Law Breakers

Are laws meant to be broken?

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17–19

There are times when Jesus seems to be reinterpreting the law to justify his actions, like when he heals on the sabbath or eats rather than fasts.  

But in this lead in to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is laying down the foundation for a closer relationship with God, one born out of love and not fear.

He says that it is not just the letter of the law one must follow, but the spirit of the law as well, and that is where we can get confused.  Sometimes the spirit of the law seems to counter the letter of the law.

To simplify all this, Jesus offers a solution to the problem of determining what is right.  Just love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  Everything we do will be based on that.

Can we go wrong if we act out of love?

Maybe.  But we will be on the right side of the problem if we do.

More to come...