Why did Jesus come to earth? I’m sure we can think of many reasons, for example, He came to seek and to save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10) He came to fulfil the Law and the Prophets. (Matt 5:17-20) He came to serve. He came to reveal the Father. And so on, and so on.
But did He come to “keep” anything?
Jesus was born and raised a Jew. He was circumcised, presented at the Temple. He took part in the Jewish festivals. There is very little said in the Scriptures about the “missing years”, from when he was small up until He started His public mission. It doesn’t take much reading between the lines to see that He was educated, and also He was called Rabbi.
Boys started education at an early age, and the Torah was a very big part of that learning. The Jews after all had been set apart from the whole earth by God, and had been given the law of Moses shortly after they left Egypt. The law of Moses was found in the Torah, which consisted of the Pentateuch and the Oral Torah, which is now embodied in the Talmud and Midrash. Depending on the age of the child and the circumstances they would also be learning the family trade. Jesus certainly learned a trade, and became a carpenter (Mark 6:3)
The Jews of that time observed the rules and regulations of the Torah. The ten commandments were not mentioned in the New Testament at all, except for the reference to them by Paul as the ministry of death. The ten commandments were the words of the covenant (Deut 4:13). To the Jews, they were/are a summary of the whole law of Moses. If you like, they are the ten categories. There is no separation between the ten, and the whole law. This separation is a “modern” construct, being brought in by the Roman Catholic church.
Jesus then went on to upset the Pharisees by “breaking” the Sabbath. This is recorded in several places in the Gospels, and Matthew 12 explains how He could “break” the Sabbath and be guiltless, like the priests who sacrificed on the Sabbath. If anyone has read the list of the priestly work load! My goodness! They must have been exhausted! Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath. Lord EVEN of the Sabbath. This does not mean He was subject to the rules. He was LORD! He was not bound by its rules!
He was also given a task not given to any of us. To be the sacrificial Lamb. To atone for us. To redeem us. To save us from the wrath of God. No wonder he sweated blood.
So did He come to “keep” anything? No! He came to fulfil! He came to save! Redeem! Atone! Seek and save! Reveal the Father! Serve! I’m sure you can insert a few more…
And He certainly did not come to “keep” the ten commandments….
Light of Christ 