Overturned or Fulfilled?

There is a difference between "overturned" and "fulfilled". And it must be so or else we would have to discredit Jesus as two-faced or double-tongued. Jesus used both these words concerning validity of the law of Moses.

Here in today's NT reading, Jesus says essentially there is no way the law will be overturned. We should find no real surprise in this statement as we have excellent historical record in the book of Esther (OT) that Xerxes the king could not revoke or overturn even his own mandate (made at Haman's request) regarding the destruction of the Jews. But what Xerxes could do was issue another mandate that the Jews could defend themselves.

Jesus is telling us that the law of Moses has not lost its force (then or now for that matter). But what HAS happened is that Jesus "fulfilled" the law when He died on the cross:

Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. [Matthew 5.17]

Once again, "overturned" and "fulfilled" are two different words with two different meanings. "Overturned" would mean the law was made ineffective through disregard or abolishment. "Fulfilled" however would mean the law has every bit of its force except that it is equalized "law to compliance" - or, every punishment for every violation of the law is completed (through Jesus' work on the cross).

The Good News just gets better and better. Otherwise, we might as well worship the Easter Bunny.

Father, thank You for Jesus! Open my eyes more each day to what He has accomplished on my behalf!