Central to his Sermon on the Mount with the fishermen and their families and the villagers from the surrounding seaside communities was for them to clearly understand that Jesus was not starting a new religion.

“Do not imagine for a moment that anything will change, not a ‘jot‘ or ‘tittle,’ of the Torah or the Prophets,” he says in Mt. 5:17-18.

The “jot” is the Hebrew yod, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The “tittle” is a minuscule crown crest atop the yod. In the Greek NT it’s an iota, the tiniest Greek letter. If ever there was a way to establish the absolute enduring relevance of every single word of the so-called “Hebrew” Bible, Jesus said it.

The Messiah’s sermon may be fully grounded in the Jewish scriptures, but certainly raises some serious questions.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I tell you do not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your...

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