Jesus Was Spiritual and Religious

It is a popular claim to hear that Jesus was spiritual, not religious. On the contrary, Jesus was absolutely religious. By "religious" I mean that he adhered to, perpetuated, and lived His life in accordance with the first century Jewish religious tradition. We see this in several ways, including his theological understanding. In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus clearly states that he did not come to abolish the law, but rather to fulfill it, and not the smallest letter nor stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. The “Law” that Jesus speaks of are the Ten Commandments as well as the Mosaic Law established through the Pentateuch. The Ten Commandments specifically are the foundation of God’s covenant between Himself and the ancient Israelites and were stored in the Ark of the Covenant. If Jesus declares that he is fulfilling the Law and that not abolishing it then He is participating in that religious framework. In this case, Jesus is confirming the theology of the ancient Israelites who were then called Jews by the first century of the Common Era.

Jesus references Jewish scripture to unveil his theological position in multiple ways. In Matthew 4, Christ refuses the temptations of Satan three times and each time he references theological teachings from Jewish biblical books such as Psalms and Deuteronomy to defend his rejection. After curing a leper of his disease, Jesus instructs the leper to go offer what Moses prescribed in the temple in Matthew 8, which is perpetuating Jewish ritual and religious practice. Jesus says that John the Baptist is Elijah, which is another element of Jewish religious prophecy, and heed carefully he is saying in Matthew 11. Soon after in Matthew 13, Jesus explains that he speaks in parables because of what was written in the Old Testament scrolls of Isaiah 6. In Matthew 26, Jesus states that the scriptures must be fulfilled. These are merely a few of the theological and scriptural implications from the book of Matthew, but there are many more throughout the Gospels.

In certain instances, Jesus is explaining how to behave in a distinctly Jewish context. In Matthew 5:21-24, Jesus teaches that before making an offering at the altar, we must resolve our conflicts with one another. His teaching is specifically referencing a Jewish religious action. Christ does not condemn the action or tell the Jews to change it. He enhances the action and makes people better prepare themselves spiritually before taking part in the ritual action of worship at the altar. Jesus constantly worshiped in the temple. In the Gospel of John 2:13-17, Jesus is seen driving out the sellers and money changers from the temple. That bold action alone signifies the importance of keeping the temple holy, as is prescribed throughout the Old Testament. His embrace of systemic religious tradition qualifies as approving of theological understanding and the practice of religion.

There are loads of examples of when Jesus both affirms Jewish systemic tradition as well as initiates what would become Christian religious sacraments and institutions. Jesus commanded the apostles to go and teach all nations while baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). When asked which commandments are the most important, Jesus did not shy away and say that the commandments were merely some meaningless ecclesiastical tradition. Instead, Christ responded by saying that loving the Lord God with all our heart, soul, and mind is the first greatest commandment, love thy neighbor as thyself is the second, and upon those two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40). Jesus not once tries to rid people of religious practice, but He does aim to expand and elevate the religious and spiritual understanding.