"Do not think that I have come to annul the law and the prophets. I have not come to annul them, but to fulfill them. I tell you this: as long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest letter or dot in the law will change, until all is fulfilled.
So then, whoever breaks the least important of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be the least in the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, whoever obeys them, and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17-19
(Here begins the presentation of the new Law. It is far from what is often sought in a religion: practices to observe, fasts, prayers, good works with which one wins salvation. JESUS says little about this because Scripture has dealt at length with this subject, and the study of Scripture itself shows that these laws and practices are always linked to a certain culture, and have to be adapted to the times.
Law: At times this word indicates the whole religion of Israel. The law and the prophets: was a way of indicating the whole Scriptures.
Not the smallest letter or dot in the law will change until all is fulfilled. JESUS does not refer to the commandments. Rather HE affirms that the religion founded on the Old Testament's Scripture was a temporary, yet necessary step in the history of salvation. The prophecies had to be fulfilled; the rites and sacrifices of that religion expressed in a veiled manner the mystery of sin and mercy that would be fulfilled in the person and the work of JESUS. With HIM comes the perfect and definitive fellowship of GOD with humankind.
For us as well, observing the laws of the Scriptures is not an end in itself. They are an expression of real love and are its guidelines. In obeying them we become receptive to the Spirit who will lead us. In this way we discover a "righteousness" or perfection far superior to the canonists of the time: the Lawyers and the Pharisees.
In verse 19, JESUS is referring to the commandments.)
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