1. Jesus the Authoritative Rabbi
By: Abraham Tekle and David de Leon

2. What does this mean?
As a rabbi, Jesus interprets and teaches Jewish Law.
Jesus even uses some parables to teach these laws.
Jesus is seen as a Rabbi when he is debating with the Pharisees and Sadducees. Often they misinterpret Jewish Law.

3. Rabbi Jesus’ Exegesis Teaching about Anger:
Rabbi Jesus teaches that one whose anger can lead to killing should seek reconciliation.
Teaching about Revenge:
Jesus teaches that instead of seeking revenge, come up with a new solution and “turn the other cheek.” This means not to resist and make your enemy your equal.

4. Other Laws Teaching about Adultery:
Rabbi Jesus uses humor to explain how you should respect women in society by avoiding lustful thoughts or actions.
Teaching about Divorce:
Jesus teaches that without the commitment of your spouse, you may lead to adultery.

5. Hate and Prejudice Teaching about Hate:
Rabbi Jesus teaches that you should love all those who are against you as you would love those close to you.
Teaching about Prejudice:
Jesus teaches that we should respect others regardless of occupation or social status.

6. Oaths and Truth-Telling
Teaching about Oaths:
Jesus teaches that we should not create false oaths or “promises”, especially on the things that we don’t control. Instead, we should always keep true the words that we say.

7. Parables Mustard Seed Yeast Weeds Among the Wheat
Jesus uses these parables to teach about the Kingdom of Heaven. The seed and the yeast show how the Kingdom grows with the right kind of care, and the weeds represent the people that make the Kingdom worse.

8. So How Do These Correlate?
In ancient Judaism, a Rabbi was a teacher of the Torah. Though Jesus did not always teach from the Temple, he was a teacher of the Torah. A common theme in Matthew is the misunderstanding of Jewish Law. Jesus conquers all of the laws with authority. He takes on any question and always knows what he’s talking about.