Jesus & The Law

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Q. 9. Jesus puts human relationships above the Law. Discuss Baker’s Dictionary of Theology defines Law as: “defining the relationship of God and man as essentially one of ruler and ruled, king and subject. The most frequent and characteristic OT word translated “Law” is the Hebrew torah which originally signified authoritative instruction; hence it most commonly means an oracle or word of the Lord, delivered through an accredited spokesman such as Moses, or a Prophet or Priest.” The issues that arise from this definition, in the context of this essay are, whether they contravene the very torah itself through his relationships; or whether Jesus displays in his relationships a different interpretation of the actions and disposition needed to be faithful to the covenant. A discussion of Jesus’ human relationships and the Law should focus on three main areas. Firstly, one must identify which groups in society with which Jesus is relating to are implied as being “outside the Law”. Secondly, one must examine the relationships of Jesus, for evidence of a desire to subvert the Law. Lastly, one should address Jesus’ use of the concept of the Kingdom of God and how it demonstrates a position on human relationships and the Law. The examination of Jesus’ relationships in the context of first century Judaism is essentially an analysis of the spirituality of Jesus and his understanding and expression of Judaism. Loader (1997) implies that the simplification of pre-70 Judaism into Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes and Zealots has given way to the realisation that even within these groups there was considerable diversity in the religious and cultural expression of Judaism. So, was Jesus a dangerous radical whose human relationships demonstrate a desire to subvert the Law and Covenant or was he an arch conservative proposing an overly spiritual and “old fashioned”

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