Jesus Taught About True Worship

Jesus taught about true worship in a variety of ways in Matthew 5:13-7:23. What is the simple most basic meaning and then the purpose of both the Mosaic Law and the ministry and coming of Jesus Christ?

Jesus: On the subject of Mosaic Law

In Paul's Letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul stresses that new gentile converts to Christianity do not need to convert to Judaism and obey Mosaic Law. The coming of Christ symbolically fulfills the promise of God to humanity. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, gentiles are released from the need to obey the letter of the Law to participate in the Abrahamic covenant. Now the circumcision is of the heart, not the body. However, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew is addressed to a community of Jews. It is articulated from the perspective of someone who is Jewish, who is giving instruction to his followers on the correct way to practice the Jewish faith in line with Mosaic teaching.

Jesus was concerned that people were overly obsessed with making a public show of their piety. Jesus does not say that Jews should give up praying to God, fasting and adhering to other observances consistent with the Law. Rather, his concern was the way that some individuals were practicing Mosaic dictates: they were placing the perceptions of the community above their own personal spiritual welfare.

Jesus denies that he has come to do away with the Law of the Pentateuch; rather he says he has come to fulfill the Law. By making this defense, Jesus was presumably responding to some of his critics who accused him of attempting to do away with Moses' teachings and replace them with his own. Jesus urges his followers to obey the Law. Jesus clearly sees a great deal of good in the Law. It is the glue that holds his society together. The Law preaches charity to one's neighbors, as well as offers a highly specific way for individuals to live, with every aspect of their life dedicated to God, including food and clothing preferences.

However, it is on the subject of food and clothing that Jesus' views about Mosaic Law seem slightly more ambiguous. Jesus tells his listeners not to worry about what they eat and drink, given that God is infinitely bounteous, despite the fact that the kosher laws are part of the commandments of Mosaic tradition. This shift in emphasis to the importance of poverty and charity required by Mosaic Law, away from specific rituals and concepts of ritual purity indicates that while Jesus respected the teachings of his predecessors, the Law meant something different to him. Jesus did not believe that his interpretation of the Law was new, rather that he thought he offered a more correct and fitting interpretation of Moses' original intention. Jesus preached that righteousness came through a private relationship with God, humility and goodness, not with correctness to dogma and doctrine.

Many of the controversies addressed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount have been settled. Judaism and Christianity are now separate religions, with distinct views of the place of Mosaic Law in the history of the Judeo-Christian tradition. But Jesus' principles must still be remembered. Simplicity when adhering to religious teachings is best. Rather than trying to rationalize complicated reasons for not following the 'Golden Rule,' Jesus' example emphasizes treating others with dignity and respect, and trying to resist social pressures to be materialistic and ostentatious. Both Jews and Christians share common values and a common tradition, although Christians honor Jesus' unique interpretation of the scripture.