Gospel of Matthew Chapter 5 Vs. 19

 Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

Matthew 5:19 “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

these least commandments,... The laws and commandments of the new covenant are just as binding as those in the old covenant (Jas. 2:10). There are over 1,050 commands in the new covenant, plus many other teachings not expressed in the form of commands.

shall be called... The consequence of practicing or teaching disobedience of any of God’s Word is to be called least in the kingdom of heaven. Determining rank in the kingdom of heaven is entirely God’s prerogative (Mat. 20:23), and Jesus declares that He will hold those in lowest esteem who hold His Word in low esteem.

great in the... Greater in position and privileges in the fullness of the gospel than was John’s position under law in introducing the Messiah who was to bring the fullness of blessing and grace to men (John 1:16-17). John could only have a measure of the Spirit (John 1:15-17; Mat. 3:14), but now the least believer can have the fullness (John 7:37-39; 14:12-15; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8; 2:38-39; 5:32; Eph. 3:19). Men could only have certain gifts of the Spirit in Old Testament days. Now the least believer may have them all (Mark 16:15-20; John 14:12-15; 1Cor. 12:1-31). Many other blessings the gospel promises now which could not have been given anyone before Christ (2Cor. 3:6-15; Heb. 8:6; 1Pet. 1:10-12).

kingdom of heaven... kingdom of heaven is at hand, Literally, kingdom from the heavens. It is headed by Jesus Christ for the purpose of re-establishing the kingdom of God over this rebellious part of God’s realm. Only found in Matthew because it is the gospel of Jehovah’s King. It is a dispensational term and refers to Messiah’s kingdom on earth. Offered by both John and Jesus (Mat. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7). Because it was rejected, it was postponed until Christ comes to set up the kingdom (Mat. 11:12, 11:20-24; 27:22-25; Luke 19:11-27; Acts 1:6-7; 3:19-26). It is now the realm of profession (Mat. 13:11-17, 13:30, 13:38-43, 13:47-50). The parables of the kingdom apply to this age. At the end Christ will come and set up a literal earthly kingdom forever (Mat. 25:31-46; Rev. 11:15; 19:11-20:10; Zec. 14:1-21; Isa. 9:6-7; Dan. 2:44-45; 7:13-27; Luke 1:32-33). During the first 1,000 years of His eternal reign He will put down all rebellion and rid the earth of all rebels. Then God will become "all in all" as before rebellion (Rev. 20:1-10; 21:1-22:5; 1Cor. 15:24-28; Eph. 1:10). Anything said of the kingdom of heaven can also be said of the kingdom of God, because the former is only the earthly dispensational aspect of the latter. There are many things said of the kingdom of God, however, which cannot be said of the kingdom of heaven (see, Mat. 19:24). For of such is the kingdom of heaven, Children under the age of accountability are saved (Mat. 18:1-10; 19:14). Exact accountable age is not known.

Because of the seriousness of the law, Jesus emphasizes the importance of keeping even its smallest details. However, in the ultimate plan of God, the law was not to become an extra burden on the souls of men. Rather than pointing the way to salvation, the law convinced men of the need of the Savior.

Therefore again, whoever shall teach men so but shall not live what he teaches, he shall be made “least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach” the principles and precepts of the law shall be called “great in the kingdom of heaven.” This simply means that God will reward the faithfulness and effectiveness of our lives, and there will be varying degrees of blessing and reward in the kingdom.

There is no impunity for believers who disobey, discredit, or belittle God’s law. That Jesus does not refer to loss of salvation is clear from the fact that, though offenders will be called least, they will still be in the kingdom of heaven. The positive result is that whoever keeps and teaches God’s Word, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Here again Jesus mentions the two aspects of doing and teaching. Kingdom citizens are to uphold every part of God’s law both in their living and in their teaching.

Let Christ live in you. Let Jesus take total control, and then you won’t make any mistakes. It is an awesome responsibility to be forming young lives. We must not only teach them of God’s love, but also His judgment.

Jesus said He would fulfill the Law by obeying it perfectly and would fulfill the prophets’ predictions of the Messiah and His kingdom. But the responsibility of the people was made clear, as we see above.