DID JESUS COME TO ABOLISH THE LAW AND CREATE A NEW RELIGION FOR GENTILES CALLED “CHRISTIANITY"?

Yeshua asserted that the law of Moses should be observed, even as instructed by the Pharisees. He was circumcised, as a sign of the Covenant between God and the children of Abraham. Mary was a faithful Jewish woman who performed the ritual of mikvah for cleansing of Jewish women. As an infant he was taken to Jerusalem and presented to the Lord God, with sacrifice offered according to the law. As a youngster Yeshua went to the Temple in Jerusalem, listened to the religious Jewish teachings, and asked questions about Judaism. As Jews do, he recited the blessing over bread. Rituals by Temple priests and gifts given at the Temple altar were recognized as proper religious duties. Tithing and fasting were accepted Jewish functions by him. Yeshua observed the Saturday Sabbath by attending synagogue, where he learned, taught, and read the Hebrew Scriptures. The synagogue was then, as now, a place of prayer as well as religious education. Pharisees and other men learned in Judaism went there regularly to speak and listen. Yeshua spoke Aramaic, a Semitic language very similar to Hebrew, and knew the Hebrew Scriptures well. He taught daily in the Temple and also preached outdoors the Hebrew gospel of the Kingdom of God. Multitudes of people, all of them Jews, heard. The sanctity of the Jerusalem Temple was highly respected by Yeshua, who believed it was a house of prayer for all. Of course, he was familiar with and participated in the Jewish holidays. Succoth and Passover are specially recorded.

Everything we have outlined above is found in the pages of the New Testament. All of this reveals Yeshua the Jew. Now, let's look at the passages which present his Jewishness. While reading, ask this:— Why would Yeshua be immersed in the laws and customs of Judaism if his alleged mission was to extinguish them?

YESHUA OBSERVED THE LAWS OF GOD

• Luke 2:21, "And when eight days were accomplished for circumcising of the child, his name was called Yeshua . . ."
• Luke 2:22, "And when the days of her (Mary's) purification (mikvah—ritual cleansing) according to the law of Moses were accomplished . . ."
• Luke 2:22-24,27,39, ". . . they (his parents) brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord:—As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;—And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons . . . and when the parents brought in the child Yeshua, to do for him after the custom of the law. . . And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord . . ."
• Luke 2:46-47, (as a young boy) ". . . after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors both hearing them, and asking them questions."
• Luke 24:30, ". . . he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to theme,
• Mark 1:44 (Matthew 8:4) (Luke 5:14), ". . . show thyself to the (temple) priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them."
• Luke 17:14, "Go show yourselves unto the priests . . ."
• Matthew 5:23-24, "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar and Be thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."
• Matthew 6:16, "Moreover when ye fast . . ."
• Matthew 23:23 (Luke 11:42), ". . . ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummen (herbs), and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
• Mark 1:21 (Luke 4:31), ". . . and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught."
• Mark 3:1 (Matthew 12:9) (Luke 6:6), "And he entered again into the synagogue . . ."
• Mark 6:2 (Matthew 13:54), "And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue . . ."
• Matthew 9:35, "And Yeshua went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues . . ."
• Matthew 4:23 (Mark 1:39), "And Yeshua went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom..."
• Luke 13:10, "And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath."
• Luke 4:16, ". . . and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read."
• Matthew 21:23 (Mark 11:27) (Luke 20:1), "And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching (preaching the gospel) . . ."
• John 8:2, "And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them."
• Luke 21:37-38, "And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; . . . And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him."
• Luke 19:47, "And he taught daily in the temple. ..."
• Mark 11:17 (Matthew 21:13) (Luke 19:46), "And he taught (in the temple), saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? . . ."
• Mark 11:15-16 (Matthew 21:12) (Luke 19:45), "And they came to Jerusalem; and Yeshua went into the temple (of God), and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple."
• John 7:10, ". . . then went he also up unto the feast (of tabernacles—Succoth) . . . "
• John 7:14, "Now about the midst of the feast (of tabernacles) Yeshua went up into the temple, and taught."
• Luke 2:41-43, "Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days . . ."
• Matthew 26:17,19 (Mark 14:12,16) (Luke 22:7-9,13), "Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Yeshua, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passover? And the disciples did as Yeshua had appointed them; . . . and they made ready the Passover."
• Luke 22:15, "And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you . . ."
• Mark 14:20 (Matthew 26:23), ". . . It is one of the twelve, that dippeth with me in the (ceremonial) dish."
• Mark 14:22 (Matthew 26:26) (Luke 22:19), "And as they did eat, Yeshua took (unleavened—matzoh) bread, and blessed, and brake it, and Save it to them . . ."
• Mark 14:23 (Matthew 26:27) (Luke 22:17), "And he took the (wine) cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them . . ."
• Mark 14:26 (Matthew 26:30), "And when they had sung (the Hallel) an hymn . . ."

WHAT DID WE JUST SEE FOR OURSELVES?

Not only did Yeshua observe Judaism's laws, but the much maligned Pharisees are shown in the New Testament to have been valued dispensers of the word of God in Yeshua's own estimation. Furthermore, Yeshua had friends among the Pharisees. Christianity should place the Pharisees in the proper regard and end disparagement of this name. Read here where we plainly see that the Pharisees even sought to save his life. In addition, many came to him to be healed.

• Matthew 23:1-3, "Then spake Yeshua to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do . . ."
• Luke 13:31, "The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence; for Herod will kill thee."
• Luke 5:17, ". . . as he was teaching. . . Pharisees. . . were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them."
• Luke 7:36 (Luke 11:37), "And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat."
• Luke 14:1, ". . . he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day . . ."

As a final observation here, it is interesting to note that Yeshua is depicted as wearing the Jewish man's religious tsitsit garment. The wearing of this garment is a command by God in Numbers 15:38-39 reading,

". . . that they make them fringes on the borders of their garments. . . (to) remember all the commandments. . ." In Matthew 14:36 we infer Yeshua is wearing this tsitsit garment as we read, "And (men) besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: . . ."

Answer for yourself: Now don't you think it rather preposterous to look at the life of this man and try to give validity to much which is preached in his name today; namely, that we are no longer under the mandate of observance of God's Laws because of the life and ministry of Yeshua?

Answer for yourself: Does it not strike you rather strange that a man who patterned his life after scrupulously observing the Laws of God could be at the same time the reason for the passing away of such Laws?

Shalom.