Blog (3) Stewart Freeman

One of the greatest emphases in the Book of Matthew is Jesus' teachings on the Law. Unlike Mark, Matthew portrays Jesus as simultaneously rebuking and upholding the Laws of Moses. He calls the elders hypocrites anytime he talks about them. In Matthew we find a refined version of Jesus and there is a lot of stress placed on the relationship of the Law and the Kingdom of Heaven.
 Ehrman brings up an interesting idea about the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven. He says that it "does not refer to the place people go wgeb they die [but] rather, it refers to the God's presence on earth". This idea seems to be a key point in the entire nature of Jesus' teachings. Allhis discourses on the Law go into detail on how they cannot be taken literally. Do not murder means far more than just killing a man or wounding him (5:21-26). Any act in anger or aggression is a form of murder. An insult is as offensive as death. If a man divorces his wife, the Law requires a certificate (5:31). But Jesus says this is not enough because that woman then very easily falls into adultery, by no fault of her own.
Jesus is taking apart the Laws of Moses and denying the authority of the elders, but only in a very simple way. What Jesus is trying to do is show that the rigid laws of Jewish society in actuality show very little of a person's character and this is how the Kingdom of Heaven is to be attained. It is not a reward for good behavior in death but a far more tangible achievement. The Laws that Jesus puts out are observable in a person in ways that cannot be reflected by any kind of status in society. The tax collectors and prostitutes he works to help are more righteous than the devout Jewish leaders because they are the one's that act out a true good will. Those who pray loudly in the streets are hypocrites because they pray to show their piety and goodness. It's a display of how they follow the rules. But what Jesus wants is not simply right practice. There is a need for the acts of righteousness to be divine and truly aimed at the progression of humanity. It is not enough to be right with God, because if you do not help the people around you then you do not help God. There is one passage where Jesus says that when yo ugive someone a gift, you are not to expect anything in return. If you get nothing in return and feel bitter, then you have not given a gift.