Have you ever noticed how rules are meant to enhance your relationship. When we know the rules we are able to honour who we are trying to be in relationship with. Sometimes the rules are given by God, some by society, some by the other person, and some we decide upon mutually. Rule are not meant to be oppressive yet if we miss use the rules, they can be. Also, if we focus more on the rules than on the relationship, like merely trying to follow the rules to make yourself look good, then the rules become empty of value because you are trying harder to have a relationship with the rules than with the other person or with God.
In the Ten Commandments God tells us how to be in relationship with Himself and with others and Jesus follows through with these rules. What we might find different is that as we see Jesus following through with these commandments and at times challenging the Pharisees’ idea of how people were to live out the rules, Jesus shows us the depth of relationship in the rules and how they bring people together with God and with each other. In Jesus we see God reaching out into people’s lives and bringing them closer to Himself, instead of allowing people to continue to push them away. Jesus reaches out within the rules and brings life and renew, hope and love, without sinning, in so doing, He shows us how things are meant to be, breaking with the broken status quo.