General Re-examining Christian Torah Observance

[benadam1974]

The common Christian view that Jesus and his Apostles remained Torah-observant needs to be thoroughly reexamined!​

This belief is bound by the common misconception that the real reason the Jewish authorities wanted Jesus killed was because he broke their “social norms” or “traditions." In other words, Jesus was not teaching and sometimes acting against the Mosaic system as such. After all, how could Jesus be made a “lawbreaker,” i.e., a sinner if he was going around not only teaching against Moses but breaking any of God's laws, so the argument goes.​

First, it is obvious that Jesus was not a sinner or a lawbreaker. But he was the promised Messiah, sinless Lamb of God and, as a result, “the lawmaker” of God. For example, in Genesis 49:10 Jacob blessed his sons with a prophecy.​

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet.” (KJV)​

NOTE: the Hebrew word translated as “lawgiver” by the KJV is rendered as the “ruler’s staff” in most modern translations. But the old King James best captures the sense of one who explains or interprets the law; Cp. Ps 60:7 where God calls Judah “my lawgiver.” That’s why the NT calls Jesus, the Son of David, greater than Moses! He was, after all, “found worthy of greater honor than Moses,” according to Hebrews 3.3.​

So it’s only right that Jesus has the authority to exhort the Jewish establishment for ignoring “the commandment of God” with their self-imposed traditions. Yet, these “traditions” themselves go back to Torah-keeping practices. A contextual reading of Mark 7 shows Jesus explicitly challenging the Jewish food laws from Leviticus! In Mar 7:15 Jesus says:​

“The food that you put into your mouth doesn’t make you unclean.”​

And Mark, looking back perhaps, writes that “by saying this, Jesus meant that all foods were fit to eat.” (Mar 7:19, CEV)​

The other misconception is that when Jesus did "good works" on the Sabbath he was only breaking “man-made traditions"; not the actual Sabbath Law! But in Matthew 12, Jesus does not deny the fact that his own Apostles are breaking the Sabbath “yet are innocent”! Jesus justifies their action by comparing them to the Temple priests and King David himself. Yet, none of the 12 were Levites, let alone descendants of David! Thus, pointing to the deeper meaning found later in the writings of Paul, Peter and John. That in Christ, God has created a new "holy nation" of kings and priests because "there's no longer Jew or Gentile" (Gal 3.28; 1 Peter 2:5-10; Rev 10)!​

Furthermore, the healings that take place on the Sabbath should remind us of the fact that Jesus has been made “lord of the Sabbath,” i.e., he owns it and by definition is free to observe it or not! In John 5, similarly to Matthew 12, Jesus again does not deny breaking the Sabbath himself. He instead doubles down by saying:​

“My Father is working until now, and I am working.” (John 5.17).​

That is even on the Sabbath!​

The Jews later say in John 9:16:​

“This man is not from God, for he doesn’t keep the Sabbath!”​

They were right!​

They had finally realized that no follower of Jesus can also be, at the same time, a follower of Moses in John 9:28.​

Now there are many other Mosaic laws that Jesus either directly or indirectly contravenes including the certificate of divorce (Matthew 19) and all forms of Torah-authorized violence (summarized by the unqualified “love of enemy” commandment in Matthew 5).​

So the real reason some Jews wanted Jesus killed was due to his stance against certain Torah mandates and not just criticism of Jewish social or traditional norms.​

 

[LeeB]

The law was and is for the carnal person and when used properly is to circumcise the heart (spirit) of a person. The law convicts the sinner of their sins producing GODLY sorrow leading to repentance and conversion and the hope of salvation. The law did not provide faith, repentance, forgiveness, justification, righteousness, mercy or the love of GOD. THE LAW DOES NOT PRODUCE SALVATION.