Network Discipling Ministries

THE LAW STILL STANDS

To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them – Isaiah 8:20

Read First: Matthew 5:17-19

At this point in His discourse, Jesus transitions from His focus on the disciples and their life in the kingdom to Himself and His relationship to the law and the prophetic writings—that is, the entire Old Testament scriptures. No doubt, Christ’s arrival on the scene created quite a stir in all the regions around the Sea of Galilee, for the masses were disillusioned by, and tired of, all the empty promises of the religious and political leaders who pretended to facilitate their needs and concerns. The people were very hungry for change that would offer them hope for the future; and this new teacher in Galilee spoke with such clarity, profundity and authority that many sensed that that change was really in the air—hence they flocked to hear him.

Jesus did not keep His yearning audience waiting in suspense with regard to His mission. He was teaching about a kingdom distinctly dissimilar to the one to which they belonged. Rome was an iron master, whose primary interest was not the needs of the masses, but the quest political and global dominance. Similarly, the religious culture—Jewish and heathen—did not offer anything better, but peddled their empty forms and burdensome traditions, which daily ground away at the hope and aspirations of those who chose to follow them. In the midst of this very disheartening state of affairs, the messages of Jesus presented a very noticeable, unambiguous signal that something different was already on the way.

But how different were things going to be? Was this unassuming rabbi going to make all things new, or did he represent more of the same? Well, the mountainside audience got the answer to these questions very quickly. Jesus was very forthright about His agenda. Although great and dynamic change was very evident, there were many things that were going to be the same. Some things in life are non-negotiable, even in the passage of time; and in Jesus’ world the spirit of the Law and the prophetic writings were paramount among them. Thus, He cautioned His audience, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them . . . until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17, 18, NIV). Through this very powerful illustration Christ permanently linked Himself to God’s Law and all that was written concerning Him by the Old Testament (OT) prophets.

How many today still mistakenly entertain the idea that Christ came to abolish the Law? Clearly, this is not what the Savior stated in the above scripture. He said that His purpose was not to change or abrogate the teachings of the Law and the Prophets, but to confirm, establish and magnify them—as He would later demonstrate in the same chapter of Matthew. As long as the heaven and earth are with us, the writings of God’s Law and the Prophets remain fully enforced. Christ wanted His mountainside audience and all would-be disciples to be certain of one thing—He did not come to change what God, the Father, had established by His servant Moses and all the prophets of the OT. He said we should not even entertain that thought!

Incidentally, one of the OT prophets who prophesied of Christ’s kingdom and government centuries before the Savior actually came on the scene (Isaiah 9), gave a very similar caution. He said that if anyone speak disparagingly about the Law and the Prophets, that person has no light in himself, and is walking in darkness (Isaiah 8:20). The Bible also says that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all; and that if we walk in the light as God dwells in light, we have fellowship with Him and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:5-7).

According to Isaiah, therefore, when we walk in agreement with what God expressed in His Law and through His prophets, we give witness to the truth that we are in God’s light and His light is in us. Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of thy words giveth light . . .” Therefore, hold steadfastly to the Word, and let the light shine through.