Many people think that Yeshua removed the law by being our perfect sacrifice. In actuality he redefined the law so that we might become a law under ourselves. Matthew is clear that the law has not disappeared, not one jot nor tittel, the smallest marks of hebrew vocabulary. For those wishing to review it is in the Introduction teaching on Law vs. Grace.

Romans 2:14-15:: when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them

Paul does not say in the letter that the Gentiles accomplish everything according to the law. What he is saying is our conscienceness should alert us to what we are not following, especially the more weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matt. 23:23-24). For if our consciousness seems to miss those points then we should examine ourselves to ensure we don’t have a seared consciousness speaking lies in hypocrisy (1 Tim. 4:2).

— Sermon on the Mount: High Cost of Following

In this great sermon Yeshua said may things like blessings. He also said “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17)

“For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:18-19)

Then he says a very difficult passage which leads to requirements well beyond the law:
“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:20)

The scribes and Pharisees were very meticulous to follow the law so we might be in trouble if we strictly follow this requirement. Then he goes into six things they have heard said:

1) Matt. 5:21-22:: You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,[Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17] and whoever murders will be in danger of judgement. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

Anger in itself is not a sin because Ephesians 4:26 says ‘be angry and sin not’. We shall see in the 2nd greatest command of Yeshua there are stipulations about how we treat our neighbor. There is righteous anger but Yeshua is not referring to that. This teaching is directly from the 10 commandments. Murder here can be intentional or unintentional. The definition includes the slayer of men (which is a vengeful act itself).

2) Matt. 5:27-28:: You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18] But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

This is one of Yeshua’s hard sayings that goes beyond the Law to get at the thoughts and intents of the heart.

3) Matt. 5:31-32:: Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality [adultery,homosexuality,animal sex] causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

This is the commandment that deals directly with non illicit sex divorcement. To put away a spouse for other reasons like incompatibility or pride or differences of opinion causes adultery in her life and any she comes into contact with in the future. In the eyes of God and Yeshua, one has committed adultery in those situations.

4) Matt. 5:33-35:: Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

This is related to the 9th commandment which speaks of bearing a false witness against our neighbor. It is also spoken of in the judgements: You shall not circulate a false report (Ex. 23:1). This includes testifying falsely in a court of law. Just a note here. Some christians think we should follow the 10 commandments and ignore any other moral judgments in the law because we are under grace, not law. I tell you that any moral requirments of the law were strengthened, not annulled, by Yeshua, for he looks at the thoughts and intents of our hearts.

5) Matt. 5:38-42:: You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’[Ex. 21:24; Lev. 24:20; Deut. 19:21] But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

6) Matt. 5:43-45:: You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor[Lev. 19:18] and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven

To get context here let’s look at Lev. 19:18:: You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself:

This is part of the statutes of the Law. I just do not see how christians seperate the 10 commandments from judgements and statutes to justify sin and lawlessness. Again, God looks at our hearts, not just our actions. This is how our righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 5:20).

I was reminded this week of the words of Job after he lost his family and property and all he could say is ‘blessed be the name of the LORD’. Yet more testing was on the way despite the back story here using poor old Job as a testing ground for genuine faith and devotion. So from here we go to the greatest commandments.

— The Greatest Commands

Matt. 22:35-40:: One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[Deut 6:5] This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

What Yeshua said about loving God is pretty much an exact quote from Deuteronomy:
Deut. 6:5:: You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength

The part about loving your neighber as yourself is a bit more entailed:
Lev. 19:17-18:: You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

As you see, there are provisions in Leviticus of not bearing sin because of your neighbor, not taking vengeance, and not bearing grudges. So I get out of that if your neighbor commits sin we don’t have to cover for them. We also don’t take vengence nor bear grudges. This is what we would not do unto ourselves.

I hope by now you might see that instead of teaching us to ignore law, Yeshua actually taught it. So where do we go from here?

— The Great Commission

The ‘great commission’ is rather explicit. It says:
Matthew 28:19-20:: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

The key part of this verse is to make disciples, not just baptising them or declaring them christian. So the idea of sprinkling or baptising a new convert is not sufficient. For instance, jews are not christians now because they got sprinkled or even because they made a specific confession. Discipleship is a process. It also says to teach all things I have commanded. It can take much or little time. It all depends upon conviction and acceptance.

Some say the so-called great commission was a later addition. It does not matter here whether early or late, it bacame part of the gospel. But what is the gospel itself? Is it just the four accounts we have in our bible? It is all sayings of Yeshua? Does it contain parts of the old testament? Gospel itself means ‘good news’ or ‘good tidings’.

the angel said to the shephards in the field, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

For sure the good news was first brought to the jews before the gentiles. The split comes much later on in the church. I submit to you that this split is more man-made than that of God. The righteous works of Yeshua are there for redemption, for our salvation and justification. Not for willful ignorance and neglect of living right.

— Teaching and Preaching the Gospel

Mark 1:15 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.

Since he taught the gospel from the time John was put into prison it predates the gospels we have. Was it the same thing or some other version tailored for the Jews in that area?

To Simon and Andrew he said ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ (Mark 1:17).

Certainly following Yeshua must have been part of the gospel message. We imitate our teachers.

Matthew 4:19:: He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Fishing is one aspect of the gospel. It sounds an awful much like evangelism. There are at least two ways to fish. We need bait, a good cast, reeling in, and receiving into our boat. Another ways is a net and involving pulling in and loading our boat. Either way, it is a learned process.

Baiting people sounds deceptive so maybe he was referring more to nets which is the way most on the Sea of Galilee fished. For sure food or financial help can be considered bait and there is nothing wrong with that so long as it is not deceiptful. A net could also be bad in that it catches people where they live and ensnares them. With whatever method we use, it should be with good intentions and much love. Remember, this is good news, not something repulsive.

Teaching the gospel is more about teaching the kingdom of God than a list of do’s and don’ts. The law is very cut and dry and leaves little room for improvision or re-interpretation. I do believe some things are absolute and others teachings for how to live righteously. That is why Apostle Paul told the Philippeans to work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:13). Without holiness no man or woman shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). Let us therefore strive to do what pleases the Lord and enter into his rest.