So, at the time of the Messiah the oral law, a binding set of rules which did not prescribe what a person must believe, only what a person must do, (sometimes called, “the tradition of the elders”), was in its second stage. It was designed to cover every contingency of life and conduct.
The oral law is designated in the New Testament by various forms of words, some of which include the word ‘tradition’, for example, “tradition of the elders” (Matt.15:2; Mark 7:3,5)), or, “your tradition” (Matt.15:3,6; Mark 7:9,13), or, the “tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). Paul, himself a Pharisee of the Pharisees, in his unregenerate state, was a zealous supporter of the oral law and he refers to it as the “traditions of my fathers” (Gal.1:14). Jesus, in referring to the oral law in His teaching, used the phrase, “it was said by them of old time” (Matt.5.21,27,33,43). This is in direct contrast to His references to the Pentateuch where He used the phrase, “it is written” (Matt.4.4,7,10). The difference between Rabbinism and the teachings of Christ is that Rabbinism, in practice, emphasises what a man should do, while it is concerned less over what he should believe. Christ prescribes what a man should believe, while his conduct is largely left to his own conscience. Rabbinism insists on works and gives liberty of faith, while Christ insists on faith and gives liberty of works.
The contrast between Jesus’ attitude to the Hebrew written scriptures, and His attitude to the ‘oral law’ is clear in the Gospels. The evidence of the Gospel writers shows that He honoured the Hebrew Scriptures. He quoted the Pentateuch when Satan tempted Him. He often quoted the prophets. He acknowledged Old Testament events such as Noah and the flood, Solomon and the Queen of the south, Jonah and the sea creature and Jonah’s preaching at Nineveh, as well as Sodom and Gomorrha. He referred to events from the first and last books of the Hebrew Scriptures - the death of Abel in Genesis and the death of Zacharias in Second Chronicles. If the definition of ‘Torah’ had been confined to the Pentateuch or even to the Hebrew written Scriptures, the Messiah would have been supportive. He said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil” (Matt.5:17). But He was unwilling to endorse the ‘oral law’, and led opposition to it.
As was intimated earlier, the Pharisees were the champions of the ‘oral law’. They thought of themselves as the logical descendents of the Torah movement, begun by Ezra and continued by the ‘Hasidim’ (pious/priests) who so valiantly resisted the Hellenisation of the Jews. The Hasidim fought, often to the death, every effort of foreign invaders, to replace Hebrew culture with Greek culture. The Pharisees, in the same spirit, wished to defend any attack on the traditions for which their fathers had fought and died. As the descendents of the Hasidim, they focused on ritual purity, calling on all households to apply the same standards of purity to the home that the priests observed in the Temple. The Pharisees wanted to establish a kingdom of priests. They were also very concerned with table fellowship (including dietary restrictions), Sabbath observance, tithing and circumcision.
Being guardians of the oral law, they expected Messiah to both commend them and support their work. They reasoned that Messiah would surely expect the nation to be a law-abiding people. However, Jesus asserted that Pharisaic legalism was external and though giving the impression that it was designed to please God was, in fact, directed towards man. It was hypocritical, and it negated both faith and love, the two basic ingredients in any relationship with God. Jesus’s attitude to the ‘oral law’ became the focus of conflict and opposition. When He opposed them and their doctrine, they opposed Him and His Messianic claim.
The Scribes and Pharisees, interpreters of the law, used legalism to keep power in their own hands. However, God had never been interested in legalism. Even during Israel’s training under the Mosaic Law, the truth was ever, “the just shall live by faith”. The Talmud indicates as much. A Talmudic passage (Mak.23b-24a), states God gave to Moses 613 precepts, but that later seers and prophets reduced these to certain basic principles:
In response to the question: “LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?" (Psalm 15) he answers:
(i) He who walks uprightly, (ii) And works righteousness, (iii) And speaks the truth in his heart; (iv) He who does not backbite with his tongue, (v) Nor does evil to his neighbour, (vi) Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; (vii) In whose eyes a vile person is despised, (viii) But he honours those who fear the LORD; (ix) He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; (x) He who does not put out his money at usury, (xi) Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
(2) Isaiah reduced them to six, (Isa.33:15,16)
(i) He who walks righteously and (ii) speaks uprightly, (iii) He who despises the gain of oppressions, (iv) Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, (v) Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, (vi) And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
He will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, His water will be sure.
(3) Micah reduced them to three. (Micah 6:8)
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you"
(i) But to do justly, (ii) To love mercy, (iii) And to walk humbly with your God?
(4) Habakkuk reduced them to one. (Hab. 2:4)
“… the just shall live by his faith”.
Moreover, when the Messiah quoted the summary of the Law, the Sh’ma, He emphasised love as the key, “The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mark 12.29-31)
The conflict over the oral law (2): The Sermon on the Mount
Jesus addressed the teaching of the Pharisees in the Sermon on the Mount. They taught that apart from certain identifiable renegades, all Israelites “have a share in the world to come” (Sanhedrin 10.1 (Mishnah)). Therefore, to be born a Jew was sufficient qualification for entry into the coming kingdom. This is why the Jews of Jesus time would fall back on the defence, “we are Abraham’s children” (cf.Matt.3.9; John 8.33; Lk.16.24). The doctrine of the Pharisees was not designed to provide entrance into the kingdom of God, but rather to provide a righteousness that would gain status in the kingdom of God. It was a righteousness based on works with no regard to faith. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7, is the teaching of the Messiah in contra-distinction to the teaching of the Sanhedrists. His main thrust is to encourage true righteousness, and reject hypocritical righteousness. The key text is, “I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.5:20). His position is clear. It is not enough to be born a Jew. And hypocritical, Pharisaic righteousness does not count. Pursue another kind of righteousness: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt.6:33)
This discourse of the Messiah included examples of the oral law which the Pharisees obeyed with outward, mechanical obedience, which were then contrasted with what is really required - a heart obedience to the true Torah. “It was said by them of old time”, or “it hath been said”, are the formulae used to introduce the oral law.
Matthew 5.21-26 gives the first comparison: “You have heard that it was said (the oral law) to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’” The Scribes and Pharisees taught that you were only guilty when the act was committed, but Jesus said, “I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment”. Jesus taught that murder is premeditated and that the sin is committed when the act is planned. God marks the premeditation, therefore Jesus taught, “agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.” In other words, murder in the heart will count against you at the bar of God.
The second comparison is in vv.27-32: “You have heard that it was said (the oral law) to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery’”. The Scribes and Pharisees taught that you were only guilty when the act was committed. “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart”. Jesus taught that adultery is also premeditated and that the sin was committed when the act was planned. Therefore, deal with lust quickly – metaphorically pluck out the eye and cut off the hand – lest at the bar of God it drags you down to hell. This, of course, is the context of the Messiah’s word on divorce, for He continued (first quoting the oral law), “It was said, ‘Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” The desire of the adulterer to put away his wife is the context of this word of the Messiah designed to protect a very vulnerable group in Jewish society.
Jesus gave three more examples contrasting the righteousness of the oral law with true righteousness. The first of the three, it is better to have heart obedience to God than the outward performing of vows (vv.33-37). The second, it is better to have a generous heart when dealing with your fellow man, rather than follow legalism and seek “an eye for an eye”. The third example then challenged His hearers to rise yet higher still and follow the example of the Father and “love your enemies”.
It is proper and pertinent to draw attention to the phrase, “but I say to you”. The Messiah chose His words with great care, because He was formally announcing what was opposite to the teaching of the Tanaim and therefore unacceptable to the Pharisees. The oral law, identified in the Bible as “the tradition of the elders”, relied on precepts handed on from one generation to another. For example the Mishnah records the words of R. Joshua: “I have a tradition from Rabban Yohanan b. Zakkai, who heard it from his master, and his master from his master, as a law revealed to Moses at Sinai” (Eduyyot 8.7 A). But in the case of Jesus He was standing on His own authority as Messiah. Furthermore, in His office as Messiah He was declaring that He had the authority to interpret the law. There is also, in this phrasing, that element which implied deity, for the sub-text is that He was the giver of the law and therefore needed none other beside Himself to interpret it.
The sermon began with consideration of the inner life. The blessed are the poor in spirit, the ones that mourn, the meek, the merciful, the pure in heart and those that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Chapter 6 of Matthew’s gospel returns to the theme of the inner life. For example, the matter of giving alms: “When you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matt.6.3,4) Then the matter of praying: “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father … in the secret place” (Matt.6:6). Then the Messiah turns to the subject of fasting: “When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place” (Matt.6:16).
These were declared in sharp contrast to the hypocritical righteousness of the Pharisees that emphasised outward observances, hence the warnings. In respect of alms-giving: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So … do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honoured by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” (Matt.6:2) And regarding praying: “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” (Matt.6:5) And then in respect of fasting: “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” (Matt.6:16)The actions of the hypocrites were, according to the Messiah, designed only to impress others.
Who are the hypocrites Jesus had in mind? At this time, He identified, by implication, the Scribes and Pharisees, those guardians of the oral law, but after His official rejection, He named and shamed them: “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honour Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me” (Matt.15.1,7,8). Then the seven times repeated, “woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matt.23.13,14,15,23,25,27,29) There the Lord described them as fools and blind guides. On occasion, He coupled the Pharisees with the Sadducees; and sometimes with the Herodians, indicating that they too were hypocrites
In the same discourse, Jesus taught that Pharisaic righteousness had a wide gate. As has already been mentioned, they taught that all Israelites have a share in the world to come. Yet, even they would exclude some. “And these are the ones who have no portion in the world to come: He who says, the resurrection of the dead is a teaching which does not derive from the Torah, (2) and the Torah does not come from Heaven; and (3) an Epicurean.” This section effectively excluded the Sadducees. A later inclusion seems directed at Jesus, “and those who whisper over a wound and say, ‘I will put none of the diseases upon you which I have put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you’ (Ex. 15:26)”. Notwithstanding the exceptions, Pharisaic doctrine pronounced almost all Jews ‘safe’, it had a gate wide enough to take almost every Jew ever born.
Jesus further taught that Pharisaism was a broad road – only outward conformity was required. However, it was a way of works, done publicly, which would only bring the praise of men. It was a way that seemed right but led to destruction. The man that followed the way of the Pharisees would have built his house on sand, a foundation that could not hold it. Paul, the great expositor expressed it thus: “they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God”. (Rom.10:3)
The Pharisees were also guilty of judging, finding specks in the eyes of others, when they had planks in their own eyes. The condemnation pronounced by the Messiah was absolute. They claimed to speak for God but were, in fact, false prophets. They claimed to be the shepherds of Israel but were guilty of decimating the flock like wolves. They pretended to be righteous people, living righteous lives, and bearing righteous fruit, but were, in fact, corrupt trees bearing evil fruit. They practiced lawlessness, an amazing charge considering that they imposed additional laws on the population. Implicit in the condemnation of the Messiah is the understanding that the imposition of the oral law undermined the Torah.
In contrast, Messianic righteousness had a narrow gate. Only those who accepted Jesus as the Messiah could enter. His followers were on a firm foundation: “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock”.
Messianic righteousness was a narrow way, a way of faith and love.
A way of faith: “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. (Matt.5.30-33)
And a way of love: “I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matt.5.44) ; “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”(Matt.22.37-40)
Next Time: More on the stage of interrogation
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