Reinterpretation of vows Matthew 5: 33-37

by giving them a question first. The question Jesus gives also comes from Torah itself. Jesus presents the story of David when he fled from Saul, went to the Temple and asked for food as he was hungry Matthew 12: 3-4. It was against the Law as David ate the bread that should be offered to God. Jesus also presents another case from Torah that every Sabbath, the priests actually break the law as they do the offerings and eat it but the priests are not considered guilty. It is written that every Sabbath, the priest must offer to God the bread which was placed in the presence of God Leviticus 24:8. This problem is being called into question by Jesus. By asking this question, Jesus implicitly puts he himself and the disciples equal with the priests. If the priests break the Law but not considered guilty, then Jesus and his disciples are the same. Jesus adds that, human beings are not made for the Sabbath. Instead, the Sabbath is actually made for the good of human beings Mark 2:27. That is why whether David, the priests or Jesus and his disciples can eat in Sabbath for a certain reason. From what he does, Jesus gives his reinterpretation of Sabbath. Sabbath, according to Jesus, is made for human beings for the importance of human beings too. Sabbath should not be the burden for human beings. Instead, it should be very useful. That is why he heals many people in Sabbath and let his disciples eat grain in Sabbath. Jesus has his own reinterpretations of Torah. Despite the fact, he never tries to omit the moral values nor do away with it. He himself says that his presence is to make the Law of Moses, Torah, comes true Matthew 5: 17. From his comments and interpretations about the Law, it is clear that Jesus wants to widen the Jews‟ understanding about it. Jesus brings something new to the reinterpretations of Torah without replacing it with the old one which is being taught by the teachers of Law and the Pharisees for so long. It is seen in Matthew when Jesus speaks to the crowds that “The teachers of Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses‟ Law. So you must obey and follow everything they tell…Matthew 23:1-3”. This means that Jesus just wants to give some additional points that have never been taught or realized before either by the teachers of Law or by the Pharisees.

7. Reinterpretation of King: To pay tax or not Matthew 22:15-22, Mark

12:13-17, Luke 20:20-26 Regarding the king, it is obviously written in the Torah that: Be sure that the man you choose to be king is the one whom the Lord has chosen. He must be one of your own people; do not make a foreigner your king Deuteronomy 17:15-16. This means that Torah prohibits the Jews to have a foreigner king and therefore the Jews have to choose one of their own people to be their own king. Jesus himself does not obviously give his argument about having a foreigner king nor prohibit that. Concerning to this matter, Jesus has his reinterpretation about having a foreign king. In an occasion, the Jewish authorities ask Jesus whether or not the Torah allows the Jews to pay tax to the emperor. Jesus then answered “Well, then pay to the Emperor what belongs to the Emperor, and to pay to God what belongs to God Matthew 22:21, Mark 12:17, Luke 20:25”. From this statement, Jesus shows his obedience to the government. This means that as a good residence of the government, someone should support the economic system of the government by paying taxes. However, at the time of Jesus, the head of the