In a number of instances Jesus Christ said to His disciples, “You have heard it said …” or “Moses [gave some instruction from God to the people of Israel] … But I say to you [something other or new].” These instances are recorded in the following New Testament Scriptures:
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- Matthew 5:21-26 – “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother ‘Raca’ [‘Stupid!’] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says. ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way to him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you are thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will be no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.”
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[Compare with Exodus 20:13, “You shall not murder.” And Exodus 21:12, “He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.”]
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- Matthew 5:27-28 – “You have heard it said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
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[Compare with Exodus 29:14, “You shall not commit adultery.”]
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- Matthew 5:31 – “Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.”
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[Compare with Deuteronomy 24:1, “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her; and he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,”]
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- Matthew 5:33-37 – “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord. But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ be ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
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[Compare with Leviticus 19:12, “And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.” Numbers 30:2, “If a man makes a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.”]
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- Matthew 5:38-42 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.”
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[Compare with Leviticus 24:19-21, “If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him – fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death.”]
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- Matthew 5:43-48 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
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[Compare with Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” Psalm 139:19-22, “Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.”]
How could Jesus have said what He said? What authority did He have for doing do?
In order to understand this, we need to know WHO Jesus really was – and is.
The Bible is replete with proofs that Jesus was no ordinary mortal. That He was indeed the Creator God who came to earth in the form or likeness of a fleshly human, so that He could become our Savior from our sin and its consequence: permanent death.
Rather than repeat myself here, let me refer you to my previous website article that explains this: The True Christ. [See also: https://www.herbert-armstrong.org, click ENTER HERE, select “Reference Material,” and scroll down the article titled “God’s Nature Articles (wcg),” then,“Who — What — Was Jesus Before His Human Birth?”]
As such Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17-18).
One way Jesus fulfilled the law [particularly the statutes and ordinances on animal sacrifices, grain and wine offerings, and washings as required by Leviticus 1-7; 14-15] was by offering His blood on the cross at Calvary as “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). His blood paid the “ransom” from death that our sin requires, so that we won’t have to die but instead have everlasting life|(Romans 6:23). [See: The Ransomed of the LORD.]
Hebrews 10:4-14 explains that the Old Testament sacrifices could not really take away sins. Only Christ’s sacrifice of His body and blood can effectively do that. Hebrews 9:6-9 speaks about how the gifts and sacrifices offered for sin could “not make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience — concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the reformation [at Christ’s first coming.”
Another way Christ fulfilled the Law was by requiring us to not merely obey the letter of the law, but its spirit and intent. We are judged not just by our outward deeds but by our thoughts, the intents of our heart (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28). As 1 Samuel 16:7 [latter half] says: “For the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Jesus said: “For the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but He has committed judgment to the Son; that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:21-23).
We can be assured that as Judge, Christ does and will judge righteously. Psalms 119:7, 39, 62, 75, 106, 137, 160, 164, profusely praise God’s judgments as righteous and good. Revelation 16:7; 129:2 echo the truth and righteousness of God’s judgments.
The apostle Paul wrote that, because Jesus had so humbled Himself in offering Himself as a sacrifice on the cross as our Savior from sin, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
This being the case, Jesus has every right speak the way He did! He also said that the word He spoke, “which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me (John 14:24). The “word” includes not just that recorded in the New Testament, but also that in the Old. Jesus told the Roman governor at Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate: “For this cause … I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37).
Finally, let’s go back to the original issue put forth by this article: Did Christ contradict the things God had inspired Moses to write in the Old Testament? For further explanation of the answer, see: Moses and Jesus – Are They Contraries?
God bless you with a good understanding!
Pedro R. Meléndez, Jr.
20092024/28092024