“Then Jesus spoke … saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers … Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
(Matthew 23:1-4,
15 NKJV)
Moses
received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua. Joshua transmitted
it to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it
to the Men of the Great Assembly. They [the Men of the Great Assembly] said
three things: Be deliberate in judgment, raise many students, and make a
protective fence for the Torah.
(Mishnah 1(a))
One
might argue that going above and beyond the Law of Moses (the Torah), as when
the Pharisees built fences for the Torah, constitutes having righteousness that
exceeds that of the Christians. Since the Law of Moses prohibits taking THE
LORD’S Name in vain, as discussed in the previous post, the practice of making
it impossible to pronounce His Name would be an example of building a fence for
the Torah. Therefore, for centuries, Gentile Christians were unable to even
figure out how to pronounce the four consonants that constitute His Name, let
alone take It in vain. After that, their attempts at the pronunciation—Jehovah
or Yahweh—have been in error. The Jews have effectively built a fence, of sorts,
for the Law/Torah.
There
is a definite tension regarding building fences for the Torah in the New
Testament teachings. Question: Should we ever recommend to Christians that
their behavior should be restricted beyond any specific commandment
restrictions from Moses? Jesus appears to criticize the practice of Pharisees
in requiring stricter behavior than the written Law of Moses stipulates. In
Matthew 23 (cited above), He is probably referring to the Pharisaic practice of
making a protective fence for the Torah (the Law of Moses) described in Mishnah
1 (a), also cited above. “Published at the end of the second century [AD],
the Mishnah is an edited record of the complex body of material known
as oral Torah [or Law] that was transmitted in the aftermath of the
destruction of the … Temple in [AD] 70. … Rabbi Judah the Prince … undertook
to collect and edit a study edition of these halachot (laws)”
(https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/mishnah/).
While these teachings were not written down (by Rabbi Judah) until around AD
200, there is clear evidence (even in the New Testament) that the various
teachings were well-known and actively taught during the lifetime of Jesus on
Earth.
In Matthew 15:1-9 and Mark
7:1-22, Jesus condemns imposing such oral Laws, citing Isaiah 29:13: “This
people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in
vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew
15:8-9 and Mark 7:6-7 [NKJV]).
Sabbath Fences
Using the principle of building a fence for the Torah, the Pharisees:
·
Established a maximum distance of travel (see
Acts 1:12) in which one could engage during a Sabbath day (= 6/10ths of a mile)
even though the Law of Moses only states “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days
you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no
work” (Exodus 20:8-10 NKJV). The Pharisees indicated that walking or travelling
beyond this distance constituted “work.” The New Testament presents no
disagreement with regard to this fence, although modern-day Christians (and
Jews) would have a great difficulty living within these parameters. Jews could
not even travel to their local synagogue on Friday night or Saturday, under
this fence law.
·
Established a rule that even
picking a single grain of wheat constituted work (see Matthew 12:1-5).
True, the Law of Moses describes a violation of the Sabbath Law: “Now …
the children of Israel … found a man gathering [wood] on the Sabbath day. …
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘The man must
surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones
outside the camp.’ So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the
congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he
died” (Numbers 15:32-36 NKJV). Nevertheless, the activity of wood “gathering” (Hebrew:
qashash) is an act of purposeful “labor,” similar to “gathering” straw
or stubble, not the random incidental act of plucking a grain to eat. Jesus
rejected this fence law.
·
Established a rule that healing on the Sabbath
constituted unlawful work (Matthew 12:9-13, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:7-11, 13:10-17,
14:1-6; John 7:22-23, 9:16). Fortunately, doctors and hospitals today ignore
that fence law, as did Jesus. He reasoned that we would rescue even an
endangered animal on a Sabbath. Why not a human! These Sabbath fences missed
the spirit of the Law: that the Sabbath was made for man, not vice versa.
Washing-hands-before-Eating
Using the principle of building a fence for the Torah, the Pharisees:
·
Instituted
the Netilat Yadayim—the requirement that all Jews ritually wash their hands
before eating bread. They prayed: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the
universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us
concerning the washing of the hands.” According to https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/hand-washing/#:~:text=The%20tradition%20of%20netilat%20yadayim%20prior%20to%20eating,that%20could%20be%20eaten%20only%20after%20ritual%20washing,
“It derives from various practices concerning ritual impurity from when the
ancient Temple stood in Jerusalem. The priests who performed the temple
rituals were given gifts of oil, wine and wheat that could be eaten only after
ritual washing. For various reasons, the ancient rabbis extended this practice
to all Jews before eating meals,” thus creating a fence for the Torah. In Mark
7 and Matthew 15:1-20, Jesus’ disciples were criticized by the Pharisees for
violating this fence-law. (Incidentally, the law had nothing to do with hygiene—which
makes some sense--it was merely a ritual purification.) Exodus 30:18-20
describes the Laver in the Tabernacle area, where priests ritually washed their
hands and feet before performing service at the altar or in the Tabernacle, but
the expanded application to all Jews of the ritual washing law is non-biblical.
Jesus rejected this fence law.
Eve’s Fence
Actually, the first woman in history, Eve, appears to have built a fence for the Torah. God had commanded Adam: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV). Eve may not yet have been formed from Adam’s rib, at the time God issued the prohibition, but, after her entrance to the world, she understood that God’s command applied to her, as well. So intent on not violating the commandment was Eve that she embellished the commandment in speaking to the serpent: “of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’” (Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV). By adding the words “nor shall you touch it,” Eve effectively built a fence for the Torah (although this specific law was a Law of Adam rather than a Law of Moses).
Jesus’s Fences
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus appears to be building fences for the Torah:
·
As
I mentioned in my previous post regarding our use of the tongue, Jesus builds a
fence around the commandment: “‘You shall not murder … [saying]
that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be
in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall
be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in
danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:21-22 NKJV).
·
As
I mentioned in my post regarding loving THE LORD with all your heart, Jesus
builds a fence around the commandment: “‘You shall not commit adultery’ …
[saying] that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already
committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28 NKJV). This law of
Jesus, however, might not be a fence law. Perhaps, it is just an explication of
the tenth commandment in Exodus 20:17 (NKJV): “You shall not … covet your
neighbor’s wife.” Nevertheless, the (hyperbolic?) suggestion that you pluck out
your right eye or cut off your right hand if they cause you to sin might be
termed building a fence for the Torah.
·
As
I mentioned in my previous post regarding our use of the tongue, Jesus builds a
fence around the commandment: “[Y]ou shall not swear by My name falsely”
(Leviticus 19:12 NKJV), saying “do not swear at all” (Matthew 5:35 NKJV).
·
Although
my Jewish professor at Indiana University explained to me that the “Eye for
eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound,
stripe for stripe” standard for justice as expressed in Exodus 21:24 (NKJV)
indicates the MAXIMUM penalty for an injury against you, Jesus built a
magnanimous fence of mercy around this justice maximum: “I tell you not
to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn
the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your
tunic, let him have your cloak also. And
whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who
asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away” (Matthew
5:39-42 NKJV).
·
Leviticus
19:12 (NKJV) commands “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Since His
parable of the Good Samaritan explicates who is one’s “neighbor,” in Matthew 5:44 (NKJV), Jesus builds the fence:
“love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate
you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” This
way, you will never come close to not loving your neighbor.
The Pink Elephant in the
Room/Modern-day Fences
There have been a few fences for the Torah that the Church in the 19th through 21st centuries have wisely constructed:
·
I
have been criticized for my position (and that of the vast majority of
Christians in the early 20th Century plus Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah's
Witnesses, and Seventh-Day Adventists) that we should completely abstain from drinking
alcoholic beverages. The logical premise used by the modern Christian world to
oppose my position is that the specific biblical “law” on the subject only
explicitly condemns “drunkenness”:
o
And
do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the
Spirit (Ephesians 5:18 NKJV).
o
Now
the works of the flesh are … drunkenness … of which I tell you beforehand, just
as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such
things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV).
o
But now I have written to you not to keep company with
anyone named a brother, who is … a drunkard … not even to eat with such a
person. (1
Corinthians 5:11 NKJV).
o
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom
of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators … nor drunkards … will inherit
the kingdom of God (1
Corinthians 6:9-10 NKJV).
Galatians 5:19-21,
plus 1 Corinthians 5:11 and 6:9-10, makes it sound pretty dangerous for us if
we accidentally happen to get the definition of drunkenness (is it the American
legal blood alcohol content) or the frequency of being drunk (once a month or
year, or only on special occasions) wrong. I just think that it is safest to
forego drinking altogether. This would entail my building a fence for the Law. If
I am wrong, what harm is there? Abstainers are never condemned to hell in the
Bible and the health and safety of individuals and society, in general, is enhanced.
If the more liberal interpretation (that drinking wine is acceptable) is wrong,
there is a severe eternity-related problem with condoning it. Actually, it does not take drinking too much
of modern-day wine to render one drunken. Modern-day undiluted natural wine (without additives and distilling)
contains 12 percent ABV (alcohol by volume). Even the most completely fermented
wines consumed by Jews and/or Christians at the time of the New Testament
contained only about 2.8 percent ABV, because they were always diluted with one
part wine to three parts water. That’s only slightly more ABV than the ABV of
mustard (2.0 percent). One would need to drink four glasses of wine in New
Testament times to equal a single glass of modern-day wine. And, drinking four glasses of wine in one
sitting in New Testament times would have probably resulted in the drinker
being classified as drunk. Incidentally, The ABV of Spirits is 40 percent; the
ABV of Rum is 60 percent. Yet, the liberal interpreters of the Bible seem to
lump all of these drinks together as being acceptable. I, therefore, continue
to argue for building a fence of abstinence.
· Similar to the argument of liberals which enable potentially-eternity-threatening drinking, United States southerners before the Civil War argued that slavery was acceptable because there was no biblical law outlawing it. Exodus 21 just gives instructions as to slave rights. The American fence for the Torah, enacted by Abraham Lincoln eliminated slavery completely (except for modern-day sex slavery, etc., which we also condemn).
· Bill Clinton made a similar legalistic argument, regarding the oral sex he had with Monica Lewinsky: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." His argument was that, absent coitus, there was no sin. Wise fence laws in society proscribe even unwanted touching and sexual harassment.
·
Others
today, make similar legalistic arguments about abortion. They argue that, since
God did not explicitly outlaw “abortion,” it is somehow acceptable behavior. Pro-life
advocates argue that a fence around the law against murder should effectively
protect even the unborn.
·
Homosexuals
even point out that Jesus did not specifically condemn homosexuality, even though
Paul and the Old Testament did. These are applications of "legalism"
(such a strict application of law that any action that is not specifically
"forbidden by a law" is somehow acceptable behavior). These all needed fence
laws. We needed to even build fence laws so that statutory rape laws protect
children from pedophiles.
Conclusion
In the grand
scheme of things, fence laws restricting travel on the Sabbath, occasionally
picking grain on the Sabbath, healing on the Sabbath, and ritually washing
hands before eating pale in significance to the fence laws of Eve, Jesus, and
Modern-Day fence laws on drinking, slavery, abortion, and sexual behavior. Jesus charged us to see that our
righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. Fences
for the Torah help us do just that.
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