Jesus Himself said that He came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17), and it is in fact true that all the Old Testament sacrifices pointed to Jesus’ atoning death on the cross. So, why can’t we just forget about the Law and the Prophets and just read the New Testament, perhaps along with the Psalms and Proverbs?

Because even though we don’t have to observe them anymore, all of the Old Testament ceremonies and sacrifices can help us understand more about Jesus and His saving work on the cross. For example, John the Baptist said that Jesus is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). But how can we know what that means unless we also know about the Passover lamb that God’s people offered up so that God would not kill their firstborn in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-13)? And Jesus said that His is the “blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). But how can we know what that means unless we know about the blood of the covenant God made with His people in the days of Moses (Exodus 24:8)?

And yes, Jesus told us that the essence of the Law and the Prophets is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). But it is the moral law of God, which includes the Ten Commandments, that helps us understand how to put that love into practice. Moreover, we can still learn from the civil laws that God prescribed for the ancient Israelites, applying their general principles to our more modern circumstances to help us demonstrate our love for God and for other people in all the details of our daily lives.

So of course we should not ignore or dismiss God’s Law. Instead, as we seek to live by its basic principles, giving ourselves to God and to one another in the same loving way that Jesus did, we will find ourselves living in closer relationship to God than did those ancient, legalistic, self-righteous Pharisees. What greater reward could anyone want?

Matthew 5:17-20 (NASB)

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.
18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.
19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.