Let’s begin our study of Paul where he began his Gospel proclamations and explanations, with Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah. Jesus is the one foretold by Moses (Acts 3:22, Deut 18:15). And just as Moses went up to Mt. Sinai and came down with Torah, God’s revelation and instruction, so Jesus goes up on a mount in Galilee to expound​ ​for​ ​his followers​ ​the meaning, the true intent, of that Torah. It is, after all, his Father’s​ teaching.​ And nobody knows a father like a son.

Before​ ​we​ ​can​ ​really​ ​understand​ ​where​ ​Paul is​ ​coming​ ​from,​ ​we​ ​must make​ ​sure​ ​that​ ​we​ ​understand​ ​where​ ​Jesus​ ​is​ ​coming​ ​from.​

This is an obvious but sadly obscured truth. When we look objectively at the narratives in Acts and the autobiographical statements in Paul’s letters, we see someone who was misunderstood and often misrepresented. To some, he was an apostle, to others an apostate. Even today, many outside the “church” see Paul as the founder of Christianity.

In this study, I do not intend to explicate Paul’s writings collected in the New Testament. Instead, I want to step back and look at the man. I want us to travel, if you will, with those who accompanied him on his mission to take the message of salvation from a uniquely Second Temple-period Jewish context into the Greco-Roman (or non-Jewish) world. Just think about the magnitude and complexity of the task for a moment. No wonder we see him persecuted at every turn.

But before we dive into Paul, we must learn to hear Jesus with a Hebraic perspective. We need to appreciate his language, literature, and cultural setting in new and fresh ways. Because Paul—a product of that same time and place—was a Jesus-man through and through, from first to last.

Here is the Messiah teaching in what became known as the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

My first point is this: during Yeshua’s life and times, the canon of the Hebrew Bible was not set as it is today.

Everybody​ ​agreed​ ​that​ ​the​ ​first​ ​five​ ​books​ ​of Moses (Hebrew, Torah; Greek, Pentateuch) were​ ​authoritative.​ ​Even​ ​the​ ​Sadducees​ ​held​ ​to​ ​that.​ The rest of the Hebrew​ ​Scriptures were respected but​ ​in​ ​a​ ​much more​ ​fluid​, less defined​ ​state. But the Pharisees, with whom Saul was aligned, recognized the Prophets as equally inspired​ ​and​ ​important as the Torah. So did Yeshua from Natzeret: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah [Law] or the Prophets.”

“The Torah and the Prophets” was a shorthand way of saying the Hebrew Scriptures. If​ ​you​ ​wanted​ ​to​ ​give​ ​a​ ​fuller​ ​description,​ ​you would say​ ​as​ ​Jesus​ ​does​ ​in​ ​Luke 24:44: “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Torah of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Here​ ​you​ ​have​ ​the​ ​threefold​ ​description​ ​of​ ​Yeshua’s​ ​Bible—what we call the Old Testament, terminology I’m increasingly uncomfortable with the older I get. [laughter]

​​Even to this day, that is how the Jewish communities organize the Hebrew Scriptures.

• The first​ ​portion,​ ​the​ ​Law​ ​of​ ​Moses,​ ​is​ ​called​ ​in​ ​Hebrew​ ​the​ ​Torah, which means teaching and instruction. But it is so much more than merely Law; it contains the acts of Creation, the giving of the promises and covenants, along with essential narrative features.
• The​ ​second​ ​portion,​ ​the Prophets,​ ​is​ ​called​ ​the​ ​Nevi’​ ​im​ ​from​ ​the​ ​Hebrew​ ​word​ ​for​ ​prophet. Starting with Joshua, this section narrates Israel’s prophetic history.
• And​ ​the​ ​third portion​ ​in​ ​Hebrew​ ​is​ ​called​ ​the​ ​Ketuvim​, which means the writings.​ This is a remarkable collection of Israel’s expressions of faith throughout its written history.

Together they form an acronym, TNK, the Tänäkh. If you meet a Jewish person, tell them you read and study the Tanakh, and they’ll know exactly what you mean.

Back to Jesus in Matthew 5:18-19, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law [Torah] until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

I have​ ​taught in-depth​ ​on​ ​the​ ​subject​ of Jesus, Christians and the Law​ ​elsewhere,​ so​ ​I am​ ​not​ ​going​ ​to​ ​do that now.​ ​I will simply​ ​reference​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that​ ​even such​ ​a​ ​great​ ​contemporary​ ​Jewish scholar, the late David Flusser of​ ​the​ ​Hebrew​ ​University​ ​of​ ​Comparative Studies,​ ​came to a thorough and important conclusion. He said, and I quote, ​”The​ ​truth​ ​of​ ​the​ ​matter​ ​is​ ​this, ​there​ ​is​ ​no​ ​difference​ ​between​ ​the​ ​views​ ​of​ ​Jesus​ ​toward​ ​the​ ​Torah​ ​and​ ​authentic Jewish​ ​traditions.”​ ​What makes this statement even more profound is that Professor ​Flusser was an orthodox Jew.

Jesus​ ​observed​ ​the​ ​Torah​ ​fully.​

Although Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Torah, centuries of Christian teaching has postulated quite the opposite. Regardless, he did not come to abolish, but he came to fulfill or, preferably, fill-full the Tanakh because he is God’s Word incarnate (John 1:1-2, 14). We will look at that more in a moment.

Behind this discussion and ultimately what is at stake is the identity and character of the one true God who calls Himself the Holy One of Israel. But what I want you to grasp now is that Jesus​ ​was fully​ ​observant​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Torah.

How could it be otherwise? As Paul understood it, when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the Torah, to redeem those who were under the Torah, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Gal 4:4-5). Jesus, like everyone else in his Jewish world, was obliged to​ ​keep​ ​the​ ​Torah.​ ​To​ ​break​ ​the​ ​Law​ ​was​ ​to​ ​sin.​ ​Had​ ​he​ ​sinned,​ ​he​ ​would​ ​not have​ ​been​ ​the​ ​unblemished​ ​Passover​ ​Lamb. And he would be leading others into sin. Heaven forbid!​

As​ ​Professor Flusser​ ​and​ ​other​ ​Jewish​ ​scholars​ ​have​ ​pointed​ ​out,​ ​when certain​ ​super​-​religious groups and​ ​people criticized​ ​Jesus​ ​and​ ​his​ ​disciples in the Gospels​ ​for​ ​certain​ ​actions, ​these​ ​were​ ​issues​ ​of minutia,​ ​not​ ​matters​ ​of​ ​mainstream​ ​Jewish​ ​teaching​ ​in​ ​the​ ​First​ ​Century.​

So the questions for us are: What did Jesus mean when he said he came not to abolish but to fulfill Torah? How did those listening understand what he was saying? We must get​ ​this​ ​distinction​ ​clear,​ ​because​, as we will see, ​it is​ ​a​ ​distinction​ ​that​ ​bears upon​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Apostle​ ​Paul’s​ ​ministry.

The answer is straightforward when we put the language in the context of Yeshua’s culture. There is no secret meaning to the word abolish. The Hebrew word and its Greek equivalent mean “to cancel, abolish, or destroy.” However, for​ ​at​ ​least​ ​two centuries​ ​before​ ​Jesus,​ ​it​ ​had​ ​taken​ ​on​ ​a​ unique connotation in religious discourse, particularly with the rise of the Pharisaic movement.

The ideas of abolishing and fulfilling were part of a rabbinic discussion. The idea is this: Is your interpretation faithful to the text, or are you misunderstanding,​ ​misusing, or​ ​misinterpreting​ ​the​ ​Scriptures? If you are, your teaching is misleading​ ​others.​ Reread Yeshua’s words with that in mind, and you’ll say, “OK, that makes so much sense.”

The issue was proper interpretation.

As Paul says to Timothy, his protégé: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). You can see the logic. If the teacher misinterprets the Torah, they are effectively canceling, abolishing, or even destroying it. That is a serious allegation

Jesus’ charge that “whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven” is exactly what his moralizing detractors were accusing him of doing.

Instead of abolishing, what we have in the words and deeds of Jesus is him fulfilling the Torah. Jesus is saying, “What​ ​I am​ ​teaching you here​​ ​is​ ​not​ ​a​ ​misinterpretation​, far from it. ​​I​ ​am​ ​correctly​ ​interpreting​ ​what God​ said and what He ​meant when He gave you His words of life through Moses, the Prophets, and the Writings. I am establishing the Torah on a firm foundation. It has, therefore, ongoing relevance to those in my kingdom movement.”

The problem for Paul, then, becomes, “Who is Jesus?” By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority? (Matt 21:23). The answer to that question turned Saul’s world upside down. It would knock him, literally, off his high horse.