It is my understanding that in Biblical times it was customary for the people to come to the Rabbi. I heard that what made Jesus different is that he traveled to the people. He lived and worked among the poor. Wouldn't that give him a different view of society from the view of the more well-to-do who lived in the city?
When there were crowds of hungry people out on the plain, how were they going to ceremoniously wash their hands before eating? Jesus' mission was not to tell people to wash their hands. Instead, he spoke of love and how to treat those in their families and small communities. He had this vision of people focusing on loving one another instead of overly focusing on the law. Too many people were worried about not being able to follow the law due to their own poverty and living among Gentiles.
He taught straight from the core values of Judaism--to love God and one another and repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Meanwhile, off in Jerusalem, because of the High Priests of that time, pressure was being place on people to follow the rules and customs that would bring wealth and power to the Temple. Pay the tithes, bring the sacrifices, follow the example of Pharisees who washed, carefully observed all Sabbath rules, and ate only what was 'clean', luxuries those trapped in the dregs of poverty could not follow as much as they may have wished to.
Can you understand why Jesus said he was not there to abolish the law, but to fulfill it? What Jesus saw as crucial focus of the law was love--that everyone (even those in poverty) know God's love and His forgiveness, and that they should continue to love others as God loved them.
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