Moses received Torah from Sinai and delivered it to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets delivered it to the men of the Great Synagogue. They said three things: be deliberate in judgment, raise many disciples, and make a hedge for Torah. (Avot 1:1, writerʼs translation)

Containing teachings from R. Simeon the Just in the 3rd century B.C. up until the compilation of the same by R. Judah the Prince in the 3rd century A.D., Pirke Avot is a curious tractate (section) within Mishnah, the collection of the Rabbinic “oral Torah”. In part, it contains the most straightforwardly ethical teachings of all Mishnah and, unlike the rest of Mishnah, has no further commentary by later generations (Gemara). Its purpose is made evident by the first passage of the tractate: how the devout Jewish leader should approach judgment (deliberateness), the preservation of the teaching (disciples), and the purpose of his authority (hedging Torah).

This three-fold mandate, according to Avot, was passed from Mosesʼ own teaching from Sinai and was passed down through the centuries by the faithful of Yahweh. It is not within the purpose of this paper to judge the historical accuracy of this claim, but simply to acknowledge that, during the inter-testamental period, a view similar to this at least exists among the schools of the Pharisees and scribes. This has significance for our interpretation of the gospels, and the rest of the New Testament. As Perez wrote:

[I]n a way, we could say that the New Testament and Rabbinic literature are the oral tradition that always accompanied Scripture. Neither of them, therefore, has been able to avoid taking the other into consideration. That is why the Rabbinic literature is as important to the exegesis of the New Testament as the latter is to coming to know Rabbinic Judaism (Perez 103).

So when a rabbi from Galilee begins teaching and interpreting Torah “as one who authority” (Matt. 7:29 ESV), there is certainly a contrast with many of the teachers of his day, but there is also a great deal of commonality. This can be seen in the common theological presuppositions that Jesus shares with other rabbis in the centuries preceding his first century ministry. It can also be found in the comparative teaching presented by these rabbis.

Before comparison can even be done, it must first be shown that Jesus even thinks of himself as one speaking within the stream of rabbinic teaching. It has been common in the history of interpretation to read Jesus as introducing a discontinuous revelation or, at least, a modified revelation surpassing that at Sinai (Morris, Blomberg, et al). Draper, however, suggests differently:

While the symbolic depiction of authoritative teaching (ʻnew lawʼ), given on the mountain, need not imply a literal ʻnew Sinaiʼ, it does draw on the Sinai symbolism to legitimate the teaching and to indicate its continuity with the Torah. The symbol need not be seen in terms of replacement. Indeed, continuity is more likely to be the root of Matthewʼs usage. (Draper 32).

Matthewʼs recounting of the sermon demonstrates this with the phrase formula “You have heard that it was said…but I say.” This is not a mere rhetorical device and has meaning for Matthewʼs Jewish audience (The Luke 6 recounting of the sermon does not contain this formula) – a meaning that makes sense within the context of rabbinic teaching of Torah. Another formula that occurs throughout the sermon is “when you…” This is followed by a consistent list of “do not” logia. But even if the oral teaching formulae are not convincing, take note of the content of the sermon: marks of the life of piety before the God of Israel and that, if nothing else, is the marking of a true rabbinic interpreter of Torah.

But Jesus and other rabbis certainly shared some common theological convictions beyond the general pale of Jewish orthodoxy (which is very broad, indeed). Consider the texts of these three verses from Avot:

Simeon the Just was from the survivors of the Great Synagogue and he used to say “Upon three things the world stands: upon the Torah, upon the worship, and upon deeds of kindness.” (1:2, writerʼs translation).

Antigonus, a man of Sokho, received from Simeon the Just. He used to say “Do not be like servants who serve the master on condition of a gift to be received, but let them be like servants who serve the master, not on condition of a gift that is to be received. Let the fear of Heaven be upon you.” (1:3, writerʼs translation).

Hillel and Shammai received from them. Hillel used to say, “Be of the disciples who belong to Aaron: one who loves peace and pursues peace, one who loves humankind [creation] and attracts them to Torah.” (1:12, writerʼs translation).

These sayings, without dispute, belong to the era of developing Pharisaism from its early influences (Simeon the Just, the high priest who greets Alexander the Great after his conquest of Syria) and his disciple (Antigonus) to the founders of the great schools of Pharisaism (Hillel and Shammai). They demonstrate a commitment to the immutable authority of Torah, a commitment that Jesus echoes very clearly in his teaching:

For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes 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 5:18-19).

In the first instance, the existence of the world is dependent upon the existence of Torah. The the second place, the faithful teaching of Torah is significant in that this, not relaxing Torah is what wants to attract others to. There is also significant concern for the proper service of the God of Israel. Not only is it Simeonʼs second pillar, but Jesusʼ teaching shares this concern in his addressing of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. More could be explored with the similar emphases on acts of kindness towards others, but the more important question arises as to the nature of what Jesus is doing in the sermon. The rabbis were hedging the Torah. What about Jesus?

In setting himself within the stream of rabbinic interpretation and instruction of Torah, it would only be fair to argue that Jesus is hedging Torah as well. Draperʼs analysis of the content of the sermon leads him to a similar conclusion:

Matthew thus does not ʻdiffer decisivelyʼ from the Rabbinate in this respect, but seems instead to be drawing on this Rabbinic tradition of the fence about the Law. He cites the major principle, ʻThou shalt not commit murderʼ, and then provides a ʻhedgeʼ: ʻDo not be angry; do not call another a fool; be reconciled before things go too farʼ. Each of the sayings of Jesus in this section can be interpreted in this way as essentially ʻintensificationsʼ of the Torah rather than as ʻantithesesʼ (39).

Draper is not the first to suggest this and will likely not be the last. But the evangelical Christian interpreter may ask regarding the import of the sermon for Gentiles. After all, Christians have long received the sermon as binding upon their way of life, as instruction for life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Significant insight into this question has been provided by an 18th century rabbi, Jacob Emden, in one his works:

[T]he Nazarene brought about a double kindness in the world. On the one hand, he strengthened the Torah of Moses majestically, as mentioned earlier, and not one of our Sages spoke out more emphatically concerning the immutability of the Torah. And on the other hand, he did much good for the Gentiles [...] by doing away with idolatry and removing the images from their midst. [...] He also bestowed upon them ethical ways, and in this respect he was much more stringent with them than the Torah of Moses. (Emden)

Thus, a Jewish reading of the text of the sermon does not limit its import or application to Gentile followers of Jesus by necessity. Emdenʼs own analysis is that Jesusʼ teachings require more from Gentiles than Judaism would from its own Gentile God-fearers! But those very implications give rise to a whole host of questions. In an essay that explores the relevance of Torah for Christians, Daniel Joslyn-Siemiatkoski concludes with the following:

If the law given at Sinai and the gospel of Jesus Christ are not antithetical, or if the law does not pass away with the coming of Christ, what then is its status? If Gentiles are not required to keep the Torah in the same way as Israel but still are aware that Jesus viewed it with the utmost devotion, what would a positive Gentile Christian attitude toward the Torah look like? (Joslyn-Siemiatkoski 465).

It is a fair question developed from a difficult hermeneutical problem. If Jesus is to be understood as a rabbi in his messianic pronouncements, it has significant bearing for those who claim to be his followers. It would redefine what Christians believe about following Messiah, who taught a recognition of faithfulness based on the keeping of his commandments and the fruitfulness of lives lived out in pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven. It would alter our perception of the various Judaisms throughout the centuries and also of various Christian traditions in the same time period.  The risk of pursuing this investigation is evidently significant, but the question is whether that outweighs the risk of ignoring it.

Works Cited

Blomberg, Craig L. “Matthew” (19-30). Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Editors: G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. 2007.

Draper, Jonathan A. “The Genesis and Narrative Thrust of the Paranesis in the Sermon
on the Mount.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament. Issue 75 (Sept. 1999). p. 25-48.

Emden, Jacob. “Rabbi Jacob Emdenʼs Views on Christianity.” 28/10/09. Online: http://
www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/falk1a.html

Herford, R. Travers. Pirke Aboth: The Ethics of the Talmud: Sayings of the Fathers. New
York, NY: Schocken Books, Inc. 1975.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. 2001.

Joslyn-Siemiatkoski, Daniel. “”Moses Received the Torah at Sinai and Handed It
On” (Mishnah Avot 1:1): The Relevance of the Written and Oral Torah for
Christians.” Anglican Theological Review. Vol. 91, Issue 3 (Summer 2009). p.
443-466.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company. 1992.

Perez Fernandez, Miguel. “Rabbinic texts in the exegesis of the New Testament.”
Review of Rabbinic Judaism. Issue 7 (2004). p. 95-120.

Note: This video was produced for Operation YouTube, an evangelistic outreach designed to share the Gospel with the internet through the YouTube world.

I like walking barefoot…doesn’t much matter where: grassy fields, hot asphalt, brick-laid  paths, and – my favorite – a wet beach, right on the shoreline. The other day, I took a walk along Lake Erie. At first, I kept my sandals on, letting the water lap at my feet as I went. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to go barefoot. As I was walking further along, I noticed something: my feet were sinking, sliding, and slipping. And there’s nothing unnatural about that. Sand, particularly wet sand that’s being barraged by the waves of Lake Erie, is not the most stable piece of ground you can choose to walk on. But there was a strong difference between my experience of walking barefoot and what it had been like with sandals on. When the sandals were on, my feet didn’t sink, slide or slip.

God used this moment to teach me something. When I was younger, my mom had us memorize Ephesians 6:10-20, which is about the armor of God. It’s pretty easy to understand the use of a shield, a sword, a helmet and most of the other pieces that Paul talks about in this large metaphor for the equipping power of the Holy Spirit. But having “as shoes for your feet, the readiness given by the gospel of peace” isn’t as obvious a need (Eph. 6:15). Yet, clearly, for whatever reason – and I don’t claim to understand how – having shoes on gives us stability in our walk and prevents the ground from coming around to trap your feet.

As I was thinking on this insight that God had shown me, it struck me that I wasn’t quite sure what it meant to be clothing my feet with the Gospel. A few suggestions came to mind but I quickly dismissed them. They didn’t hold up to the standard of the passage. Fulfilling the Great Commission (“how beautiful the feet of those who bring good news”) didn’t answer the warlike urgency of the passage. Salvation itself wasn’t in view, since Paul had assigned that to the helmet. So what was it?

So I turned to Ephesians to study some more and see what God would show me. If there’s one thing about Ephesians, it’s a rich epistle. In God’s New Society, John Stott informs us that it was Calvin’s favorite letter. He also tells us that the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge described it as “the Queen of the Epistles” (Stott 15). Rightly so. Of all the Pauline epistles, Ephesians is the most elegant, with the largest themes, and having, at its center, the exaltation of Christ in the heavenly places, and the promise of God’s people sharing in those riches.

But “peace” is a big word in Ephesians, too. Ephesians 2 is riddled with references to it. “For [Christ] himself is our peace…that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace…And he came and preached peace to you who were far off  [Gentiles] and peace to those who were near [Jews]” (Ephesians 2:14, 15, 17). The next reference is in Ephesians 6:15, as the “gospel of peace.” So, we have peace with God, are reconciled to those people we were once at war with, and this gospel we have received has been given us by Christ Himself. The Gospel’s reconciling work – us to God, and us to all mankind – is the gospel of peace that we are called to walk in. And when we step (live) in the reality of that truth, we stand firm and the instability and frailty of our lives in this present age will never trip us up.

Living this truth out isn’t difficult in the explaining, but in the doing. We must walk knowing that we are at peace with God – that no sin or any other barrier stands between us and Him because of the work of Christ.  However, we must also walk knowing that we have been called to be at peace with all people – that no loyalty or any other barrier stands between us and them because of the same work of Christ.

Disciple of Christ, it is time to lay down arms. You have been put at peace with God, so lay down works of your flesh and self righteousness. You have been put at peace with everyone, so lay down your separation, your division, your competition. You know the commandments! “And [Christ] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). No qualifications. No exceptions. Just the command of a Holy God, the work of a Savior Who makes it possible, and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.