Why Jesus wore Tefflin (phylacteries)

When Jesus was being questioned by the Pharisees he was asked what the greatest commandment was and his response was the Shema. The Shema consists of several different portions of scripture from Deuteronomy and Numbers. It starts with the portion or Deuteronomy 6:4-9.“Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God the Lord is One. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart. Thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down and when thou risest up. And thou shall bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shalt be for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thy house and upon thy gates.The second paragraph of the Shema covers Deuteronomy 11:13-21 which tells the people to follow Gods commandments and he will provide and rain his blessings on them it also warns them what will happen if they turn away from his commandments, and again it expresses the importance of wearing Tafflin as a sign of your out ward appearance to show that you are following God’s commandments both to others and yourself. The third paragraph of the Shema comes from the book of Numbers 15:37-41. In this section it covers the Tallis and the requirements for fringes on the corners of your garment.In the tafflin are four passages of scripture 1) Kadesh (Exodus 13:1-10)2) VeHayah Ki Yeviacha (Exodus 13:11-16)3) The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)4) VeHayah Im Shamoa (Deuteronomy 11:13-21)In the Tafflin worn on the arm these scriptures are written on one scroll, in the tafflin worn on the head they are placed on 4 separate scrolls. This is why Jesus would have worn Tafflin when he prayed. I still am trying to understand why Christians don’t see the need to bind them for a sign upon their hands and for frontlets between thine eyes. It has been brought to my attention by a pastor friend that we are under a new contract. Ok so maybe that is true, that as Christians we don’t have to follow the same laws as the Jews who they were given to. My response is if you accept Jesus as your savior then how can you separate yourself from the Torah and its requirements of God’s commandments? If you are committed to Jesus and following him why not do as he did and follow his lead. So as Jesus told the Pharisees that the greatest of the Torah commandments is the Shema. My pastor friend also tried to tell me that these laws only apply to the Jews and not the Gentiles. Jews are still required to follow this entire covenant even if they accept Jesus as there Messiah. He also tried to explain it to me as when in Rome do as the Romans. When he goes to a Temple he wears a Tallis, when he is in a church he does not. To me this makes no sense, if you follow it in one then are you not refusing to follow it in the other by not showing the outwardly signs required in the Shema.The Articles presented here are copy written by The Light In Christ Ministry in Sherman, TX. We are a Teaching Ministry whose goals are to teach Christians about the Daily prayer life of Jesus. If you are interested in our ministry you can contact Brian Brody at 903-436-1876 or bbrody1306@aol.com.