Jesus And Mosaic Law: A Complex Relationship

Jesus was accused of breaking Mosaic Law by the Jewish religious leaders and biblical scholars of his day. However, Jesus himself would have disagreed, saying he had not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfil them. While Jesus did not break Mosaic Law, he did break with Jewish religious leaders' interpretation of it, as well as the traditions of men that had been added on top of the Torah.

Jesus broke Jewish law by healing on the Sabbath

The Sabbath was a day of rest, and working on this day was forbidden by Mosaic Law. The Pharisees believed that healing counted as work and, therefore, that Jesus had broken the law by healing on the Sabbath.

Jesus argued that healing was lawful on the Sabbath. He gave the example that if a sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath day, its owner would help it out. He argued that a person was more valuable than a sheep, so it must be lawful to do good and heal on the Sabbath.

Jesus also argued that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. He saw the Sabbath as an opportunity to turn people to God and provide rest from attempting to achieve salvation through labour.

Jesus did not abolish the law, but he did fulfil it.

Jesus broke Jewish law by touching a leper

Jesus was accused of breaking Mosaic Law on several occasions. One such occasion was when he touched a man with leprosy.

The Law

According to Leviticus 5:3, "If he touches human uncleanness, of whatever sort his uncleanness may be with which he becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, and then he comes to know it, he will be guilty". Lepers were required to isolate themselves from others and warn people of their illness. They had to wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their faces and shout "Unclean! Unclean!".

Jesus Heals a Leper

Matthew, Mark and Luke all describe a moment when a man with leprosy approached Jesus and asked to be healed. Jesus reached out and touched the man, and the man was immediately cleansed of his disease.

Did Jesus Break the Law?

Jesus could have healed the man without touching him, as he had done with others. However, by touching the man, Jesus was able to spread the cure, rather than the disease. He was not at risk of being infected, and so was breaking the letter of the law, but not the spirit.

Jesus did not undergo any purification rites after touching the leper, and he instructed the man to perform only the third phase of the prescribed purification rite. As the Holy One and miracle Healer, Jesus was not defiled by coming into contact with the leper. Instead, purity flowed from him to heal the man.

Jesus broke Jewish law by eating with sinners

Jesus' behaviour can be understood in the context of his mission to seek and save the lost. He chose to eat with sinners because they needed to know that repentance and forgiveness were available to them. As a rabbi and spiritual leader, Jesus broke societal taboos and condemned the Pharisees' legalistic system of attaining righteousness. He looked beyond culture to people's hearts and met their spiritual needs.

The act of eating together in ancient Israel established a covenant relationship of friendship and signified approval. Jesus preferred pursuing relationships that might lead sinners to God rather than quarantining himself from them. He did not require people to change before coming to him but met them where they were and extended grace to them.

Jesus himself addressed the scandal caused by his actions, saying:

> "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice'. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Here, Jesus is comparing himself to a doctor, saying that just as a doctor seeks out the sick to treat them, he has come to save sinners. He is also quoting from the prophet Hosea in the Old Testament, who wrote:

> "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6)

Jesus is saying that God values loyal love and compassion more than the observance of external rituals.

Jesus broke Jewish law by overturning the money tables at the temple

Jesus's actions in the Temple are recorded in all four canonical gospels of the Christian New Testament. The story goes that Jesus entered the Temple in Jerusalem and drove out all those who were buying and selling by overturning the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. This was a forceful expulsion, a demonstration of his authority and a call to return to genuine worship.

Jesus's actions can be interpreted in several ways as a breaking of Jewish law. Firstly, it was a breach of peaceful conduct. Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out people and overturn furniture, wielding a whip. This was an act of violence. Secondly, Jesus's actions may have breached Jewish law regarding the treatment of animals. He drove out the sheep and oxen, which were used for sacrifice, and he may have used his whip on them. Thirdly, Jesus may have breached Jewish law by disrupting the practice of changing money for worshippers. Worshippers were required to pay in Hebrew coin, and the money changers charged a fee for exchanging money, which was itself unlawful.

However, some interpretations of Jesus's actions see them as a fulfilment or defence of Jewish law, rather than a breach. Jesus quotes Jeremiah 7:11 when he says that the merchants were making the Temple into "a den of thieves", exploiting the pilgrims' devotion and charging exorbitant amounts for their goods. By driving out the money changers and merchants, Jesus was defending Mosaic law by disrupting the unlawful practice of taking interest and the economic exploitation of the poor.

Jesus broke Jewish law by forgiving people's sins

Jesus was accused of breaking Mosaic Law by the Jewish religious leaders and biblical scholars of his day. However, this is a complicated question.

Jesus was certainly seen to break Jewish law by forgiving people's sins. For example, he declined to participate in the execution of a woman caught in adultery (which Mosaic Law commands) and instead forgave her. There is no possibility for forgiveness for intentional sins in the Torah and its sacrificial system.

However, Jesus would not have seen himself as a lawbreaker. He saw himself as keeping Torah, and prioritising love and people's needs above all else. He was certainly willing to break Mosaic Law in order to prioritise love.

Jesus was also accused of breaking Sabbath law by healing people on the Sabbath. However, this was not a violation of the Sabbath as outlined by God under the Old Covenant. It was only the Pharisees' Sabbath law that he did not keep.

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