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Keeping His Commandments


“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:17‭-‬20 NIV

During his sermon on the mount, Yahusha Hamashiach (Jesus Christ) reminded the people that he was not on earth to destroy or "Do away" with the Mosaic Laws of the Old Testament. Jesus proclaimed that he was here to "fulfill it" meaning to complete the will of God. Jesus is and was the only person on earth to live a sinless life, which was a follower of God's commandments or Mosaic laws. Jesus even took the time to teach his congregation how to have common sense and how to address the issues of laws being misinterpreted or practiced.

 One great example of Jesus' teaching on common sense to have a perfectly fulfilled law was when he taught the Pharisees about actions done during the Lord's day or Shabbat or Sabbath. For those who aren't familiar with the practice of keeping the Lord's day (Sabbath), it is a special day of rest in our Lord. We are not to buy, sell, nor work on the seventh day of the week; as our God rested on the seventh day after creation. It is to be kept holy, for it is a time to praise, worship, and cling closer to God in rest. In other words, the normal day-to-day routines of your typical week should not interfere or "distract" you from bringing you godly rest. 

When dealing with the Pharisees, Jesus had to remind them that the "works" that would otherwise be considered unlawful should be taken with discernment or "common sense." Jesus used a brilliant analogy of the man in the hole (during Sabbath day) to make his point. He informed them that if a man was to fall into a hole, would it be lawful to leave him to die in the hole?  Rescuing him would require work; thus breaking the law of keeping the sabbath but leaving him to die would be breaking the commandment of not committing murder. See, Jesus was simply teaching us how to apply our God-given discernment in situations regarding law-keeping.

Jesus never once said, don't follow the commandments anywhere in the Holy Words. That would be redundant for Jesus Christ to teach of God and his love but also teach his congregation to disobey God... It doesn't make sense. Jesus' main goal was to lead the children of Israel and the Gentiles back under the covenant of God. So, one can't love something or receive love and still disobey them. 

God's laws are still to be followed and we are to keep them without having the spirit of the Pharisees. Remember, the ten commandments and those of the Mosaic laws from Leviticus,  Numbers, and,  Deuteronomy. Remember to keep your faith and salvation in Christ Jesus. And never forget to have discernment or apply common sense as Jesus taught during his sermon on the mount.  


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