Ep. 105 - To Be Greater Than the Pharisees (Feb 12, 2023)

Our Gospel is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. In this section Jesus preaches what are called the six antitheses where he takes the Old Law and elevates it. He takes on the role of Moses, going up the mountain and delivering a new law, one that is better than the old and that fulfills Old Testament prophecies in Ezekiel and Jeremiah that foretell of a law to come that will be written upon the heart. At the end of the day we discover that Christ’s call to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees can only be had by docility to the Holy Spirit. In this week’s episode discover: - Why scholars refer to this section of the Sermon on the Mount as the “Six Antitheses” - How Jesus is showing himself to be a new Moses - An interesting rabbinic story about the iota in Sarah and Joshua’s name that illustrates the point Jesus makes about the iota - The cultural background that prompted Moses to allow for divorce - The Jewish practice called kinnuyim that explains Jesus’ words about oath swearing