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Matthew 5:17

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

Some people perceived Jesus to be discarding the laws of Moses because of the way He interpreted them. Jesus healed on the Sabbath, did not sanction divorce, and discouraged the idea of a new Jewish king. These and other issues conflicted with the accepted application of what Moses had written. And yet, Jesus gave Scripture as a reason for His differing interpretation.

Jesus said He had come to "fulfill" the Law and the Prophets. The word in its original language means "to fill up" or "complete," as in filling a net to the full or filling a hole in a road to make the road level. He was adding what was lacking to Scripture to make it complete. That was quite a claim!

He fulfilled it by becoming the sacrifice that God accepted for our sins. He lived the righteous requirements of the Law in our place. He is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the coming Messiah. He is all that Scripture points to in its types and shadows. (See the book Jesus Concealed in the Old Testament.) The letters in the New Testament are inspired commentary on what Jesus taught and the application of that teaching. There is no prophet since that can add to what Jesus made complete. The Old Testament is Jesus concealed while the New is Jesus revealed. It's all about Jesus.

Consider: While other books may give us insights into understanding the culture and language of the New Testament, most of our study should be in the Scriptures. Balance your study of the older covenant with that of Jesus' fulfillment in the new covenant.