Hebrews as Explanation to Jesus fulfilling the Law and Prophets?

Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. " (NASB)

First a few of my initial thoughts on this verse's meaning.

What appears to be Jesus' clearest statement on the relationship between the commandments of the Law and himself (and by extension the new covenant community) has been the cause of much controversy and disagreement. I take the position that Jesus is not simply saying he is there to "confirm" the Law and Prophets. He speaks of "fulfill" in the same sense when he already said he came to "fulfill all righteousness" by undergoing John's baptism. He was there to do them in a fulfilling manner. But there's even more to it, I think. Jesus was there to "fill out" what the Law and the Prophets only pointed towards in their contingent ways, and I believe that includes the moral commands of the Law. This does not mean the moral law as God's standard of right and wrong have changed even a bit, but they have now been more fully revealed in the person and work of Christ the new covenant mediator and fulfiller.

It has been argued by others that the actual commands of the Law bear no explicit indication that their true prima face meaning is for example prohibitions against dispositions of anger and lust. I believe this view has some merit. The commands of the Law were there to regulate the daily life of Israel in very concrete and visible situations. Combine this with the fact that Jesus has given a new command for his disciples to "bless those who curse you", and other such statements, and we begin to perceive the fuller picture of Jesus as the new covenant mediator who is authoritatively administering a Law that is better than the first Law (which pointed to his Law). These are not commands written on tablets of stone, they proceed from the mouth of the God-man in the flesh. His conjunctional phrases "But I say to you . . . " are not mere corrections of popular misnomers. He is purposefully making it explicit that it is He from whom these commands are spoken and find their origin! Jesus is establishing his own law-giving authority as the One who from the mountain explicates the demands for kingdom righteousness, to which the Law and the Prophets testified.

This is the righteousness which comes by faith, so it is those who hunger and thirst for righteousness who will be blessed - contra the blessings of the Mosaic Law which conditionally blessed righteous adherance to its commands. The commandments of Christ do not come to an obstinate Israel who were predominantly characterized by rebellion and unbelief, they come to the disciples whom Jesus had chosen and promised to send the life-giving Spirit, and that they would bear much fruit and that fruit will remain. This is a new covenant which is lasting and cannot be broken.

So now I'm thinking about the letter to the Hebrews. It seems to me that Hebrews can be viewed as an expository writing on this matter regarding Matthew 5, i.e. how Jesus is the mediator of a new and better covenant, how the old covenant which only spoke of earthy, fleshy things, was insufficient and passing away. The Gospel of Matthew teaches us that Jesus' filling out of all righteousness testified by the Law and the Prophets included his bringing new commands of righteousness which reflect the eschatological fulfillment of righteousness in his deeds and words. In short, the way of the cross was not required by the Law, but the Law and Prophets in its typology and prophecies pointed to this way which Jesus would undertake. Hebrews further builds on this in an even more explicit manner.

These are only my rough collection of thoughts as I begin to think about all of this. There is much more to explore. To be continued.