Jesus: Lawbreaker Or Lawful?

Jesus's actions during his lifetime have been interpreted in different ways, with some arguing that he broke the law of his time, while others claim he did not. This question has significant implications for Christians, as breaking the law would mean that Jesus had sinned, which would impact how Christians live their lives.

Jesus was accused of breaking the law on several occasions, including healing people on the Sabbath, which was considered work and forbidden. He also touched a leper, which was forbidden by Levitical Law, and overturned the money tables at the temple. However, Jesus himself said he had not come to abolish the law but to fulfil it.

Some argue that Jesus did not break the law as outlined in the Old Testament, but rather broke the traditions of men that had been added to the Torah. He challenged the rigid interpretations of the Pharisees and other religious leaders, prioritising the promotion of human well-being, justice, and mercy.

The answer to this question depends on the perspective. From Jesus's viewpoint, his interpretation of the law and his actions fell within the Law of Moses, and he did not break any law. However, the Pharisees, with their strict and traditional interpretation, believed that Jesus acted contrary to the law.

Jesus broke Jewish law by healing on the Sabbath

Jesus was accused of breaking Jewish law on multiple occasions, including the Sabbath law. However, he did not break the Sabbath law as outlined by God under the Old Covenant. Instead, he broke the Pharisees' laws.

The Pharisees had added many rules and traditions to the Sabbath, elevating their rules to the level of God's instructions. For example, when Jesus' disciples picked and ate some heads of grain as they walked through a field, the Pharisees accused them of breaking the Sabbath because they were "harvesting" and "threshing".

Jesus did not keep the Pharisees' Sabbath law, but he did keep God's law. He proclaimed that he was greater than the law and had authority over the laws that governed the Sabbath day. He referred to himself as the ""Lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5).

Jesus' response to the accusations of the Pharisees was that he was working just as his Father was working. This angered the Pharisees even more, as they believed that Jesus was not only breaking the Sabbath but also equating himself with God.

Jesus broke the Pharisees' Sabbath law by healing on the Sabbath to help people, to glorify God, and to remind people that "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). He showed that God's goodness was more important than strict adherence to religious rules.

Jesus challenged the rigid understanding of the Pharisees

Jesus's clashing with the Pharisees is recorded in the Gospels. For example, in Matthew 12:1-8, the Pharisees objected to the disciples of Jesus plucking and eating heads of grain as they walked through the grain fields on the Sabbath. According to the Pharisees' oral tradition, this was work and, therefore, a violation of the Sabbath. Jesus, however, saw this as fulfilling the Sabbath, not breaking it. He said, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

Jesus also challenged the Pharisees' interpretation of the law by healing people on the Sabbath. For example, in Matthew 12:9-14, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand in a synagogue on the Sabbath. The Pharisees saw this as breaking the Sabbath, but Jesus argued that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath. He said, "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:12).

Jesus's focus was on a person's faithfulness, not being defined by outward signs but by acts of love and goodness. He taught that the purpose of the law is to lead people to love and that it is sometimes necessary to break Old Testament laws to prioritise love. For example, Jesus forgave a woman caught in adultery, even though the law commanded her execution.

Jesus's interpretation of the law stood in stark contrast to that of the Pharisees, who saw the Scriptures of the Old Testament as a set of rules that must be kept at all costs. This difference in interpretation led to conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees, with the Pharisees eventually condemning Jesus to death.

Jesus broke the law by touching a leper

Jesus was accused of breaking the law of his time on several occasions. These accusations came from Jewish religious leaders and biblical scholars, who claimed that Jesus was a sinner and a lawbreaker. However, Jesus did not actually break any biblical laws or Roman civil laws. Instead, he broke "traditions of men" that had been added on top of the Torah, or Jewish law.

One example of Jesus allegedly breaking the law is when he touched a leper. 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." Jesus, being God, was not at risk of being infected with leprosy, but he still touched the leper, seemingly breaking the letter of the law.

However, it is important to note that Jesus was a priest, and priests were allowed to touch lepers as part of the cleansing ritual outlined in Leviticus 14. Additionally, Jesus superseded the Levitical law, establishing his authority and power. He took on the man's uncleanness and, in exchange, made him clean, demonstrating a picture of what he would do for humanity as the suffering King on the cross.

Jesus's touching of the leper was a Messianic miracle, a miracle that no other man had been permitted to perform. By doing this, Jesus distinguished himself from the Pharisees, who would never have dared to touch a leper, even if they had the power to heal them. Jesus's actions also showed genuine compassion, with no limits, and served as a symbol of what he would do for humanity on the cross.

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

Whether or not Jesus broke the law of his time is a complex question. While he was accused of being a lawbreaker and sinner by the Jewish religious leaders and biblical scholars of his day, Jesus himself would have disagreed.

Jesus was certainly seen to break the Jewish law on multiple occasions, particularly in relation to the Sabbath. However, these were instances of him violating the interpretations that religious leaders had developed around the biblical commands. For example, Jesus was accused of breaking the Sabbath when he healed a paralysed man, but he argued that God is always working, and that he was working, too.

Jesus also broke the "traditions of men", as he called them. For instance, he rejected the biblical teaching of uncleanliness and the practice of ceremonial handwashing.

Jesus's most famous act of lawbreaking was when he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of the dove sellers in the Temple. This was an act of symbolic disruption of the economic systems that had perverted the worship of God. It was also a defence of the marginalised and a critique of those who profited from religious obligations.

However, Jesus did not see himself as a lawbreaker. He saw himself as fulfilling the law, prioritising people's needs and acts of love over strict adherence to biblical laws and commands.

In the end, while Jesus was judged as a lawbreaker by the religious leaders and sentenced to death as a criminal by the governmental leaders, the case can be made that he did not break any religious or civil laws during his life.

Jesus broke the law by forgiving people's sins

Jesus was accused of breaking the law of his time on several occasions. However, it is important to note that these accusations came from the religious leaders and biblical scholars of his day, specifically the Pharisees, and not from God.

Jesus was known to have forgiven people's sins, and in doing so, he bypassed the temple sacrifices. This was seen as a violation of the law by the religious leaders. They believed that only God could forgive sins, as stated in Mark 2:7: "Who can forgive sins but God alone?".

Jesus's approach to forgiveness of sins is reflected in his teachings, where he prioritised love and mercy over strict adherence to religious rules. He taught that the purpose of the law is to lead people to love, and he was willing to break Old Testament laws to prioritise this love.

In John 20:23, after his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples, "If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained". This statement gave the impression that Jesus had given the ministry of the Church the authority to forgive or retain sins. However, it is important to consider the context and the proper translation of this passage.

Overall, while Jesus may have been perceived as breaking the law by forgiving people's sins, his actions and teachings ultimately emphasised the importance of love, mercy, and compassion, which transcends religious rules.

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