Reading this long passage of law from Leviticus and then hearing Jesus debate the Pharisees might be a bit confusing. It almost seems like Jesus is just debating law, which might also seem to validate the law as the best and only way. First of all, remember that Jesus didn’t come to destroy the law. He came to fulfill it. He came to give life to the law. In this case, though, he isn’t among a friendly audience. The Pharisees are out to use the finer points of the law as a cudgel, looking only to accuse. Ideally, Jesus would have been giving life to the law, but these guys aren’t on that page at all. So Jesus meets them where they are, trying to make them see that the law only convicts everyone. Once they get that right, they might be ready to hear how life comes into the picture.