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The Commandments of Jesus - 101
The Tie that
Binds
Jesus’
teachings, as indicated in the Beatitudes and throughout the gospels would
appear to be in conflict with, or at least be in contention with what was
taught in the Old Testament scriptures.
The use of the “you have heard it said….but I say to you” would seem to
imply that Jesus was bringing teaching that superseded or negated those
scriptures and traditions that he was referencing. To the 1st century Jewish mind
this may not have been an issue as rabbis often gave interpretations for their
generation while adhering to the underlying truth of scripture.
For
those not of Judaic descent however, the Old Testament appears to be a jumbled
story of a wrathful and inconsistent God.
As the church moved away from its original roots in Jerusalem the Old
Testament, though still key to the backstory of the gospel, remained a mystery
to those of non-Jewish descent. These
ancient writings had been introduced to Gentiles as they heard the good
news. Without the Old Testament, a large
part of that story would make little or not sense but the God described therein
was a strange and terrible one to them.
This
did not stop those who pursued this line of thinking a century or so after
Jesus had passed from the scene. Marion of Sinope was one such person. A leader
in the early church, Marcion was determined to rid the church of its archaic
mooring as no longer needed and, in fact, harmful to its future. His goals were as follows:
1. To
point out that the teachings of Jesus and the O.T. were in direct opposition.
2. To
point out the inconsistency between the vengeful, jealous God and the God who
was the Father of Jesus.
3. He
embraced the doctrine of another group deemed heretical by the church that said,
“Jesus' body was only an imitation of
a material body, and consequently denied Jesus' physical and bodily birth,
death, and resurrection.”
4. To introduce a biblical canon (group of
books) limiting to that supported his theological outlook including the Gospel
of Luke and Paul’s letters and then only the parts that he agreed with.
Quite possibly, Marcion saw his
actions were the only ones that could be taken however, if so, he would have
rejected the teaching of Jesus himself regarding the law and the God who gave
it.
So what exactly was Jesus saying when
it came to the law and it’s fulfillment, or better said, HIS fulfillment of
it? Consider this explanation from the
Expositor’s Bible Commentary:
“Observe, however, that this
statement is not at all inconsistent with what He teaches concerning the
temporary character of much of the Mosaic legislation; it simply makes it clear
that whatever passes away, does not pass by destruction, but by fulfillment-i.e., the evolution of lets
hidden life-as the bud passes into the rose. The bud is there no longer; but it
is not destroyed, it is fulfilled in the rose. So with the law as enfolded in
the Old Testament, unfolded in the New. How well fitted to inspire all thoughtful
minds with confidence must have been the discovery that the policy of the new
kingdom was to be on the lines, not of brand-new experimental legislation; but
of Divine evolution!”
The Old Testament is the blueprint out
of which the Jesus of the New Testament rises.
To believe otherwise turns people into “biblical gymnasts” that must
leap over some texts and ideas, flip over their own beliefs while balancing
their own cherished ideas on an insufficient base. Like all gymnasts, they are destined to fall
and often.
Thinking
Jesusly concerning the Old Testament requires that we see it for what it is
(God’s word) and listen to the one who teaches, explains, values and fulfills its
promises.
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