12

THROUGHOUT THE FOUR GOSPELS , JESUS TALKS ABOUT THE LAW . SO what does he say about it? And in what ways should Jesus’ words affect how we apply the law today?

MAGNIFICATION AND MIRRORS

As a kid, I remember being fascinated by a mirror next to my mother’s sink. It was a table-stand mirror that was round and double-sided. I could swivel the mirror to switch from standard reflection to a 3x magnification. After washing my face, I’d look into the standard reflection. My face would appear clean and clear. But once I flipped the mirror, the magnified side would reveal things I hadn’t been able to see before. Flaws in my complexion that were previously concealed became highly visible in the magnified image.

Here are two examples of how Jesus spoke about the law. As you read his words, see if you can identify the ways in which he’s magnifying the dirt on the face of humanity. Even the premium law keepers of the day appear filthy in light of what the law really requires:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”

MATTHEW 5:21-22, italics added

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

MATTHEW 5:27-28, italics added

What was Jesus doing when he spoke of the law? He was amplifying it, just as the double-sided mirror magnified the blemishes on my face. Jesus was using the law to show religious leaders exactly where they stood.

We often attempt to apply directly to our lives every word Jesus said, without considering his audience and purpose. But the context of Jesus’ harsh teachings must be seen in the light of the dividing line between the Old and the New. Remember that Christ was born and lived during the Old Covenant (law) era:

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

GALATIANS 4:4-5, italics added

Jesus’ audience
was under the law.

Jesus was born under the law. His audience was under the law. And they needed deliverance from it. So what would Jesus teach about the current religious system? Would he praise his hearers for their performance? Would he leave them satisfied with the status quo? Or would he highlight their feeble attempts at keeping the law? Naturally, he’d do the latter. Otherwise, what use would his work on the cross be to them? So Jesus exposed the futility of life under law. He exclaimed, “Gouge out your eye” and “cut off your hand” if you truly want to keep the law (Matthew 5:29-30), so that his Jewish listeners would reach a crossroad. They would decide to try harder or to give up.

Which response do you think Jesus was hoping for as he swiveled the mirror so they could see their dirty faces in magnified form?

Once they gave up, they could consider a radical new way.

Jesus’ real intent might be most clear in the story of the rich young man. This man had tried his best to keep the law. Jesus looked at him and loved him. So why would Jesus point to the one thing this young man couldn’t do? Why would Jesus send him away brokenhearted?

“Teacher,” [the man] declared, “all these [commandments] I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

MARK 10:20-22

Jesus was teaching
hopelessness under
the Old.

Should we put our possessions on eBay in order to enter the kingdom? Jesus said we should, didn’t he? But this simply doesn’t jibe with New Testament teachings on salvation through faith alone. Jesus’ impossible teachings of “sell everything, sever body parts if necessary, be perfect like God and surpass the Pharisees with your righteousness” are not honestly compatible with salvation as a gift from God. Couldn’t we resolve all of this by realizing the dividing line in human history? Peter, James, John, and Paul wrote epistles about life under the New Covenant. Years earlier, Jesus was teaching hopelessness under the Old. The audience wasn’t the same. The covenant wasn’t the same. And the teachings aren’t the same.

KILLER SERMON

Barbara had been struggling with depression for more than a decade. Painful circumstances had overwhelmed her to the point where she had little hope. One day, she was watching television when our church’s half-hour program came on. Barbara listened as I told of my own battle with guilt and anxiety over performing for God.

Barbara’s struggle was so similar that she decided to call me. After we had talked together just a couple of times, Barbara began to notice some change. There was a difference in the way she felt about herself, in her perception of God, and in her overall energy level as she made her way through her day.

Barbara shared with me that reading the Bible had always been discouraging to her. There was always more to do that she wasn’t doing. “Every time I picked up the Bible, I felt like a failure,” she said.

Lately though, all of that had changed. We had examined a few dozen Scripture passages about her identity in Christ, her freedom from the law’s demands, and the boundless forgiveness she has in Christ. She told me that when she set her mind on those truths, she began to experience some relief from her debilitating depression.

But one evening, Barbara came into my office with a downcast expression again. “What happened?” I asked.

“Well, everything was fine most of the week as I was reading the verses you gave me,” she said. “But then I decided to read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. After that, I’m not sure what happened.”

“Ah, I see,” I responded. “Let me assure you that what you experienced is normal for any honest, eager child of God when they read that passage.”

Jesus’ harsh
teachings aimed
at the religious kill
you every time.

I explained the dividing line of Old and New. I told her how Jesus’ harsh teachings aimed at the religious kill you every time. Barbara began to see the distinction between what Jesus taught to Jews and what God wanted her to enjoy under the New. Her countenance lifted. Once again, truth had done its work.

One thing about distinguishing the Old from the New—it always liberates.