Christ’s and the Law of Moses
The introduction to our lesson states that the
emphasis of the quarterly is the Moral Law, in other words the Ten
Commandments. But, the memory text for
last week’s seems to downplay the importance of knowing these laws. Why?
Let us read our memory text,
Romans 2:14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the
law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,
This verse says that it is
possible to do the law, without knowing the law. For the Bible student this should not come as
a surprise. As we read in Galatians 3:6, “Even as Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” The word used for righteousness in Greek is
the same word for justice. So, that the
righteous are just. The just are doers
of the law and they live by faith (Romans 1: 17; 2: 13). Now, faith comes through the hearing of the
Word (Romans 10: 17). Abraham heard
God’s word, Abraham believed it, therefore was reckoned a doer of the law. Did Abraham know the Ten Commandments? No, he did not. Abraham knew the Gospel, but not the Ten
Commandments. These were not given more
than 400 years after. It begs the
question, what Law did Abraham keep?
Even angels did not know there was a Law,
until they learned it from God. Ellen White
says,
But in heaven, service is not rendered in
the spirit of legality. When Satan rebelled against the law of Jehovah, the
thought that there was a law came to the angels almost as an awakening to
something unthought of. In their ministry the angels are not as servants, but
as sons. There is perfect unity between them and their Creator. Obedience is to
them no drudgery. Love for God makes their service a joy. So in every soul
wherein Christ, the hope of glory, dwells, His words are re-echoed, “I delight
to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Psalm 40:8. {MB
109.2}
No one will deny that the angels are
doers of the Law, but they were doers of the Law even when they did not know
there was a law. So then why was the Law
given? Paul says in Galatians,
Gal 3:19 Wherefore then serveth
the law? It was added because of transgressions, …
Here the word added has a connotation of
being spoken, declared. The word
transgression in Greek has a connotation of stepping aside the path. So, the Law is declared because of our
stepping aside the path of Christ. This
is clear in the following Ellen White’s quote,
“If man had kept the law of God, as given
to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would
have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the
descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign,
they would never have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been
necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt; they would have kept God’s
law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed
from Sinai or engraved upon the tables of stone. And had the people practiced
the principles of the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need of the
additional directions given to Moses. {PP 364.2}”
What our quarterly intends to uplift was
given because the people failed to cherish God’s covenant to them. Anytime the 10 Commandments are lifted up is
a reminder that the belief in the Covenant has been abandoned. Should we then keep the Ten Commandments or
the rest of the law hidden?
Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the
law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had
not known sin, but by the law:
for I had not known lust, except the law
had said, Thou shalt not covet.
When I was growing up a 15 year old had
to wait until he was 16 to take the driver’s license test. Should he hate the law because he is 15? Or, should he wait a few more months until he
turns 16? Even those who are displeased
with the law will likely wait until they fulfill the requirements. What does the Law require?
“The law requires righteousness,—a
righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give. He cannot
meet the claims of God's holy law. But Christ, coming to the earth as man,
lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free
gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus
they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. More
than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes of God. He builds up the human
character after the similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of
spiritual strength and beauty. Thus the very righteousness of the law is
fulfilled in the believer in Christ. God can ‘be just, and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus.’ Rom. 3:26.”—The Desire of Ages (1940), p. 762
The law is a reminder that we do not
believe God’s promises, that we are not keeping His covenant. And, it is by believing the promises that we
become righteous. Since, the righteous
are the doers of the Law, and love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13: 10),
then it follows that by believing God’s promises that we become loving.
Now, Jesus is very clear, He came to
fulfill the law (Matthew 5: 1). However,
being that Jesus is God, and therefore love, He is the fulfilling of the
law. He not only gave it or kept himself
subject to it, He fulfilled it. We need
to add here that the word Law in the New Testament refers to the books of
Moses. Jesus said that these books,
indeed Moses, spoke of Jesus (John 5:46).
The reason Jesus made Himself subject to
the Laws, is clear on Wednesday lesson.
Although, the author of our lesson uses the story to push his own
agenda. Let’s read the passage in
question,
Mat 17:24 And when they were come to
Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said,
Doth not your master pay tribute?
Mat 17:25 He saith, Yes. And when he was
come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon?
of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own
children, or of strangers?
Mat 17:26 Peter saith unto him, Of
strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
Mat 17:27 Notwithstanding, lest we should
offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that
first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece
of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
This incident was a trap to discredit Jesus
as much as was the incident with the adulterous woman. Priests and prophets did not pay the tribute. If Jesus did not pay they could accuse Jesus
of being subversive. If He paid, Jesus was
saying He what the leasers were saying of Him was true. Ellen White elaborates,
“ If Jesus had paid the
tribute without a protest, He would virtually have acknowledged the justice of
the claim, and would thus have denied His divinity. But while He saw good to
meet the demand, He denied the claim upon which it was based. In providing for
the payment of the tribute He gave evidence of His divine character. It was
made manifest that He was one with God, and therefore was not under tribute as
a mere subject of the kingdom.” (DA 434).
According to the author of our lesson
Jesus gave money to the ungodly church leaders, therefore so should we. But, Jesus did not give money from neither
Peter nor Jesus’ pocket or from the purse that Judas held (John 13: 29). . He
sent Peter to catch a fish, open the fish’s mouth take out a coin in the mouth
and give it to the tax collector. Peter could
have kept the fish to eat it. Also, the
verse tells us why Jesus gave the money, “less they be offended.” Jesus did object to giving. But, He gave anyway to not offend the
leaders, for whom He longed that they would accept Him as their Savior. Jesus expression “less they be offended,
reminds us as Paul when He wrote, to me all things are legal, but for the sake
of the weak, I refrain…” Offending the
leaders, unnecessarily, would mean to place Himself beyond a place to reveal His
love for them. Again from Ellen White,
“While
Jesus made it plain that He was under no obligation to pay the tribute, He
entered into no controversy with the Jews in regard to the matter; for they
would have misinterpreted His words, and turned them against Him. Lest He
should give offense by withholding the tribute, He did that which He could not
justly be required to do. This lesson would be of great value to His disciples.
Marked changes were soon to take place in their relation to the temple service,
and Christ taught them not to place themselves needlessly in antagonism to
established order. So far as possible, they were to avoid giving occasion for
misinterpretation of their faith. While Christians are not to sacrifice one
principle of truth, they should avoid controversy whenever it is possible to do
so.” {DA 434}
We are to prayerfully pick our
battles.