Why do We Think it?

In Matthew 5:17 Yeshua the Messiah made this statement, "Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets." In light of this very plain statement by our Master, why is that so many people think He came to destroy the law?

I've gotten into many discussions about the law of Yahweh as found in books such as Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, etc. and the first thing that usually comes out of people's mouths is, "Well, that's Old Testament" or "We are not under the law," or "That's been done away with." They then explain that Christ died and we aren't obligated to keep the law any more. If all this is true, then wouldn't it mean that Yeshua did come to destroy the law? Wouldn't this mean that a part of His mission was to come and take away the law and not require us to keep the law?

Well of course it would and that is why the teaching that we do not have to keep God's law is so dangerous. It makes Yeshua out to be a liar. He told people to not even think this, yet preachers not only think it they proclaim it to the people week in and week out. If ever a person comes to their pastor and asks them about this or that commandment, the common reply: don't worry about that, we aren't under the law. What a way to deal with a question. No explanation, no exegesis, and you can forget dealing with the passage expositorily. Just say we are not under the law and it seems everything else does not matter.

I say that we should respect our Lord and that means respecting His words. He told us not to think it. Do you love Him enough to obey this command? Don't even let it enter into your mind that part of His mission was to destroy the law; that wasn't why He was commisioned by the Father. He rather came to deal with sin which is the breaking of the law. He came to pay the penalty for sin which is death; not to do away with God's standard of righteousness.

Do you believe in Yeshua? Do you believe His words in Matthew 5:17?

Matthew Janzen