Not a Dot Will Pass Matthew 5:13-20; Isaiah 58:3-9a; 1 Corinthians 2:1-12

Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who keeps His Father’s Word.

Our message is from Jesus’ sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5: 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  

Not a Dot Will Pass, from God’s true and eternal Word.

Long ago, people learned how to write, so they could record things, and share and pass on information. 

Now, it’s hard to imagine a world without writing, or typing, or texting.

Imagine the potential chaos without important, essential things being written down and recorded, things like deeds and contracts, and other vital information.

Some information we record for the sake of future generations, that important information and valuable knowledge is passed on, and not forgotten.

So it is with God’s Word, the most important of all information, and most valuable of all knowledge. It’s been written down for all generations, starting with Moses.

Moses grew up as Egyptian royalty, the adopted son of the Pharoah’s daughter, so he was well educated, able to read and write… which God would put to good use, by giving Moses the task of writing down His Law for His people, which we have in the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

By the way, Moses would also have been educated in mathematics, and so he was able to oversee and record the census of the 12 tribes of Israel, which we have in the book of Numbers.

Moses, however, was just the scribe, writing the very words God gave Him. The real author of all Scripture is the Holy Spirit.

To those first 5 books of Moses, others were added by various prophets, making up, what we today call the Old Testament, but at the time of Jesus   was called the Law and the Prophets.

One of the criticisms of Jesus by His critics was that He didn’t respect the law of Moses.

 

But as Jesus made clear in today’s Gospel, that wasn’t the case. In fact, He held it in such high regard, that He would fulfill it.

He said: 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  

Some, maybe most of the religious leaders, didn’t really want the law of Moses fulfilled, or brought to fruition, because their livelihood, and their status and power depended on it continuing.

All the required rituals and ceremonies and sacrifices and festivals, without them, the scribes and priests and the temple and all the workers wouldn’t be needed. So they worked to protect it, to keep it all going.

They didn’t want a Messiah who would fulfill the Law, but one who would perpetuate it, and increase it.

Conversely, some people probably wanted the law abolished, because it was so demanding, what Peter calls in Acts 15:10, A burden that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear.

The problem is, God gave that law; it can’t be just arbitrarily discarded, can’t be abolished, but must be fulfilled and completed, which is what Jesus, as the Messiah, did on our behalf. 

It all pointed to Him, every one of the numerous rituals and sacrifices and festivals and rules and laws, they were all meant to keep people focused on and waiting for the Messiah.

Those rituals and sacrifices atoned for sin by pointing to the Messiah, who would do the real work of winning forgiveness and salvation, by living a pure and holy life, and thereby keeping God’s laws and commands for us.

And then in holy love and innocence, taking our punishment and dying in our place on the cross, as Isaiah prophesied He would.

And then rising to give us new life, as promised in the Psalms, and by Job, who said, “I know that my Redeemer lives!”

And this is why Jesus’ said that not even the smallest letter in the law is irrelevant or untrue or would be abolished. Instead, He fulfilled it all for our life and salvation by His holy life, and death, and resurrection.

Jesus’ fulfilling all of Scripture shows us that all Scripture is true and eternal; it can be trusted completely, and should be gladly obeyed. 

If the books and words of the Old Testament weren’t true and from God, then Jesus would have abolished them. Instead He fulfilled them, proving them to be from God, holy and inspired, each and every word.

When Jesus’ apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote the New Testament, they didn’t do it to replace the Old Testament, but to interpret it, and show how Jesus fulfilled it all. 

And so, as Jesus promises us in our text, not even the smallest letter or marking in God’s Word is false, or irrelevant or outdated, or to be doubted or disregarded or ignored -- it’s all a part of the history of how God won salvation for the world.

Even though we no longer need to practice the political and ceremonial laws recorded in the Old Testament, the New Testament clearly teaches us that the moral law, summarized in the 10 Commandments, continues for us to practice and follow. 

And so God’s moral law, seen and taught in both the Old and New Testaments, is not, never has been, and never will be, outdated, or optional, or untrue, or irrelevant. 

Romans 13:10 tells us that it’s all summarized in one word: love. Love is the fulfilling of the law, Paul says.

When love is no longer needed, or is outdated, or irrelevant, then God’s moral law, His commandments, will no longer be current or relevant.

But of course, love will always be needed, and never be irrelevant or out dated for humanity; and so God’s moral law, His 10 commandments of love, are eternal.

Not a single word of them, not even a letter, will ever pass or cease to be true and meaningful and important for humanity.

Sometimes when the word “law” is used in the Bible, it broadly means the Word of God, which includes, and is centered in, the Gospel. 

The book of Genesis, for example, is a part of the Torah, or Law, but it’s  filled with Gospel, stories of God helping and making and keeping promises for His people. 

Not a single promise of God in the Bible, has ever gone, or will ever go, unfulfilled. 

Every word of Gospel, every letter of every word, even the smallest word, each is true and trustworthy, all fulfilled in Jesus -- in His first coming to earth to save us; and in His blessing and helping us now; and in all the remaining promises of Scripture that will be fulfilled when He returns, as He promised, and raises us up, and takes us home.

The tiniest word or letter or marking in Scripture is greater, and more powerful, and more dependable, and longer lasting, and more relevant and important to our lives, than any amount of earthly information or knowledge.

So let us read and hear and learn and believe and treasure and obey and practice and share and proclaim with confidence and joy, God’s true and complete Word for the world.

And as we do, His promised peace, which passes understanding, will guard our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, who has kept and fulfilled for us, each and every word of Scripture. Amen.