When Jesus begins to preach the Sermon on the Mount, He starts with the nature of those who make up the Kingdom. Then, He turns to the Law and Prophets, showing that He is the fulfillment of both. He is not removing the Law and Prophets, but making it more effective for us.

One way to understand this fulfillment is to consummate the Law. We think of the consummation of a marriage when we hear the word consummate. This is actually helpful.

When the consummation of a marriage takes place, it doesn’t make the marriage go away, or the requirements of the marriage disappear. In fact, it brings the requirements of faithfulness, which should have been present before the marriage, to an even more important level in the marriage. Faithfulness in marriage, begins before marriage, and when the fulness of the marriage comes about, it heightens the need for faithfulness.

The same is true for God’s Law. The fulfillment of the LAW didn’t make LAW go away, but made it more important because Christ fulfills the Law.

This is what it means for Christ of fulfill the Law and Prophets.