When we read Exodus 19-24, we encounter the stunning story of God introducing Himself to His people at Mount Sinai and inviting them to be in an enduring relationship with Him. There He provides the instructions for how to live faithfully and loyally to Him. We now know these instructions as the 10 commandments, or the Law of Moses. However, and far too often, people believe that these instructions are to be disregarded and ignored because Jesus fulfilled them. Is this what Jesus intended us to do when He said He fulfilled the law? What did Jesus really mean by saying that He fulfilled the law?

When Jesus declares in Matthew 5:17, "I did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill," most modern readers misunderstand what he's claiming. The confusion stems from how English has reshaped an ancient architectural metaphor into something disposable.