The ancient Law of the Israelites, as might well be expected, was also in part designed to establish a system of justice that governed the prosecution of all suspected civil & criminal infractions. It mandated the appointment of judges in every Israelite community (see Deuteronomy 16:18), it required that all those accused of any legal […]
Though the Law did in significant part delineate the property rights of its Jewish citizenry (see Exodus 22:1-9, Leviticus 25:23-27, Leviticus 25:34, Numbers 27:8-11, Deuteronomy 19:14, Deuteronomy 22:1-3, & Deuteronomy 23:26 et al), Jesus – who more often than not spoke to those who were deprived, destitute, &/or disenfranchised; those for whom such concerns of […]
One of the primary purposes of any legal system is the setting forth of regulations designed to make a harmed party whole again (making reparations for damage done &/or paying retribution for losses caused), and such was the case for the Law of ancient Israel as well (see Exodus 21:18-35, Exodus 22:1-14, Leviticus 24:21, & […]
Penultimately, the ancient Law was also concerned with maintaining its own semblance of justice – by strictly proscribing a collection of “appropriate punishments” for various criminal infractions; essentially doing so under the primitive but then-still-moral rubric of “an eye for an eye.” (see Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20, & Deuteronomy 19:21) And while the representatives of […]
Finally, the law of ancient Israel made it clear that false prophesy was not to be uttered and that false prophets were not to be followed (indeed, that they were to be executed – see Deuteronomy 18:20). That having been said, Jesus seemed to openly flaunt this edict – not only proclaiming himself to be […]
It is well worth remembering that Matthew 5:17 has Jesus clearly stating: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets, for I have come not to abolish but to fulfill them.” As such, no examination of Jesus’ radical reform of the former (“the Law” – the 613 regulatory Mitzvot […]
One of the more famous portions of Jesus’ many Gospel sermons is known as “the Beatitudes,” nine verses near the beginning of Matthew 5 that make up the introduction to his famed Sermon on the Mount. And yet despite their rampant popularity (among Christians & non-Christians alike), many remain unaware that the inspiration for all […]
The book of Isaiah was without doubt one of Jesus’ favorites, so it comes as no surprise that he seemed to extract one of his ministry’s favorite metaphors from the same – namely, the Narrow Gate (representing the self-sacrificial entrance to the “difficult road” that runs directly between the safety of emotional callousness and the […]
Though completely absent from the Gospel of John,1 all three of the Synoptic Gospels make regular mention of Jesus seemingly casting out demons from those who have been apparently possessed thereby (see Matthew 8:16, Matthew 8:29-34, Matthew 12:23-29, Matthew 15:21-28, Matthew 17:14-20, Mark 1:23-34, Mark 3:20-27, Mark 5:1-20, Mark 7:24-30, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 4:33-41, Luke […]
The dramatic scene of Jesus walking on water is mentioned in three of the four canonical Gospels (see Matthew 14:22-34, Mark 6:45-53, & John 6:15-211), and as such it comes as no surprise to find this same image rooted throughout the Old Testament manuscripts as well – with Job 9:8 plainly stating that “[God] alone […]
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