Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Jesus fulfilled the law! It says so right there in Matthew. But what on earth does that actually mean? Different people have had vastly different interpretations of that idea, and the consequences of their ideas are significant! Are the old laws still in effect, or did Jesus abolish them? Should we throw away Leviticus? Should we stop eating shellfish? What does it mean???
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For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
Follow us on the various social media places:
facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
twitter.com/data_over_dogma
Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
Buy at this link: static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro and podcast premise
1:55 Topic introduction: Jesus and fulfilling the Law
2:17 Modern Christian confusion about Old Testament law
3:35 “Jesus fulfilled the law” — what does that mean?
4:52 Setting the context: Matthew 5 and the Sermon on the Mount
5:16 Reading Matthew 5:17–20
6:05 The antitheses and escalation of the law
6:39 Does Jesus require continued law observance?
7:03 What does “fulfill” mean? Greek analysis
8:11 “Until heaven and earth pass away” — chronological markers
9:23 Apocalyptic implications of fulfillment
10:28 Problems with the “laws trapped in Jesus” interpretation
11:11 Breaking commandments and the Kingdom of Heaven
11:31 Being more righteous than the Pharisees
11:51 Pharisees in early Jewish context
12:56 Harmonizing Matthew with other Gospels
13:14 Comparison with Luke’s version
14:14 Can negative laws be “fulfilled”?
15:08 “The law and the prophets” as Scripture
15:40 Jewish concepts of canon and genre
17:08 Torah, Prophets, and Writings (Tanakh)
18:01 Scope of biblical law and authority
18:55 When and how the law ends
19:58 Eschatology and Matthew’s concerns
20:56 Authorial intent vs. historical Jesus
22:09 Gentiles, law, and early Christian tensions
23:04 Paul, circumcision, and kosher laws
24:10 Is Matthew pushing back against Paul?
25:08 Matthew’s emphasis on keeping the law
26:36 Biblical tension and theological disagreement
27:47 Scripture as conversation, not univocal system
28:13 Gospel authors debating each other
29:19 Problems with forced harmonization
30:21 Letting texts disagree and speak for themselves
31:40 Wrap-up, support, and Patreon
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#podcast #oldtestament #bible #biblestudy #biblestories #biblereading #bibleteaching #religion #Jesus #jesuschrist #god #adonai #athiest #athiesm #faith #faithjourney #podcasting #podcastclips #podcastlife #podcasters #podcastshow #skeptic #skepticism #judaism #hebrew #hebrewbible #christianbible #christianity #newtestament #christian #christianity #christianityexplained #holybible #doubt #believe #believer #belief #utah #saltlakecity #lds #mormon #scholar #middleeast #israel #religious #church #lawofmoses
Jesus fulfilled the law! It says so right there in Matthew. But what on earth does that actually mean? Different people have had vastly different interpretations of that idea, and the consequences of their ideas are significant! Are the old laws still in effect, or did Jesus abolish them? Should we throw away Leviticus? Should we stop eating shellfish? What does it mean???
----
For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
Follow us on the various social media places:
facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
twitter.com/data_over_dogma
Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
Buy at this link: static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
_____________________________________________
Chapters:
0:00 Intro and podcast premise
1:55 Topic introduction: Jesus and fulfilling the Law
2:17 Modern Christian confusion about Old Testament law
3:35 “Jesus fulfilled the law” — what does that mean?
4:52 Setting the context: Matthew 5 and the Sermon on the Mount
5:16 Reading Matthew 5:17–20
6:05 The antitheses and escalation of the law
6:39 Does Jesus require continued law observance?
7:03 What does “fulfill” mean? Greek analysis
8:11 “Until heaven and earth pass away” — chronological markers
9:23 Apocalyptic implications of fulfillment
10:28 Problems with the “laws trapped in Jesus” interpretation
11:11 Breaking commandments and the Kingdom of Heaven
11:31 Being more righteous than the Pharisees
11:51 Pharisees in early Jewish context
12:56 Harmonizing Matthew with other Gospels
13:14 Comparison with Luke’s version
14:14 Can negative laws be “fulfilled”?
15:08 “The law and the prophets” as Scripture
15:40 Jewish concepts of canon and genre
17:08 Torah, Prophets, and Writings (Tanakh)
18:01 Scope of biblical law and authority
18:55 When and how the law ends
19:58 Eschatology and Matthew’s concerns
20:56 Authorial intent vs. historical Jesus
22:09 Gentiles, law, and early Christian tensions
23:04 Paul, circumcision, and kosher laws
24:10 Is Matthew pushing back against Paul?
25:08 Matthew’s emphasis on keeping the law
26:36 Biblical tension and theological disagreement
27:47 Scripture as conversation, not univocal system
28:13 Gospel authors debating each other
29:19 Problems with forced harmonization
30:21 Letting texts disagree and speak for themselves
31:40 Wrap-up, support, and Patreon
____________________________________________
#podcast #oldtestament #bible #biblestudy #biblestories #biblereading #bibleteaching #religion #Jesus #jesuschrist #god #adonai #athiest #athiesm #faith #faithjourney #podcasting #podcastclips #podcastlife #podcasters #podcastshow #skeptic #skepticism #judaism #hebrew #hebrewbible #christianbible #christianity #newtestament #christian #christianity #christianityexplained #holybible #doubt #believe #believer #belief #utah #saltlakecity #lds #mormon #scholar #middleeast #israel #religious #church #lawofmoses
