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”,[1] or, “your
tradition”,[2] or, the “tradition
of men”.[3] 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”.[4]
Jesus, in referring to the oral law in His teaching, used the phrase, “it was said by them of old time”.[5] This is in direct contrast to His references
to the Pentateuch where He used the phrase, “it is written”.[6]
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.[7] He
often quoted the prophets.[8] He
acknowledged Old Testament events such as Noah and the flood,[9]
Solomon and the Queen of the south,[10]
Jonah and the sea creature and Jonah’s preaching at Nineveh ,[11] as
well as Sodom
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
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
(1) David reduced
them to eleven,[16] “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
(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.
(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,[18] 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?
“… 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.”[20]
[1]
Matt.15.2; Mark 7.3,5;
[2]
Matt.15.3,6; Mark 7.9,13
[3] Mark 7.8
[4] Gal.1.14
[5]
Matt.5.21,27,33,43
[6]
Matt.4.4,7,10
[7]
Matt.4.4/Deut.8.3; Matt.4.7/Deut.6.16; Matt.4.10/Deut.6.13;10.20
[8]
Matt.11.10/Mal.3.1;Isaiah.40.3; Matt.21.13/Isaiah 56.7;Jer.7.11;
Matt.26.31/Zech.13.17
[9]
Matt.24.37ff
[10]
Matt.12.42
[11]
Matt.12.39ff
[12]
Matt.10.15; 11.23f
[14]
Matt.5.17
[15] Talmud
Mak.23b-24a
[16] Psalm
15
[17] Isaiah
33.15,16
[18] Micah
6.8
[19] Hab.2.4
[20] Mark
12.29-31
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