Changing the priesthood was changing more than a jot or tittle!
Evidently then, Jesus' 'jot and tittle' statement was never intended to mean that there wouldn't ever be major changes in the expected modus operandi.
Jesus Himself spoke about some changes. For example, He said that the time had come when true worshipers would no longer be required to go to Jerusalem to worship - even though the Torah had demanded it.
That was a change. A big change. More than a jot or tittle. Yet Jesus doesn't contradict Himself. See, we've got to find out what He meant by what He said - not impose our own intent on what He said.
One way to correctly apply what He said, is find out how the Apostles applied Jesus' teachings - because they knew His intentions better than any of us.
And what do we find? The Apostles didn't expect Gentile believers in Jesus to be circumcised, or to make the pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the Feasts, etc. So, they obviously understood Jesus' 'jot or tittle' statement in such a way that it didn't mean Gentiles had to literally become fully Torah Observant proselytes to Judaism!
But neither did they condone Gentiles continuing in their old pagan behaviours. Becoming Proselytes versus lawlessness - those weren't the only two available options, the way the Apostles understood Jesus and the question of the law.
See, we ought to want to grasp the story the New Testament is telling us overall. Understanding the plot of any story is never as simple as just taking a paragraph out of one section and saying 'There you go - that's the story'.
Evidently then, Jesus' 'jot and tittle' statement was never intended to mean that there wouldn't ever be major changes in the expected modus operandi.
Jesus Himself spoke about some changes. For example, He said that the time had come when true worshipers would no longer be required to go to Jerusalem to worship - even though the Torah had demanded it.
That was a change. A big change. More than a jot or tittle. Yet Jesus doesn't contradict Himself. See, we've got to find out what He meant by what He said - not impose our own intent on what He said.
One way to correctly apply what He said, is find out how the Apostles applied Jesus' teachings - because they knew His intentions better than any of us.
And what do we find? The Apostles didn't expect Gentile believers in Jesus to be circumcised, or to make the pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the Feasts, etc. So, they obviously understood Jesus' 'jot or tittle' statement in such a way that it didn't mean Gentiles had to literally become fully Torah Observant proselytes to Judaism!
But neither did they condone Gentiles continuing in their old pagan behaviours. Becoming Proselytes versus lawlessness - those weren't the only two available options, the way the Apostles understood Jesus and the question of the law.
See, we ought to want to grasp the story the New Testament is telling us overall. Understanding the plot of any story is never as simple as just taking a paragraph out of one section and saying 'There you go - that's the story'.
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