The second reason that we don’t do what He says is that we don’t understand what He says. What Jesus said was said as a Jewish teacher to Jewish students living in the first-century Jewish world of Judea and Galilee. He taught in the language of the Jewish rabbis and teachers of His day and age. He used the same Scriptures, the same figures of speech, the same type of parables, and the same hermeneutical maneuvers as other Jewish teachers. When His words are read within the context of that type of Jewish literature, the teachings of Jesus are simple. They make solid sense. Outside of a Jewish context, not so much. - DT Lancaster, Why Do You Not Do What I Say?