“According to Jesus, to understand God and his kingdom, Torah as it stands does not have the final word. It needs to be reshaped. “Fulfilling Torah,” ironically, means going beyond the words on the page and to another level, which is where you find the heart of God…
For Jesus, that meant intensifying the requirements of Torah in places. At times, it meant going in another direction… God told Moses that Israelites were to make solemn oaths to one another in God’s name, an ancient version of a binding contract…
Jesus said that true followers of God no longer make any oaths at all, in God’s name or any other way. They just do what they say they are going to do. Their word is their bond… God told Moses that the Israelites were to love their neighbor…
…(a fellow Israelite or welcomed foreigners). Israel’s enemies, however, would often feel the point of their swords (ask the Canaanites). Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be called children of your Father in heaven.”
The “persecutors” Jesus likely has in mind aren’t your mean neighbor or boss, but the Romans—who, like the Canaanites of old, were living in the Holy Land. And in loving your enemies, Jesus says you will be “perfect” like God is (loving “fully” as God loves).”
Pete Enns, The Bible Tells Me So…: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable To Read It (181) @peteenns
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