A Conversation from the Mount, the Mission, and the Modern Ancient Belief
Shalom, y’all! It’s been a minute (or a few lifetimes, depending on how you measure time), but I haven’t forgotten you—and I haven’t abandoned you either. I missed you, and I’m thrilled you’re back. We’re picking up right where we left off in Matthew 5, so grab your sandals, your curiosity… and maybe a little patience, because things on this Galilean hillside are about to get as crowded, exciting, and unforgettable as ever. Let’s go back in time to hear the words of the Rabbi from Galilee…3 2 1!
Here’s a smoother, more fluid version with the ideas reordered for clarity and emotional rhythm:
Imagine standing on a hillside in Galilee, surrounded by familiar faces—and countless strangers—all gathered to hear the words of a man who teaches unlike any Rabbi you’ve ever known.
One minute, you lean forward in curiosity, the next lean back, questioning. His teaching feels alive. Direct. Unfiltered. Unlike anything you’ve heard before.
Sometimes His words make you laugh:
“Did he really say that?”
Other times, they leave you scratching your head:
“Wait… what?”
And then there are moments when His words feel completely foreign—like they’re from another world.
But as you listen, something deeper begins to stir.
You realize that what He’s saying isn’t new— but it is disruptive.
It’s challenging everything you thought you knew about God, the Law, and the leaders who claim to speak in His name.
This isn’t just a sermon.
It’s a reckoning.
And you’re not just a listener.
You’re being invited into a choice.
You’re Jewish.
You love the Torah.
You’ve heard Moses read aloud every Shabbat since childhood.
Then this young Rabbi—Yeshua of Nazareth—continues to teach.
Just after he finishes his thought on Matthew 5:16, I can see him pausing for a few seconds, maybe taking a sip of water. He smiles, gazing at the sheep, takes a slow-controlled deep breath, not because he’s panicking about how it’s going to be received, but because he is in total control. He exhales slowly, turning to the religious leaders, he continues:
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets…” (Matthew 5:17)
Why would He say that unless some people might think He was abolishing it?
And if that wasn’t His mission, then what was?
Before we jump to modern interpretations, it helps to stay in that moment and hear His words the way His original audience would have.
Hearing Matthew 5 Through First-Century Ears
Yeshua continues:
“…I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”
Today, many are taught that “fulfill” means “end,” “cancel,” or “replace.”
But would any first-century Jew—steeped in Hebrew thought—hear it that way?
Let’s think it through.
If “fulfill” meant “end,” why would Yeshua immediately warn His disciples not to relax even the least commandment?
“Whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments… shall be called least in the Kingdom.” (Matthew 5:19)
That’s not the language of cancellation.
That’s the language of commitment, clarity, and proper interpretation.
In Hebrew thought, to fulfill (מלא / maleh) means to fill something up with meaning, to live it out correctly, to teach it rightly.
Rabbis even used the phrase “destroying the Torah” to describe misinterpreting it—and “fulfilling the Torah” to describe teaching it accurately.
Yeshua wasn’t launching a new religion.
He was calling Israel back to covenant faithfulness.
Torah, Salvation, and a False Divide
Here’s where modern confusion often enters.
Many Christians today hear something like:
“If you keep the Torah, you’re trying to earn salvation.”
But pause for a moment.
When has obedience ever been the method of salvation?
Israel was redeemed from Egypt before Sinai.
The commandments came after salvation—not as a way to earn it.
Torah was never a ladder to heaven.
It was always a path of discipleship.
Yeshua Himself says:
“Salvation is of the Jews.” (John 4:22)
Not from the Jews.
Not despite Moses.
But through the covenant God made with Israel.
And when someone asked Yeshua how to inherit life, He didn’t say, “Ignore Moses.”
He said:
“If you wish to enter life, keep the commandments.” (Matthew 19:17)
And the commandments He quoted?
The ones given through Moses.
Paul Steps Into the Conversation
Fast-forward a few decades.
Paul is teaching Messiah Yeshua across the Roman world.
Gentiles are coming to faith.
Tensions rise.
Rumors spread.
Some accuse Paul of rejecting the Torah.
But Paul responds clearly:
“I believe everything laid down by the Law and the Prophets.” (Acts 24:14)
And again:
“Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” (Romans 3:31)
So why do Paul’s letters get used today to argue the opposite?
If Paul believed Moses was obsolete, why did he continue living as a Torah-observant Jew?
Paul wasn’t fighting Torah.
He was fighting the idea that Torah could replace faith.
He opposed legalism—not obedience.
The problem was never the commandments.
The problem was using them as a system of salvation instead of a response to salvation.
Then vs. Now
Let’s compare three snapshots in history:
Yeshua on the Mount
Torah is affirmed, clarified, and deepened.
Paul among the Nations
Torah is defended against misuse, while salvation is proclaimed through Messiah.
Modern Teaching
Torah is often dismissed as bondage, legalism, or irrelevant.
So we have to ask:
When did obedience become the enemy of grace?
When did discipleship get rebranded as “earning salvation”?
It’s ironic:
Yeshua and Paul pushed back against man-made traditions, yet modern theology often replaces God’s commandments with man-made doctrines about what obedience supposedly means.
Encounter, Discover, Interpret, Follow, Yield
Encounter Yeshua as He truly was—a Jewish Rabbi teaching within His own covenant world.
Discover that Torah was never abolished. It was misunderstood, misapplied, and sometimes misrepresented.
Interpret Paul through Paul’s own words, not through isolated verses or inherited assumptions.
Follow God’s commandments not out of fear or obligation, but out of love, loyalty, and faithfulness.
Yield neither to legalism nor to lawlessness.
Yield to the Messiah who walked out the Torah perfectly and invites His disciples to walk as He walked.
A Final Question for Reflection
If Yeshua didn’t abolish the Torah…
If Paul upheld Moses and the Prophets…
And if obedience was never about earning salvation…
Maybe the real question isn’t whether Torah is relevant.
Maybe the real question is whether we’re willing to be true disciples instead of comfortable believers.
“Whoever does and teaches them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)
Call to Action
If this stirred something in you—don’t let it fade.
Go back to the Scriptures.
Read Yeshua’s words with fresh eyes.
Revisit Paul without the filters of tradition.
Ask the hard questions.
And most importantly—take the next step toward living out the faith the way Yeshua actually taught it.
Your discipleship journey starts with one choice:
Will you follow Him as He truly is?
Torah Road 