I am going to disagree with this statement, although I know many see it your way; but Jesus did NOT teach his followers how to correctly obey the law of Moses, neither by word nor by example.
And here I'm going to have to disagree with your statement.
1. Jesus’ Teaching on the Law:
Jesus explicitly affirmed and clarified the proper understanding of the Law of Moses.
Matthew 5:17:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
Matthew 5:21–48:
Jesus reinterprets and deepens the commandments, moving beyond mere external observance to address the heart and intentions.
Matthew 23:23:
"These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Here, Jesus affirms the importance of justice, mercy, and faith as the weightier matters of the law.
2. Jesus’ Example of Obedience:
Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the Law, serving as a model for righteousness.
John 8:46:
"Which of you convinceth me of sin?" This rhetorical question highlights Jesus’ sinless adherence to God’s commands.
Matthew 17:24–27: Jesus instructs Peter to pay the temple tax, showing respect for the Mosaic regulations.
Luke 2:21–24: As an infant, Jesus was circumcised and presented at the temple according to the Law of Moses.
3. Clarifying Misunderstandings:
While Jesus did not endorse legalism or the Pharisaical traditions that distorted the Law’s intent, He did teach how to properly understand and live out the commandments in a way that aligned with God's original purpose.
Mark 7:8:
"For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men..." Jesus criticized adding human traditions, not the Law itself.
Matthew 23:1–3: Jesus acknowledges the authority of the scribes and Pharisees when they teach from Moses’ seat but criticizes their hypocrisy and failure to practice what they preach.
So, in essence--
It would be more accurate to say that Jesus taught His followers how to correctly understand and fulfill the Law of Moses, emphasizing its true spiritual intent rather than mere outward conformity.
PAUL'S VIEWS OF THE MOSAIC LAW
Paul follows Jesus' understanding of the relationship between the Old Covenant and His New Covenant (see SPECIAL TOPIC: WHY ARE OT COVENANT PROMISES SO DIFFERENT FROM NT COVENANT PROMISES?). This is clearly seen in
Matthew 5:17-19, affirmation of the inspiration and eternality of OT revelation.
Matthew 5:21-48, affirmation of the superiority of Jesus' words as ultimate revelation from YHWH. He clarifies and reinterprets both
the law of Moses, vv. 31-32
the Oral Traditions of the Jews
He also intensifies the prohibitions from the act to the thought
The Mosaic Law is good and is from God (cf. Matt. 5:17-19; Rom. 7:12,16).
Galatians 3 is a major NT text on how the OT functions in the New Age.
It is not the way to righteousness and acceptance by God (it can even be a curse, cf. Gal. 3:13).
It is still God's will for believers because it is God's self-revelation (cf. Matt. 5:17-19,
Paul often quotes the OT to convict and/or encourage believers).
It functions in sanctification, not justification!
Believers are informed by the OT (cf. Rom. 4:23-24; 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:6,11)
, but not saved by the OT (cf. Acts 15; Romans 4; Galatians 3; the book of Hebrews). See SPECIAL TOPIC: MOSAIC LAW AND THE CHRISTIAN
It functions in the New Covenant to:
show sinfulness (cf. Gal. 3:15-29)
guide redeemed mankind in society
inform Christian ethical decisions
It is this theological spectrum related to the Law, from cursing (cf. Gal. 3:10-13) and passing away to blessing
and permanency that causes the problem in trying to understand Paul's view of the Mosaic Law. In A Man in Christ, James Stewart shows Paul's paradoxical thinking and writing:
"You would normally expect a man who was setting himself to construct a system of thought and doctrine to fix as rigidly as possible the meanings of the terms he employed. You would expect him to aim at precision in the phraseology of his leading ideas. You would demand that a word, once used by your writer in a particular sense, should bear that sense throughout. But to look for this from Paul is to be disappointed. Much of his phraseology is fluid, not rigid. . . 'The law is holy' he writes, 'I delight in the law of God after the inward man' (cf. Rom. 7:12,22) but it is clearly another aspect of nomos that makes him say elsewhere, 'Christ had redeemed us from the curse of the law' (cf. Gal. 3:13)" (p. 26).
From 2 Cor. 3:7-11, Paul discusses Exod. 34:23-35. In v. 13 he compares the OT vs. NT using Moses' veil
Paul makes several comparisons between Moses' covenant and Jesus' covenant.
the Lord of Exodus = the Spirit of Jesus
only Moses could approach God intimately versus all believers in Christ can approach God
Moses' glory faded versus Jesus' glory never fades
Moses' followers cannot see Christ in the OT versus Jesus' followers through the Spirit can correctly interpret the OT in light of Christ
Moses brought the bondage of performance versus Christ brings the freedom of grace
the letter of the Mosaic Law brings death versus the Spirit of the New Covenant brings life, life eternal, life abundant
Moses' covenant was unable to produce a righteous people versus Jesus' covenant does produce righteous people (both objectively in justification and subjectively in sanctification), see SPECIAL TOPIC: SANCTIFICATION
Paul's View of the Mosaic Law -- Special Topic by Dr. Bob Utley, professor of hermeneutics (retired).
freebiblecommentary.org
God bless.
J.
