I base my Christian faith on the life and teachings of Jesus. Christian people have always done so—to base one’s faith on anything else removes the Christian label. We are of Christ, and following his ways forms the basis of our faith.

So what was the basis of Jesus’s teachings?

Jesus held the law given to Moses in high esteem. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished (Matthew 5:17-18).

As I read through Leviticus, I catch glimpses of what Jesus later taught. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

But surrounding these encouraging words lie laws and punishments for sin that feel harsh or out of place to my modern ears. Some I completely ignore. But if Jesus found them compelling, how can I ignore them?

I know the arguments about these laws being given to ancient Israel and that’s not us today. I eat bacon, for instance, and I’m not ready to give that up. But when I find myself flippantly skimming over these laws, or ignoring them in light of changing cultural norms, then I fear I’m not fully following the ways of Jesus.

If the least stoke of a pen (a jot or tittle in the King James Version) will not disappear—then who am I to act as if they are invisible?

Reading the scriptures and taking them seriously means wrestling with the scriptures. All of them. Many people do so, to the benefit of their faith and their communities and their journey with Jesus.

I certainly don’t have all the answers. But as I read through the Law and the Prophets and question and struggle, it helps me to remember that Jesus read and lived these long before me.

Leviticus 20 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Aaron Burden