Matthean Conflict Between Jesus And The Pharisees On the Interpretation Of Mosaic Law: Revisiting Compassion As A Law for Christian Leadership.
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Date
2004
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
It beats all doubts that the Torah was the very ground work of Judaism and
the foundation of the nation of Israel. While this first statement is true, it is not to say that
all the Jews (and specifically the different parties) agreed on the significance of the Torah
or on its interpretation. Whereas their loyalty to the Torah was a great bond of unity, their
conception of it was a constant cause of division, resulting in divergent opinions on this
very matter of the Torah.
In the situation of such divergent views on a specific subject matter, in this case
the Torah, how does a group show that they are the right ones? In the case of the Jews,
how does a group show that they are the truly elect, the righteous few to the exclusion of
the lawless many, in contrast to the group(s) with which they contend? Yet, such claims
are not often easy to affirm It requires that a group propounds a precise definition of
what constitutes not only the doctrine and practice, but also what constitutes membership
in the group. The group must also, in word and deed, try to legitimate its claim to be the
true people of God in the face of other groups.
In the case of the Jews and in the interest of our study, the claims and disputes of
these groups are centered on the Law - the proper understanding and interpretation of it.
The Law emerges as both the common ground and the point of conflict between the
differing groups. What then are we up to and why? When I was doing my pastoral work in Korogocho,1 I met with different
situations that forced me to reinterpret some of the 'laws' that I had up to then held as
almost absolute. I had to ask some mind-boggling questions like: what is the place of law
in my life and in my relationship with others? What principles actually underpin my
interpretation and subsequent application of law in different situations? There are
situations where one has to choose between helping a criminal, though love and
counseling support, and reporting the criminal to the police. Different situations put me in
conflict (at least implicitly) with the well laid out law of my religious and civil society. I
began to ask myself why we should be in conflict with the laws that we ourselves make
and generally agree to be good for our society. I wanted to find some answer for this
'riddle', and the immediate area of my reach was the word of God that I had to read,
interpret, live, and exhort others to do the same.
Because my focus was on conflict, I chose to read those books of scripture where
conflict is manifested, especially with regard to the law. I eventually narrowed down to
the Gospel of Matthew where the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees is very
explicit. I chose the gospel of Matthew because it consistently portrays the Pharisees as
the adversaries per se of Jesus. Beyond this, I found the Gospel of Matthew to be
presenting particular problems of interpretation of the Mosaic Law by Jesus and the
Pharisees. This study, therefore, is aimed at understanding both the Pharisees and Jesus; how
they go about issues related to the law and why they do so. We aim at unveiling the
principle(s) that steer the interpretation of the law by Jesus and the Pharisees. Our study, though, is not for the mere sake of it, but is meant to enrich our
pastoral relationships, making us better equipped to be interpreters and livers of the word
of God in the ever changing situations of our day. Better put:
Granted that the expression of faith, such as it is found in the Sacred Scripture
acknowledged by all, has had to renew itself continually in order to meet new situations —
which explains the "re-reading" of many of the biblical texts — the interpretation of the
Bible should likewise involve an aspect of creativity; it ought also to confront new
questions, so as to respond to them out of the Bible.2
We believe that such authentic interpretation and living of the word is what can
make manifest the love of God that alone can bring this world to true life of conversion.
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Keywords
Matthean Conflict, Jesus And The Pharisees, Mosaic Law, Christian Leadership