The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed… (Luke 16:16)

Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them. (Luke 16:29)

              In reading the gospels, you may have noticed that Jesus did not always get along with some of the religious leaders. Many of them did not like the way he challenged their position and power. And for his part, Jesus did not think they always practiced what they preached.

              Another area of disagreement was around the understanding of scripture. When the Bible uses the terms “law and prophets” or “Moses and the prophets,” it is referring to the heart of the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament or what Jews call the Tanakh.

              The Hebrew Bible is divided into three main sections. First, there is the Torah or the law which are the first five books in our Old Testament. Second are the prophets, books like Isaiah and Jonah but also Samuel and Kings. Third, the writings such as the Psalms or Job. When you see the phrase, “law and prophets,” it is referring to the first two sections of the Hebrew Bible.

              In Luke’s gospel, as Jesus draws closer to Jerusalem, tension with some of the Jewish leaders is growing. They keep sending people to entrap him and he keeps deftly sidestepping their traps. He also accuses the religious leaders of using the scriptures, the law and the prophets, for their own purposes rather than growing a relationship with God and working toward God’s kingdom.

              How we read and hear the Bible continues to create tension among people of faith. Jesus condemns the “hypocrites” who use the Bible to glorify themselves and control others. For his part, Jesus is constantly interpreting scripture through a lens of love and compassion, whether it’s healing on the sabbath or a proper understanding of divorce. His concern was not the letter of the law but rather a spirit of love.

              How we read and hear the scriptures matter. May they be used to build up faith as well as build up God’s kingdom of love and compassion for all.