Jesus frequently faced off with the Pharisees about how to understand and apply the Old Testament law.

In Matthew 12 they accused Him of endorsing law-breaking when His disciples, on the Sabbath, picked and ate heads of grain.

Jesus reminded them of two OT illustrations of apparent law-breaking which obviously were not: the priests’ Temple service on the Sabbath and David and company when they ate the consecrated bread.

Jesus’ stunning claim to be “the Lord of the Sabbath” and hence qualified to interpret (or change) the law was followed by the OT’s elevation of mercy above sacrifice in keeping the law.

Then, in the synagogue, still on the Sabbath, Jesus healed a man’s “shriveled hand” and confronted the Pharisee’s hypocritical questioning of the legality of healing on the Sabbath. He put them on the spot by asking if they would rescue one of their sheep if it fell in a pit on the Sabbath. I wonder if He knew that one of them had made such a rescue on that very Sabbath day.

In addition to exposing their skewed values (a sheep is more important than a man) formed by greedy self-interest, Jesus proclaimed a very instructive principle: “Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Here’s my takeaway: If how I understand and apply the OT violates God’s character and prioritization of mercy, then I have not correctly understood the OT.

Perhaps this apparent hermeneutical principle should be applied in other OT passages which seem, on the surface, to create a moral conundrum, or seem contradictory to what I have learned from the teachings of Jesus and the NT. A correct interpretation should always display God’s mercy.

Similarly, if some interpretation of the OT is incompatible with the character of Jesus, the perfect revelation of God (Colossians 2:15, 19), with the principle of love for God and neighbor, on which Jesus said that all the law and prophets depended (Matthew 22:40), and with the Golden Rule (do to others as you would have them do to you) because it sums up the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12), then I must assume that I do not have the correct interpretation.

Therefore, as I study the Old Testament, I must view it through these lenses and be sure my interpretation is compatible with them: (1) the character and teachings of Jesus, (2) the law of love–for God and neighbor, and (3) the Golden Rule.