The people whom Jesus taught already had a large body of ethical teaching in the Old Testament law. A further body of oral interpretation and application had grown up around the Law of Moses over the centuries. Jesus declared that He had come to fulfill the Sacred Scripture and the Law, not to destroy or abolish it. - Matt. 5:17-19 - And He emphasized its ethical quality by summarizing it in terms of what He called the great commandments:

Listen, Israel: Yahweh our God is the one Yahweh. You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let these words I urge on you today be written on your heart.......... - Deut. 6:4-13 -

You must love your neighbour as yourself. - Lev. 19:18 -

Jesus replied, 'This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these'. - Mark 12:28-31 - Matt. 22:34-40; Luke 10:25-28 -

"On these two commandments" Jesus said, " hang all the Law and Prophets" Jesus did not claim uniqueness or originality for His ethical teaching or doctrine. One of His purposes was to explain the ancient law of God. Yet there was a distinctiveness and freshness about His doctrine and teaching, as He declared His authority: "You have learnt that it was said.......But I say this to you" - Matt. 5:20-48 - Only in listening to His words and doing them could a person build a secure foundation for his life.

Why do you call me, "Lord, Lord" and not do what I say? 'Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them - I will show you what he is like. He is like the man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundation on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!' - Luke 6:46-49 - Matt. 7:24-27 -

In Jesus interpretation of specific commandments, He did not use the methods of the Jewish rabbis. He dared to criticize their rulings which had been handed down by word of mouth through successive generations of scribes. He even declared that these interpretations sometimes obscured the original purpose of the commandments. In appealing to that original purpose, Jesus declared that a commandment was most faithfully obeyed when God's purpose in giving it was fulfilled.

Jesus actually injected new life into the ethical principles of the Law of Moses. But He did not impose a new set of laws that could be enforced by external sanctions; He prescribed a way of life for His disciples and followers. Jesus insisted that more is expected of His disciples and followers than the ordinary morality of decent people. Their ethical behaviour should exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. - For I tell you, if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. - Matt. 5:20 -

'If you love only those who loves you', Jesus asked, 'what credit is that to you? For even the wicked and sinners love those who love them'. The higher standard of the kingdom of God called for acts of love to enemies and words of blessing and goodwill to persecutors. The children of the kingdom of God should not insist on their legal rights but cheerfully give them up in response to the supreme law of Love.

                                                                      Page 4

If you wish to donate. Thank You. God bless.

By bank transfer/cheque deposit:
Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
Bank: Public Bank Berhad account no: 4076577113
Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -