“Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled. He therefore that shall break one of these least commandments, and shall so teach men, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But he that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, that unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
“All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). The fulfillment of the Law in Christ Jesus is to perfect that which was wanting and to perform perfectly. Where strict observance of the Old Covenant led into Pharisaicalism, Jesus came to show what was wanting: “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law; judgement, and mercy, and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone” (Matthew 23:23). The observation of the law was to be done with a heart filled with love, not out of dry observance. The sacrificial teachings are fulfilled in Christ, with the sacrifices being transformed into sacraments, but the moral teachings, instructions on how to live love perfectly, are a mixture of commandments and counsels, that is, how to keep from doing what is outright displeasing to God, and how to become more pleasing to Him. Now, this is not to observe the dictates of a tyrant, but the requests of a Spouse, for in the Law, the prophets, and the New Testament, He pours His heart out to you, telling you what He is like and what it is that He likes, that you may hear Him and long to please the gentle Lamb. All virtue and goodness is contained in the Scriptures and all grace is given to you that you may carry them: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not heavy” (1 John 5:3). Loving, gentle correction brings you closer to the ways of the Beloved, thus it is said: “If thou wilt incline thy ear, thou shalt receive instruction: and if thou love to hear, thou shalt be wise” (Ecclesiasticus 6:33) in the wisdom of love. “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths. I have sworn and am determined to keep the judgements of thy justice” (Psalm 118:105-106); David longed for the ways of the Lord because he knew His paths were those of love, justice, and mercy. All the commandments of God are for the benefit of man, for love does not impart what is arbitrary, and so it is good to understand what is obscure and live according to how it is interpreted now and your station in life. Those that lived excellently under the Law, masters of it, were proclaimed by Jesus to be outside the kingdom of heaven, demanding even greater from those that would follow Him. O the demands of love! For when two are married, they fundamentally alter their lives, giving much away, taking their possessions to be shared with another, and live according to the good pleasure of the other. One exists for the sake of the other. So it is with the love of Jesus; all that you are and have become oriented to the glory of God, with the invitation to be molded, changed, that you may be more like Him. Ah, but the wonders of love! For He gives you Himself, reaches down to your lowliness, and has walked through life to know you fully. He shares all that He is and has with you, that your relationship may be reciprocal. That which is in the Law that no longer requires observance, it is of great benefit to ask for what purpose God put them forward, for not a word of Scripture falls idle. In such an exercise and applying to yourself what you learn, you can be more finely crafted and refined in your walk with the Lord, to which He will say, “How beautiful are thy steps in shoes, O prince’s daughter! The joints of thy thighs are like jewels, that are made by the hand of a skilful workman” (Song 7:1). When obey His teaching with a loving heart, His ways will become ingrained in your heart, until you move with simplicity entirely out of love for Him. This is a righteousness far surpassing that of the scribes and Pharisees.