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It's interesting that the death penalty for a variety of non-homocide crimes (cursing one's parents, picking up sticks on the Sabbath, bridal non-virginity, etc.) in practice has been repealed, and its restoration has little or no support among contemporary religious Jews or Christians. There seems to be a development of doctrine here--- unless I am mistaken.

That is an interesting question. Jesus discusses aspects of this very question at one point.

Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying... `He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say..." Mat. 15:3-4

"For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men..." [Jesus] said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say..." Mark 7:8-11

I will leave you/me to ponder a few points. Was Christ ashamed of his father's commandments? Are we to be embarrassed that such laws exist/existed at all? Is there wisdom in such commandments (not just for murder, but for cursing one's parents)? I personally know I would at one time would of been guilty of death under this very commandment. Does that cloud my judgement, knowing that perhaps I am guilty? Did cursing one's parents mean out loud and publicly or in one's heart (as adultery)?

I was thinking about your question of whether Jesus was ashamed of His Father's commandments. I say no.

When you look at the section of the Gospel of Matthew known as "The Six Antitheses" (Matthew 5:21-48) I think you can see the general trend: that Christ fulfills everything --- fills them up to their full meaning --- in ways that look contradictory, but are not.

It is only with Christ that I can with any profit read the OT ---seriously! --- because I believe that Jesus is the true point of every lesson, the way through the maze, the inner meaning of every OT law. And when there are things that look obscure or difficult (and frankly, that's a lot of it), it is Jesus who has, or rather, who IS, the true interpretation.

I really think Jesus is the only "lens" that makes sense of the OT. What would I do without Him? I would be an agnostic at best. I could not be a believer without Him.

The OT teachings were (by God's intent) gradual, partial, fragmentary ---and in the limited minds of mortal men, garbled. They never reached their true meaning, their true articulation, until Christ.

The book of Hebrews discusses he replacement of the Levite priesthood with the priesthood of Christ. And then it says,

"For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also....The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God."