{"id":94021,"date":"2015-09-04T00:24:38","date_gmt":"2015-09-04T07:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/?p=94021"},"modified":"2015-09-01T05:30:37","modified_gmt":"2015-09-01T12:30:37","slug":"a-reader-puzzles-about-old-testament-kosher-and-purity-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2015\/09\/a-reader-puzzles-about-old-testament-kosher-and-purity-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"A reader puzzles about Old Testament Kosher and Purity Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

She writes:<\/p>\n

I read your column http:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/blog\/mark-shea\/saved-by-christ-not-by-rules<\/a> just after hearing this Sunday\u2019s Gospel from Mark, which brought up a question I\u2019ve had for a while. As I understand it, in this passage and others Jesus basically says that the old rules of the Torah (all the dietary rules, purification, etc.) no longer apply. And of course going forward, Christians put this into practice by no longer keeping kosher, etc.<\/p>\n

But then my question is, why did God institute all of those rules in the first place? Were they an arbitrary test to see if the Jews would do whatever He told them? Thanks for your help on this,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here\u2019s a some stuff I wrote on this a while back:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.mark-shea.com\/pollution1.html<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.mark-shea.com\/pollution2.html<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.mark-shea.com\/phar.html<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.mark-shea.com\/pure.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Bottom line, as Jesus says, everything in the Law and the Prophets (including the kosher laws) is a sign pointing to him. \u00a0The purity regulations were signs pointing to spiritual impurity and its effects, as well as to our need for cleansing and healing in Christ through the power of the Spirit in the sacraments. \u00a0They were shadows and signs. \u00a0When the reality arrives, the shadows and signs pass away just as when you get to your destination, you no longer need the map.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

She writes: I read your column http:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/blog\/mark-shea\/saved-by-christ-not-by-rules just after hearing this Sunday\u2019s Gospel from Mark, which brought up a question I\u2019ve had for a while. As I understand it, in this passage and others Jesus basically says that the old rules of the Torah (all the dietary rules, purification, etc.) no longer apply. And of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-94021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-mailbag"],"yoast_head":"\nA reader puzzles about Old Testament Kosher and Purity Laws<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"She writes: I read your column http:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/blog\/mark-shea\/saved-by-christ-not-by-rules just after hearing this Sunday's Gospel from Mark,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/markshea\/2015\/09\/a-reader-puzzles-about-old-testament-kosher-and-purity-laws.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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