Fulfilling The Law  
     
 
Animal sacrifices were symbolic of Jesus’ future death - symbolic of His shed blood. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29); and Hebrews says that after His death, animal sacrifices were no longer needed. This is why He came. He came to fulfill the Law - this is the meaning and purpose of the Law.
Jesus also fulfilled the Law in another way. He corrected their false teaching about the Law, and we will see that He continues to correct their teaching during the Sermon on the Mount. For example, in Matt. 5:21 He corrects their teaching about God’s intent for the sixth commandment, “You shall not commit murder.” In Matt. 5:27, he corrects their legalistic concept of what it means to not commit adultery. Jesus does not eliminate the Law - He fulfilled it both in purpose and in teaching (Matt. 7:12).
Strokes and Dots. If the crowd wondered if Jesus thought the Law had changed, He corrects their thinking when He tells them the Law will “not pass away,” not even the smallest stroke or dot in the Hebrew language. Jesus uses a double negative in the Greek, OU MA. It is the strongest combination possible. It literally means “no no never.” He is showing His heart and motive. Jesus came to fulfill - not to change the Law. He came to correct the false teachers - even their Rabbis. Jesus cared about truth. Do we?
Least in the Kingdom. But Jesus does not stop there. In essence He says that if anyone removes a stroke or dot he or she will be least in the kingdom. This reminds us of James 3:1-2 which says,

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man. (NASB) James 3:1-2.

Teachers can “remove portions of scripture” or “change scripture” by the way they teach it or do not teach it. That was what the Pharisees were doing. Why is Jesus so serious? It is His Word.
Conclusion. Jesus came (Mark 1:38) to fulfill the very Law He gave - a divine Law that is absolutely unchangeable until heaven and earth pass away. Jesus has warned us to be accurate in what we tell our friends, children, neighbors or those at church about the meaning of His Word. He has asked us to diligently study it, memorize it, and meditate on it so that we can. Let us be faithful and seek His truth!
   
 
 
Today there are preachers and teachers who are changing more than strokes and dots in God’s Word. They are minimizing the importance of the Word of God while claiming to do the opposite. Listen to the following quotes from “The Coming Evangelical Crisis (Moody Press, 1996),
“Part of our problem is the disdain for theology that abounds in Christian circles. Although theology is taken from two words that, together, mean ‘the study of God,’ many brothers and sisters prefer shortcuts to ‘relevance.’ To say that theology is boring is really to say that God is boring." - R. C. Sproul

What is the most significant expected gain from Bible study? Only 9.3 percent answered that it “helps me to [know more] about my faith.” While instruction for [how to live my] life won 58 percent, and 32.1 percent
answered that it “helps discern God’s speaking to me . . .” Obviously, this says more about the pragmatic and subjective orientation of popular culture than anything else.

Apostasy begins harmlessly enough. First, we [minimize Biblical teaching] . . . Next, we are asked to tone down on our doctrinal distinctives and emphasize that which unites all religious people of goodwill. The result of this is the rejection of the gospel. Finally, we are told, “All we need is Jesus,” and we are left with moral crusader. - Michael Horton
 
     
 
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