You dont have to follow Gods rules

[Zzyzx]

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You dont have to follow Gods rules

Did Jesus ever say or imply, You dont have to follow Gods rules?

Or, It is okay to eat pork even though forbidden by God?

Or, Keep some of the rules but ignore most of them?

Or, "Just love God and one another -- that's enough. Old rules don't matter"?

[Bust Nak]

This Mark 7 quote creates quite the conundrum given the Matthew 5 passage Divine Insight quoted. Jesus seems to be contradicting himself.

*Shrug* wouldn't be the first time. The principle of charity demands that we give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he was talking about different bits of the law.

If Jesus had already declared all foods clean as we find in Mark 7, why would Peter not be aware of the message just a few years later?

Does it matter why? The main thing is the message is consistent: It's clear from Acts 10 that the food law has been done away with too.

[Tcg]

This Mark 7 quote creates quite the conundrum given the Matthew 5 passage Divine Insight quoted. Jesus seems to be contradicting himself.

*Shrug* wouldn't be the first time. The principle of charity demands that we give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he was talking about different bits of the law.

Which "bits of the law" would not be included in "not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a penwill, by any means disappear?" Is there something lesser than one of these that could be excluded?

If Jesus had already declared all foods clean as we find in Mark 7, why would Peter not be aware of the message just a few years later?

Does it matter why? The main thing is the message is consistent: It's clear from Acts 10 that the food law has been done away with too.

It matters because Peter thought he was getting a new ruling about food in his vision. If Jesus had already given that ruling, Peter should have known there was nothing new in his vision.

Given that Matthew 5 and Mark 7 conflict, the message is clearly not consistent.


Tcg

[Mithrae]

Given that Matthew 5 and Mark 7 conflict, the message is clearly not consistent.

Do you think that Matthew 5:17-18 conflicts with Matthew 5:31-32 & 19:3-9, or with Matthew 5:38-39, or with Matthew 12:1-14, or with Matthew 12:46-50 & 23:9, or indeed with Matthew 15:10-20 (almost word for word copied from Mark 7)?

I don't think we can reasonably assume that the author was just so dumb that he didn't realize all the points on which his depiction of Jesus was contradicting the letter of Moses' Law, especially given how often that contrast is explicitly written into the text. In fact the author goes to great lengths to portray Jesus as the new Moses - lacking a present father, saved from a ruler's slaughter of infants, association with Egypt, preaching from a mountain etc. - and the 'fulfillment' of the law and prophets. Quite possibly, taking only those two verses DI quoted and reading them in isolation does not grant a very good understanding of their intent and meaning.


It's also worth noting that Luke uses a similar saying to apparently suggest that the new era ushered in by John and Jesus is a miracle even greater than heaven and earth passing away. If it came from a common Q source, there's really no way of telling whether Luke or 'Matthew' have provided a version closer to the original:

• Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

[Bust Nak]

Which "bits of the law" would not be included in "not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a penwill, by any means disappear?" Is there something lesser than one of these that could be excluded?

The dietary laws, apparently.

It matters because Peter thought he was getting a new ruling about food in his vision. If Jesus had already given that ruling, Peter should have known there was nothing new in his vision.

Given that Matthew 5 and Mark 7 conflict, the message is clearly not consistent.

Maybe Peter thought the old rules still applied to Jews. God clarified for him later that it's meant for all.

Look, there are endless "maybe's" I could throw out, I can be quite imaginative.