Matthew 5:17
““Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
What does Matthew 5:17 mean?
Jesus is telling people not to worry that he's coming to overturn everything they've been taught from Scripture. Instead, he's saying he came to complete and perfect what the law and prophets were pointing toward all along, like bringing a story to its full and meaningful ending. He's not dismissing the importance of God's moral character or his plan revealed through the Old Testament, but showing that his life, death, and teaching represent their deepest purpose. For those of us reading this now, it's reassuring because it means Jesus takes seriously the God we encounter in Scripture, even as he shows us what it all meant.