WATCHWORD:
17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come—it isn’t to cancel the laws of Moses and the warnings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them and to make them all come true. 18 With all the earnestness I have I say: Every law in the Book will continue until its purpose is achieved. 19 And so if anyone breaks the least commandment and teaches others to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But those who teach God’s laws and obey them shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 5:17-19
18 But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the man who says them. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile; but there is no spiritual defilement from eating without first going through the ritual of ceremonial handwashing! Matthew 15:18-20
Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by trying to keep the Jewish laws? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you heard about Christ and trusted him to save you. Galatians 3:2
Meditation:
The Law of God
Often times in Bible studies we refer to the 613 “Jewish laws” with disdain. We might do some google research and find out that one of the “laws” requires a specified sacrifice to God if your donkey gives birth to a calf. To our modern ears that sounded very dated and we reject it as a “Law of God”. There is an array of practical, everyday laws intended to clarify God’s Holy Word, that have been incorporated by well-meaning Jewish ancients. We have wasted our disdain, because the true and simple fact is that the 613 laws, along with the Commandments, are all found in God’s Holy Word.
Before Jesus was in their midst, people only related to God through the Law. It was indeed a harsh task master. The Law was an impossible bar to clear, one violation and the whole thing comes tumbling down. So, it is hard for us to understand when Jesus tells us that “it isn’t to cancel the laws of Moses…No, I came to fulfill them and to make them all come true.” Jesus also emphasizes that keeping the commandments is essential.
However, in the eyes of the Pharisees, Jesus frequently disobeyed Jewish law. They often criticized him for for allowing his disciples to eat without washing their hands, a violation of The Law. And they did have grounds for their criticism of Jesus. He did not follow the law as the Pharisees thought it should be followed. The Pharisees lived by the letter of the law!
Jesus however, lived by a different law: the law of love! Jesus followed most of the Jewish laws and customs. However, when it came to people in need of love and compassion, Jesus lived by the law of God! Yes, all the commandments are important and necessary. For Jesus, the first two commandments are the foundation for all others: love of God and love of neighbor. Love should come before all else, hand-washing included!
I would hazard a guess that in living our lives under state local and national laws, we probably have slipped a bit in obeying them by the letter of the law. Granted these are probably very small violations, but how do we have a small violation of Love the Lord your God with all your heart? Or how can you have just a slight disobedience to the commandment that we love others as we love ourselves? I would not want to live my life under strictly enforced to Jewish law. But I believe that God, a loving and forgiving Father, gently nudges us into a right relationship for those who believe. Amen.
Passage of Note:
Galatians 3, above, is Jesus’ explanation of the importance of the Law, the Commandments, and the primacy of accepting Christ in the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Faith in Christ is all that is required to be justified in God’s eyes. The Galatian Christians had believed in Jesus and began enjoying their freedom in Christ. Then a group of false teachers known as the Judaizers showed up. These men from Jerusalem agreed that it was necessary to believe in Jesus. However, they also claimed that, in order for non-Jewish people to truly be included in the family of God, all must follow the law of Moses.
A Prayer to Understand God’s Will:
Father, because You are gracious and merciful, Your will is always oriented toward our benefit. Yet, this world we live in is cast in darkness. It can be difficult to understand Your will for us. What seems to us to be good, is sometimes not. Illuminate the darkness around us, that we might understand Your will. Speak to us through Your holy word so that we might continue in our understanding. Amen.
