by Harry BuererWhat was Jesus’ position on the Torah, the Law of God given through Moses? It’s a question that we don’t often ask, but it’s crucial for understanding Jesus and being a follower of his.
First, Jesus was a fully Torah-observant Jew. If he were not, he wouldn’t qualify to be a sinless sacrifice. The first epistle of John (3:4) states that “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness… And in him is no sin.” So it’s clear that Jesus kept the law in its entirety.
But did he advocate for others to keep it? There are certainly instances like when he healed a man of leprosy (Matt. 8:4), and then sent him to the priest to offer the gift Moses commanded. And after his resurrection, when he commissioned the apostles to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20), the essence of that discipleship was obeying the commandments.
But the signature teaching of Jesus concerning the law is found in his Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5. In verses 17 and 18 he says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” I can’t imagine a stronger statement of the Law’s continuity than that.
Some would say that Jesus “fulfilled” the Law by his death and resurrection, and after that it was abolished. Certainly Jesus fulfilled the Law by keeping it completely. But there are a few things to note here. One is that the Greek word for “accomplished” is not the word for prophecy being fulfilled; it literally means “until everything happens,” presumably until the end of time.
In connection with this, we should note that the time frame that Jesus refers to is not two or three years until his passion, but “until heaven and earth disappear.” If you are reading this, that hasn’t happened yet.
In addition, Jesus resorts to extreme language. He talks about the smallest letter or stroke of a letter, a jot or tittle in the old terminology. This clearly is done to add emphasis to his statement of the Law’s continuity.
There are some things that Jesus says or does at other times that some take as changing or abrogating the Law. We will look at them in subsequent postings. But his intent in this passage is so clear and emphatic that it’s impossible to mistake.
But just in case it could, Jesus continues by saying, “Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, (sounds like a lot of the Christian church) but whosoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” I want that to apply to me! Do you?