33 Bible Verses about Law, Jesus Christ's Attitude To

So the Pharisees and Scribes put the question to Him: "Why do your disciples transgress the traditions of the Elders, and eat their food with unclean hands?"

"Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the Elders by not washing their hands before meals?"

"Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites," He replied; "as it is written, "'This People honour Me with their lips, while their hearts are far away from Me: But idle is their devotion while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.' "You neglect God's Commandment: you hold fast to men's traditions."

Hypocrites! well did Isaiah prophesy of you, "'This is a People who honour Me with their lips, while their heart is far away from Me; but it is in vain they worship Me, while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.'"

For Moses said, 'Honour thy father and thy mother' and again, 'He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.' But *you* say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, It is a Korban (that is, a thing devoted to God) And so you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or mother,read more.
thus nullifying God's precept by your tradition which you have handed down. And many things of that kind you do."

"Why do you, too," He retorted, "transgress God's commands for the sake of your tradition? For God said, 'Honour thy father and thy mother'; and 'Let him who reviles father or mother be certainly put to death'; but you--this is what you say: 'If a man says to his father or mother, That is consecrated, whatever it is, which otherwise you should have received from me--read more.
he shall be absolved from honouring his father'; and so you have abrogated God's Word for the sake of your tradition.

Then Jesus addressed the crowds and His disciples. "The Scribes," He said, "and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses. Therefore do and observe everything that they command you; but do not imitate their lives, for though they tell others what to do, they do not do it themselves.read more.
Heavy and cumbrous burdens they bind together and load men's shoulders with them, while as for themselves, not with one finger do they choose to lift them. And everything they do they do with a view to being observed by men; for they widen their phylacteries and make the tassels large, and love the best seats at a dinner party or in the synagogues, and like to be bowed to in places of public resort, and to be addressed by men as 'Rabbi.' "As for you, do not accept the title of 'Rabbi,' for one alone is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no one on earth your Father, for One alone is your Father--the Heavenly Father. And do not accept the name of 'leader,' for your Leader is one alone--the Christ. He who is the greatest among you shall be your servant; and one who exalts himself shall be abased, while one who abases himself shall be exalted. "But alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you lock the door of the Kingdom of the Heavens against men; you yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow those to enter who are seeking to do so. No translation "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you scour sea and land in order to win one convert--and when he is gained, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves. "Alas for you, you blind guides, who say, "'Whoever swears by the Sanctuary it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the Sanctuary, is bound by the oath.' "Blind fools! Why, which is greater? --the gold, or the Sanctuary which has made the gold holy? And you say, "'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering lying on it is bound by the oath.' "You are blind! Why, which is greater? --the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy? He who swears by the altar swears both by it and by everything on it; he who swears by the Sanctuary swears both by it and by Him who dwells in it; and he who swears by Heaven swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay the tithe on mint, dill, and cumin, while you have neglected the weightier requirements of the Law--just judgement, mercy, and faithful dealing. These things you ought to have done, and yet you ought not to have left the others undone. You blind guides, straining out the gnat while you gulp down the camel! "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you wash clean the outside of the cup or dish, while within they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first wash clean the inside of the cup or dish, and then the outside will be clean also. "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are just like whitewashed sepulchres, the outside of which pleases the eye, though inside they are full of dead men's bones and of all that is unclean. The same is true of you: outwardly you seem to the human eye to be good and honest men, but, within, you are full of insincerity and disregard of God's Law. "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you repair the sepulchres of the Prophets and keep in order the tombs of the righteous, and your boast is, "'If we had lived in the time of our forefathers, we should not have been implicated with them in the murder of the Prophets.' "So that you bear witness against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the Prophets. Fill up the measure of your forefathers' guilt. O serpents, O vipers' brood, how are you to escape condemnation to Gehenna? "For this reason I am sending to you Prophets and wise men and Scribes. Some of them you will put to death--nay, crucify; some of them you will flog in your synagogues and chase from town to town; that all the innocent blood shed upon earth may come on you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Berechiah whom you murdered between the Sanctuary and the altar. I tell you in solemn truth that all these things will come upon the present generation.

Moreover in the course of His teaching He said, "Be on your guard against the Scribes who like to walk about in long robes and to be bowed to in places of public resort, and to occupy the best seats in the synagogues and at dinner parties,

Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to the disciples, "Beware of the Scribes, who like to walk about in long robes, and love to be bowed to in places of public resort and to occupy the best seats in the synagogues or at a dinner party;

One Sabbath He was walking through the wheatfields when His disciples began to pluck the ears of wheat as they went. So the Pharisees said to Him, "Look! why are they doing what on the Sabbath is unlawful?"

About that time Jesus passed on the Sabbath through the wheatfields; and His disciples became hungry, and began to gather ears of wheat and eat them. But the Pharisees saw it and said to Him, "Look! your disciples are doing what the Law forbids them to do on the Sabbath."

Now on the second-first Sabbath while He was passing through the wheatfields, His disciples were plucking the ears and rubbing them with their hands to eat the grain. And some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what the Law forbids on the Sabbath?"

For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath." Departing thence He went to their synagogue, where there was a man with a shrivelled arm. And they questioned Him, "Is it right to cure people on the Sabbath?" Their intention was to bring a charge against Him.

"The Son of Man," He added, "is Lord of the Sabbath also." On another Sabbath He had gone to the synagogue and was teaching there; and in the congregation was a man whose right arm was withered. The Scribes and the Pharisees were on the watch to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath that they might be able to bring an accusation against Him.

Then He asked them, "Are we allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil? to save a life, or to destroy one?" They remained silent.

Then Jesus said to them, "I put it to you all whether we are allowed to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil; to save a life, or to destroy it."

"Which of you is there," He replied, "who, if he has but a single sheep and it falls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Is not a man, however, far superior to a sheep? Therefore it is right to do good on the Sabbath."

Once He was teaching on the Sabbath in one of the synagogues where a woman was present who for eighteen years had been a confirmed invalid: she was bent double, and was unable to lift herself to her full height. But Jesus saw her, and calling to her, He said to her, "Woman, you are free from your weakness."read more.
And He put His hands on her, and she immediately stood upright and began to give glory to God. Then the Warden of the Synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured her on a Sabbath, said to the crowd, "There are six days in the week on which people ought to work. On those days therefore come and get yourselves cured, and not on the Sabbath day." But the Lord's reply to him was, "Hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his bullock or his ass from the stall and lead him to water? And this woman, daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan had bound for no less than eighteen years, was she not to be loosed from this chain because it is the Sabbath day?" When He had said this, all His opponents were ashamed, while the whole multitude was delighted at the many glorious things continually done by Him.

"Do not for a moment suppose that I have come to abrogate the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abrogate them but to give them their completion.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' But I tell you that whoever looks at a woman and cherishes lustful thoughts has already in his heart become guilty with regard to her.

Solemnly I tell you that until Heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or smallest detail will pass away from the Law until all has taken place. Whoever therefore breaks one of these least commandments and teaches others to break them, will be called the least in the Kingdom of the Heavens; but whoever practises them and teaches them, he will be acknowledged as great in the Kingdom of the Heavens.

Then an expounder of the Law stood up to test Him with a question. "Rabbi," he asked, "what shall I do to inherit the Life of the Ages?" "Go to the Law," said Jesus; "what is written there? how does it read?" "'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,'" he replied, "'with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole strength, and thy whole mind; and thy fellow man as much as thyself.'"read more.
"A right answer," said Jesus; "do that, and you shall live."

"'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,'" He answered, "'with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole mind.' This is the greatest and foremost Commandment. And the second is similar to it: 'Thou shalt love thy fellow man as much as thyself.'

"The chief Commandment," replied Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole mind, and thy whole strength.' "The second is this: 'Thou shalt love thy fellow man as thou lovest thyself.' "Other Commandment greater than these there is none."read more.
So the Scribe said to Him, "Rightly, in very truth, Rabbi, have you said that He stands alone, and there is none but He; and To love Him with all one's heart, with all one's understanding, and with all one's strength, and to love one's fellow man no less than oneself, is far better than all our whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices." Perceiving that the Scribe had answered wisely Jesus said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." No one from that time forward ventured to put any question to Him.

But he, desiring to justify himself, said, "But what is meant by my 'fellow man'?" Jesus replied, "A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell among robbers, who after both stripping and beating him went away, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be going down that way, and on seeing him passed by on the other side.read more.
In like manner a Levite also came to the place, and seeing him passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, being on a journey, came where he lay, and seeing him was moved with pity. He went to him, and dressed his wounds with oil and wine and bound them up. Then placing him on his own mule he brought him to an inn, where he bestowed every care on him. The next day he took out two shillings and gave them to the innkeeper. "'Take care of him,' he said, 'and whatever further expense you are put to, I will repay it you at my next visit.' "Which of those three seems to you to have acted like a fellow man to him who fell among the robbers?" "The one who showed him pity," he replied. "Go," said Jesus, "and act in the same way."

The Law and the Prophets continued until John came: from that time the Good News of the Kingdom of God has been spreading, and all classes have been forcing their way into it.

Now His parents used to go up year by year to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old they went up as was customary at the time of the Feast, and, after staying the full number of days, when they started back home the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not discover this,read more.
but supposing Him to be in the travelling company, they proceeded a day's journey. Then they searched up and down for Him among their relatives and acquaintances; but being unable to find Him they returned to Jerusalem, making anxious inquiry for Him. On the third day they found Him in the Temple sitting among the Rabbis, both listening to them and asking them questions, while all who heard Him were astonished at His intelligence and at the answers He gave. When they saw Him, they were smitten with amazement, and His mother said to Him, "My child, why have you behaved thus to us? Your father and I have been searching for you in anguish." "Why is it that you have been searching for me?" He replied; "did you not know that it is my duty to be engaged upon my Father's business?" But they did not understand the significance of these words. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was always obedient to them; but His mother carefully treasured up all these incidents in her memory.

Just at that time Jesus, coming from Galilee to the Jordan, presents Himself to John to be baptized by him. John protested. "It is I," he said, "who have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" "Let it be so on this occasion," Jesus replied; "for so we ought to fulfil every religious duty." Then he consented;

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led about by the Spirit in the Desert for forty days, tempted all the while by the Devil. During those days He ate nothing, and at the close of them He suffered from hunger. Then the Devil said to Him, "If you are God's Son, tell this stone to become bread."read more.
"It is written," replied Jesus, "'It is not on bread alone that a man shall live.'" The Devil next led Him up and caused Him to see at a glance all the kingdoms of the world. And the Devil said to Him, "To you will I give all this authority and this splendour; for it has been handed over to me, and on whomsoever I will I bestow it. If therefore you do homage to me, it shall all be yours.' Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'To the Lord thy God thou shalt do homage, and to Him alone shalt thou render worship.'" Then he brought Him to Jerusalem and caused Him to stand on the roof of the Temple, and said to Him, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, He will give orders to His angels concerning thee, to guard thee safely;' and 'On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest at any moment thou shouldst strike thy foot against a stone.'" The reply of Jesus was, "It is said, 'Thou shalt not put the Lord they God to the proof.'" So the Devil, having fully tried every kind of temptation on Him, left Him for a time.

When the day of the Unleavened Bread came--the day for the Passover lamb to be sacrificed-- Jesus sent Peter and John with instructions. "Go," He said, "and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it."

Going forward a short distance He fell on His face and prayed. "My Father," He said, "if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou willest."

Going forward a short distance He threw Himself upon His face and prayed repeatedly that, if it was possible, He might be spared that time of agony; and He said, "Abba! my Father! all things are possible for Thee: take this cup of suffering away from me: and yet not what I desire, but what Thou desirest."

But He Himself withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed repeatedly, saying, "Father, if it be Thy will, take this cup away from me; yet not my will but Thine be done!"