September 21, 2011

Hey Everyone,

 It’s time for me to share a struggle from my study and sermon last Sunday.  I’ve been too hard on the religious leaders of the Jewish people in the first century; particularly the Pharisees and Sadducees.  In order to personalize my feelings I’ll place my struggle in a question:  “If I were a devote law-abiding Jew in the first century would I have followed Jesus?”  Or, if you heard the message last Sunday, “Would you have followed Jesus if He turned the Tabernacle, Temple and Law on its head?”   

 Please know I believe God is sovereign, and He sent His Son as a gift to die for our sins.  Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and I believe He fulfilled every biblical  law and everything the Tabernacle and Temple stood for…but, as a result of my study, I’m sympathetic to the law-abiding Jews of Jesus’ day, and I want to give them some “air time”.  Allow me to explain.   

 God gave the Jewish people 613 laws which are documented in the Torah or first five books of the bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Deuteronomy).  Most everyone is familiar with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) but not too many are aware that God gave the Jewish people an additional 603 rules.  Some of the rules apply to the priests alone and their connection with the Tabernacle/Temple.  But for every serious Jew the keeping of the laws was most important because that was God’s desire from the start.  For example, as soon as Joshua crossed over to the Promised Land God spoke these words through Joshua to the people of Israel:  “Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Don’t let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:7-8).

 Imagine taking God’s Word to heart and being a devote Jewish follower of Yahweh; where the keeping of the law is absolutely key. Then a carpenter from Nazareth begins claiming to be God and claiming that He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17).  In addition, Jesus gave a fresh interpretation and the real intent of God’s laws.  For example, in the text we looked at last Sunday—Matthew 12:1-14—Jesus defended his disciples eating the heads of grain on the Sabbath by stating that He is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8).  I totally agree with Jesus’ interpretation, after all because of who Jesus is He has the authority to interpret the law! 

In this particular text Jesus doesn’t challenge the Sabbath law itself but rather the Pharisee’s interpretation of it.  As Messiah, Jesus authoritatively interprets every aspect of the law (see Matthew 5:17-48) and here points out the Pharisee’ blindness to the actual intent of the Sabbath—to bring rest and well-being. 

 The text above is just one example, there are other texts.  All this is to say…I’m a bit more sympathetic to the religious, law-abiding Jews of Jesus’ day and the quantum leap and adjustment before them to the true ways of God.    

 I have a lot more I could state in this blog, like the anticipation of every Jew that the Messiah would rescue them from the hands of the Romans and how Jesus had a completely different rescue plan.  But I have other duties I must attend!  So please give me your feedback and share your thoughts.    

On the Victory Side,

Dave