I am a Jesus Pusher! “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus is the speaker of the passage. He begins with “Not” (Me). This beginning is His idea and intention and is an expression and conclusion of His opinion. In this statement, we see Jesus’ view of why He came into the world. His purpose through His omniscience as the second member of the Trinity was clear. But as man, limited in His knowledge and thinking, what is His view? Involved in His perspective is NOT the destruction of the Scriptures. He is not saying, “The Scriptures are all right, but . . .” Nor His intent to change a thing about the Scriptures. As we move into the next verse, He gives details to exactly what He means. “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). A “jot” (iota) is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet. A “tittle” (keraia) is a small mark helping distinguish one Hebrew letter from another.
Jesus expands this idea by using the word “not” (ouk). He did “not come to destroy but to fulfill,” an expression of His opinion; this is a biblical statement of reality. This expression is the way things are despite many opinions. Jesus confronted the perspective of the Pharisees and scribes with this reality. You and I must see our views against the truth of the Scriptures! BUT Jesus must also see His perspective compared to reality. When He does, they are the same! Jesus’ opinion is the same as the Scriptures. Jesus equated His Words with the Words of the Scriptures (Matthew 24:35), not because He had authority over the Scriptures, but because He submitted to the Scriptures. To embrace Jesus is to embrace the Scriptures. I am a Jesus pusher!