finished.”

He kept it for you

Only one Person ever kept the whole Law with a perfect heart. Jesus lived the perfect life you could not live and died the death you should have died. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

He did not keep the Law so we would have to keep it too. He kept it so we could rest in Him.

What about “Lord of the Sabbath”?

Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28). He is in charge of it. Mark also notes that Jesus “declared all foods clean” (Mark 7:19), setting aside a whole section of the Law with one sentence. The One who fills the Law is the Lord over it.

So what do we do now?

How do you get His perfect score on your test? Not by keeping a day or paying a tenth. “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:29).

Once a glass is full, you stop staring at it and drink. Jesus is the living water.