The early Christians were accused of not obeying the law. They did not observe fasting and ritual ablutions as practiced by Jewish tradition. They no longer required circumcision or compliance with the strict prohibitions on Sabbath activities. To the Jews, it meant the undermining of the Mosaic law and the prophets. The Mosaic law was made when Israel came out of slavery. It was intended to make Israel strong by living in a spirit of righteousness.
Jesus says, “Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets.” He did not abolish the law, rather He concretized the abstractness of the law concerning the most pertinent aspect of human relationship and ethics. Just like a professional psychologist, Jesus goes about explaining how to handle anger, marital relationship, matters concerning divorce and swearing. Post-modern society, which emphasizes individual satisfaction and subjective fulfillment, has unfortunately lost touch with some of the fundamental measures oriented towards dignity, culture and relationships. The teachings of Jesus regarding these benchmarks of human relationship had been revolutionary then, as they are today. Most of us are like the Pharisees and the Scribes who follow the letter of the Law but not the spirit of the Law. Let us accept the teaching of Jesus as what is possible, feasible and correct and live it in our day-to-day life.
