The ancient Law (much like most of the other mad-made moral codes constructed both before & since) made it quite clear that its citizens were required to be both frugal in the making of oaths & promises (see Exodus 18:21 & Exodus 20:7, & Deuteronomy 10:20 – also Leviticus 19:11) and consequent in the fulfillment […]
While the Law did expressly command the ancient Israelites to care for the impoverished & other less-fortunate members of their community (see Exodus 21:22, Leviticus 19:9, Leviticus 23:22, Deuteronomy 14:28-29, Deuteronomy 15:l7-11, & Deuteronomy 24:19-21 et al), Jesus – as was so often the case – took these admonitions several great steps further; making one’s […]
Intriguingly, while on one hand the ancient Law of Israel expressly demanded that Jews be kind to all strangers in speech and deed (see Exodus 22:20-21 & Deuteronomy 10:19 et al) and forbade Jews from insulting or gossiping about their fellow Israelites (see Leviticus 19:14-16 & Leviticus 25:17 et al), that same Law went out […]
The ancient Judean Law also mandated the appointment of a political leader (or “king” – see Deuteronomy 17:15a) for the Jewish society; a ruler who was required to be humble and just (see Deuteronomy 17:16-20), and a ruler who was required to be respected by his citizenry (see Exodus 22:28). Of course, Jesus’ non-fond views […]
Seeing as how the ancient Law of Israel was exceptionally Judea-centric, it can come as no surprise to realize that there were more than a few Old Testament regulations proscribing how the Israelites were to prepare for war (see Deuteronomy 20:2, where a priest was required by Law to bolster the courage of Jewish troops […]
The Law was also quite explicit regarding what types of clothing the Israelites were allowed to wear (a la the regulation demanding that braided tzitzit be worn on the corners of one’s prayer shawl1 per Numbers 15:38 & Deuteronomy 22:12, the regulation forbidding cross-dressing per Deuteronomy 22:5, the regulation forbidding wearing garments made of both […]
One of the more well-known tenets of the Jewish Law was & still remains that all male children must be circumcised (see Genesis 17:9-12 & Leviticus 12:3). True to form, Jesus boldly commented on this regulation as well (though admittedly more subtly than usual – and even though Jesus himself was indeed circumcised in accordance […]
Providing another subtle-yet-potent point of contrast, where the Law demanded that every Jew in good standing hang a Mezuzah containing the Law’s primary commandments on his or her door (see Deuteronomy 6:9), Jesus made it clear that the true Child of God is essentially homeless (or residence-free; serving wherever there is a need & residing […]
Seeing as how one of the primary purposes underlying any legal codex is the preservation of the health of its citizenry – and seeing as how one of the primary additional purposes of the Jewish Law was the preservation of the spiritual purity of the same, it can come as little surprise that a significant […]
Though the Law proscribed a number of regulations pertaining to the sowing & reaping of crops (see Leviticus 19:19-24 & Deuteronomy 22:9-10 et al), Jesus rarely referenced the same – and then ever indirectly (see Matthew 8:37‘s “the harvest is plentiful, yet the laborers are few”, Luke 10:2‘s “ask the Lord to send out laborers […]
While the Law professed many regulations designed to ensure fair trade practices amongst all Jews – and thereby give all Israelites equal opportunities to accumulate monetary wealth, Jesus saw things in the economic realm quite differently. Consider … *Whereas the Law demanded that business be conducted fairly and that no one be defrauded when buying […]
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