CHAPTER 1 JESUS AND THE LAWS OF MOSES

The Law from Exodus – The Ten Commandments
The Law from Deuteronomy – The Ten Commandments
A Short Summary of Christian Affirmations
Don’t make any Vows
The Most Important Commandment
Teaching and Obeying God’s Laws
An Addition to the Rule under the Laws of Moses regarding Anger
God knows our Evil Hearts
The Strength and Power of the Law
Further to the Law - You shall not commit Adultery
Jesus speaks about Divorce
What to do to live for ever in Heaven
Which neighbors must I love as much as I love myself?
The most important matter
Get Rich in Heaven
A New Commandment – love each other

THE LAW FROM EXODUS 20:3-17 – OLD TESTAMENT

Then God issued this edict:
“I am Jehovah your God who liberated you from your slavery in Egypt.
ONE: “You may worship no other God than me.”
TWO: “You shall not make yourselves any idols: any images resembling animals,
birds, or fish. You must never bow to an image or worship it in any way; for I the Lord your God, am very possessive. I will not share your affection with any other god.”
“And when I punish the people for their sins, the punishment continues upon their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those who hate me; but I lavish my love upon thousands of those who love me and obey my commandments.”
THREE: “You shall not use the name of Jehovah your God irreverently, nor use it to swear to a falsehood. You will not escape punishment if you do.”
FOUR: “Remember to observe the Sabbath as a holy day. Six days a week are for your daily duties and your regular work, but the seventh day is a day of Sabbath rest before the Lord your God. On that day you are to do no work of any kind, nor shall your son, daughter, or slaves – whether men or women – or your cattle or your house guests. For in six days the Lord made heaven, earth, and sea, and everything in them, and rested the seventh day; so he blessed the Sabbath day and set it aside for rest.”
FIVE: “Honor your father and mother, that you may have a long, good life in the land the Lord your God will give you.”
SIX: “You must not murder.”
SEVEN: “You must not commit adultery.”
EIGHT: “You must not steal.”
NINE: “You must not lie.”
TEN: “You must not be envious of your neighbor’s house, or want to sleep with his wife, or want to own his slaves, oxen, donkeys, or anything else he has.”

THE LAW FROM DEUTERONOMY 5:6-21 – OLD TESTAMENT

“I am Jehovah your God who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.”
ONE: “Never worship any god but me.”
TWO: “Never make idols; don’t worship images, whether of birds, animals or fish. You shall not bow down to any images nor worship them in any way, for I am the Lord your God. I am a jealous God, and I will bring the curse of a father’s sins upon even the third and fourth generation of the children of those who hate me; but I will show kindness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
THREE: “You must never use my name to make a vow you don’t intend to keep. I will not overlook that.”
FOUR: “Keep the Sabbath day holy. This is my command. Work the other six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God; no work shall be done that day by you or by any of your household – your sons, daughters, servants, oxen, donkeys or cattle; even foreigners living among you must obey this law. Everybody must rest as you do. Why should you keep the Sabbath? It is because you were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out with a great display of miracles.”
FIVE: “Honor your father and mother (remember that this is a commandment of the Lord your God); if you do so, you shall have a long prosperous life in the land he is giving you.”
SIX: “You must not murder.”
SEVEN: “You must not commit adultery.”
EIGHT: “You must not steal.”
NINE: “You must not tell lies.”
TEN: You must not burn with desire for another man’s wife, nor envy him for his home, land, servants, oxen, donkeys, nor anything else he owns.”

Short Summary of Christian Affirmations arising out of the Law

In the power of the Holy Spirit, I drive out evil thoughts, speech and actions.
Commandment 6
Promote proper respect for and care of everyone, instead of murder.
Commandment 6
Promote preservation of life, instead of killing.
Commandment 7
Promote faithfulness in marriage, instead of adultery.
Promote purity of living, instead of fornication.
Promote respectable conduct, instead of indecency.
Commandment 8
Promote honesty, instead of thieving and stealing
Commandment 9
Promote truthfulness, instead of lying.
Promote goodness and godliness, instead of wickedness and going against God’s Laws.
Promote encouragement and praise, instead of slander.
Promote integrity and uprightness, instead of deceit.
Commandment 10
Promote contentment and peace, harmony and friendship, instead of envy, and wanting what belongs to others, other people.
Promote humility and gentleness, instead of pride and arrogance.
Promote wisdom and good sense, instead of all other folly and foolishness.
In everything and with everyone,
Promote a liking and love for God and a liking and love for my neighbor, everyone around me, both near and far, with trust, justice and mercy.
With TRUST, that is a firm relying faith, belief, assurance, confidence, reliance, dependence, expectation and hope in Jesus and fidelity, allegiance, obedience, obligation, loyalty, truth and truthfulness to Jesus.
With JUSTICE, that is, equity, fairness, honesty, impartiality, integrity, justness, law, reasonableness, rectitude, moral uprightness and right and the liking, love, warm affection and friendship of God, with agreement, harmony and peace.
With MERCY, that is sympathy, pity, compassion, kindness, tenderness and consideration for the poor, the weak and the sick.

Don’t make any vows
MATTHEW 5:33-37
Jesus said, “Again the Law of Moses says, ‘You shall not break your vows to God, but must fulfill them all.’ But I say: Don’t make any vows! And even to say ‘By heavens!’ is a sacred vow to God, for the heavens are God’s throne. And if you say ‘By the earth!’ it is a sacred vow, for the earth is his footstool. And don’t swear ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the capital of the great King. Don’t even swear ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Say just a simple ‘Yes I will’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong.”

The Most Important Commandment
MATTHEW 22:34-40
One of the Pharisees, a lawyer, spoke up: “Sir, which is the most important command in the Law of Moses?”
Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets stem from these two laws and are fulfilled if you obey them. Keep only these and you will find that you are obeying all the others.”
MARK 12:28-31
One of the teachers of religion who was standing there listening to the discussion realized that Jesus had answered well. So he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
Jesus replied, “The one that says, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only God. And you must love him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.’”
“The second is: ‘You must love others as much as yourself.’ No other commandments are greater than these.”
MARK 12:32-34
The teacher of religion replied, “Sir, you have spoken a true word in saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know that it is far more important to love him with all my heart and understanding and strength, and to love others as myself, than to offer all kinds of sacrifices on the altar of the temple.”
Realizing this man’s understanding, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.
LUKE 20:40
And that ended their questions, for they dared ask no more.

Teaching and obeying God’s Laws
MATTHEW 5:17-20
Jesus said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come – it isn’t to cancel the Laws of Moses and the warnings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them, and to make them all come true. With all the earnestness I have I say: Every Law in the Book will continue until its purpose is achieved. And so if anyone breaks the least commandment, and teaches others to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But those who teach God’s Laws and obey them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“But I warn you – unless your goodness is greater than that of the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders, you can’t get into the Kingdom of Heaven at all!”

An addition to the rule under the Laws of Moses regarding ANGER
MATTHEW 5:21-26
“Under the Laws of Moses the rule was, ‘If you kill, you must die.’ But I have added to that rule, and tell you that if you are only angry (having a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility), even in your own home, you are in danger of judgment! If you call your friend an idiot (a stupid person), you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse him (say that you wish him harm or misery), you are in danger of the fires of hell.”
“So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and suddenly remember that a friend has something against you, leave your sacrifice there beside the altar and go and apologize and be reconciled to him, and then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Come to terms quickly with your enemy before it is too late and he drags you into court and you are thrown into a debtor’s cell, for you will stay there until you have paid the last amount of money due.”

God knows our evil hearts
LUKE 16:14-15
The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, naturally scoffed at all this.
Then Jesus said to them. “You wear a noble, pious expression in public, but God knows your evil hearts. Your pretence brings you honor from the people, but it is an abomination (a cause of distrust or hatred) in the sight of God.”

The strength and power of the Law
LUKE 16:16-18
“Until John the Baptist began to preach, the Laws of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But John introduced the Good News that the Kingdom of God would come soon. And now eager multitudes are pressing in. But that doesn’t mean that the Law has lost its force in even the smallest point. It is as strong and unshakable as heaven and earth.”
“So anyone who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Further to the Law, “You shall not commit Adultery”
MATTHEW 5:27-30
“The Laws of Moses said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.” But I say: Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust (strong sexual desire) in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye – even if it is your best eye! – causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. Better for part of you to be destroyed than for all of you to be cast into hell. And if your hand – even your right hand – causes you to sin (to disobey God’s Laws), cut it off and throw it away. Better that than find yourself in hell.”
(Note: A figure of speech – get rid of sinful (ungodly) thoughts to obey God. The eye stands for – desire and the hand – action.)
MATTHEW 5:31-32
“The Law of Moses says, ‘if anyone wants to be rid of his wife, he can divorce her merely by giving her a letter of dismissal.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, except for unfaithfulness (sexual immorality), causes her to commit adultery. And he who marries her commits adultery.”

Jesus speaks about divorce
MATTHEW 19:3-6
Some of the Pharisees came to interview Jesus. “Do you permit divorce?” they asked.
“Don’t you read the Scriptures?” he replied. “In them it is written that at the beginning God created man and woman, and that a man should leave his father and mother, and be forever united to his wife. The two shall become one – no longer two, but one. No man may divorce (legally dissolve or close down one’s marriage) from what God has joined together.”
MARK 10:2-9
Some Pharisees came and asked him, “Do you permit divorce?”
“What did Moses say about divorce?” Jesus asked them.
“He said it was all right,” they replied. “He said that all a man has to do is write his wife a letter of dismissal.”
“And why did he say that?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you why – it was a concession to your hardheartedness. But it certainly isn’t God’s way. From the very first he made man and woman to be joined together permanently in marriage: therefore a man is to leave his father and mother, and he and his wife are united so that they are no longer two, but one. And no man may separate what God has joined together.”
MATTHEW 19:7-9
“Then, why,” they asked, “did Moses say a man may divorce his wife by merely writing her a letter of dismissal?”
Jesus replied, “Moses did that in recognition of your hard and evil hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. And I tell you this, that anyone who divorces his wife, except for fornication (sexual intercourse between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman) and marries another, commits adultery.”
MARK 10:11-12
“When a man divorces his wife to marry someone else, he commits adultery against her. And if a wife divorces her husband and remarries, she, too, commits adultery.”
MATTHEW 19:10-12
Jesus’ disciples then said to him, “If that is how it is it is better not to marry!”
“Not everyone can accept this statement,” Jesus said. “Only those whom God helps.
Some are born without the ability to marry, and some are disabled men, and some refuse to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone who can, accept my statement.”

What to do to live forever in heaven
LUKE 10:25-29
One day an expert on Moses’ Laws came to test Jesus’ orthodoxy (his straight or right opinions about customary beliefs) by asking him this question: “Teacher, what does a man or woman need to do to live forever in heaven?”
Jesus replied, “What does Moses’ Law say about it?”
“It says,” he replied, “that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor just as much as you love yourself.”
“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you shall live!”
The man wanted to justify (his lack of love for some kinds of people) so he asked, “Which neighbors?”

Which neighbors must I love as much as I love myself?
LUKE 10:30-37
Jesus replied with an illustration: “A Jew going on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and money and beat him up and left him lying half dead beside the road.”
“By chance a Jewish priest came along: and when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Jewish Temple-Assistant did the same thing; he, too, left him lying there.”
“But a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw him, he felt deep pity. Kneeling beside him the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his donkey and walked along beside him till they came to an inn, where he nursed him through the night. The next day he handed the innkeeper a sum of money and told him to take care of the man. ‘If his bill comes to more than the sum of money,’ he said, ‘I’ll pay the difference the next time I am here.’ Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the bandit’s victim?”
The man replied, “The one who showed him some pity.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

The most important matter
MATTHEW 7:21-23
“Not all who talk like godly people are godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord’, but still won’t get to heaven. For the decisive question is whether they obey my Father, in heaven.”
“At the Judgment many will tell me, “Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ But I will reply, ‘You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.’”
LUKE 6:46
“So why do you call me ‘Lord’ when you won’t obey me?”

Get rich in heaven
LUKE 12:13-21
Then someone called from the crowd, “Sir, please tell my brother to divide my father’s estate with me.”
But Jesus replied, “Man, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have.”
Then Jesus gave an illustration: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing – he couldn’t get everything in. He thought about his problem, and finally exclaimed, ‘I know – I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, Friend; you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy – wine, women and song for you!’”
“But God said to him, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?’”
“Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.”

A New Commandment – love each other
JOHN 13:34-35
Jesus said, “And so I am giving a new commandment to you now – love each other just as much as I love you. Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”