In the Old Testament, the Jewish people were welcome to worship God. The Jewish people after all were the chosen ones; meant to represent God. Jesus Christ came on the scene and immediately the tables were turned forever, (no pun intended).
Many Jewish people disagreed and still disagree today that Jesus is the Messiah. The Pharisees; leaders in the Jewish law of Moses held fast to tradition, held fast to the law and it is their right to do so. The law for them, provides a framework for living a holy life. The law for many also defines who is right and who is wrong; who is in and who is out, what I can wear and what I can eat and to whom I may associate.
But while the Pharisees were holding to this law written on tablets of stone, a sect of followers in Christ went about sharing good news. The table is now open for all people to come eat and drink together. Does this mean the Pharisees are wrong? No, because the law is the law should you choose to hold to that understanding. Jesus however brought about a new understanding, one in which he himself was the fulfillment of that very law. The law would no longer be written on cold tablets of stone but rather in the warmth of our hearts.
Philip Yancey in his book “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” explains the Levitical laws this way.
“Levitical laws guarded against contagion: contact with a sick person, a Gentile, a corpse, certain kinds of animals, or even mildew and mould would contaminate a person. Jesus reversed the process: rather than becoming contaminated, he made the other person whole. The naked madman did not pollute Jesus; he got healed. The pitiful woman with the flow of blood did not shame Jesus and make him unclean; she went away whole. The twelve-year-old dead girl did not contaminate Jesus; she was resurrected.
God had “hallowed” creation by separating the sacred from the profane, the clean from the unclean. Jesus did not cancel out the hallowing principle, rather he changed its source. We ourselves can be agents of God’s holiness, for God now dwells within us.”
Good news for the Jews and Gentiles alike who choose to believe.
Jesus told his Disciples to go and share this “good news” and they went…empowered by Holy Spirit they went. They were led now by love and a compassion for people and the Bible tells us that more and more people believed. They were not beating people up with the law, they were laying down their lives for love.
Why did more and more people believe? What message did these outnumbered disciples carry that was so effective in leading people to Christ?
Good news, that’s what! Their Saviour had come, they had seen him, learned from him and were asked to carry this message to the masses.
Did miracles play a part? Sure, to some degree. The miracles however were meant to point to the real good news….the miracle maker; Christ. Now this good news wasn’t just for the few but for all people. This good news breathes life and this is the best news we could possibly receive.
Were the Pharisees still being Pharisees? Yes, they were and those who chose to remain under the law remained. Those who chose this new way were looked down upon, persecuted and rejected and yet they kept going. The good news was a driving force in the midst of chaos. Christ had come and now all people can connect with the living, loving God. No one is excluded. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.
This good news continues to spread throughout the world though truth at times has been skewed, and understanding lost, due to this conflict between law and love.
A great example of this is found in how woman were once regarded as mere property to be traded in marriage in exchange for a dowry (law).
Today, marriage is a bond of love between two people (love).
The so-called curse of Eve is broken and the acknowledgement of woman as Spirit-filled members and contributors to the Body of Christ, while still debated by some, has released many women into the life and ministry Christ ordained from the beginning.
Another example is that of the so-called curse of Ham. Ham who we read about in Genesis 9 revealed his father Noah’s nakedness and as a result Canaan (of whom Ham was the father) was cursed (Genesis 9:24-25)
“24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”
This scripture was used to condone slavery (law).
But thanks to God-fearing men like William Wilberforce and Abraham Lincoln freedom came with declarations of equality for all people regardless of the colour of their skin (love).
Again, we see that this battle continues to rage on as some hold to the old beliefs rather than embracing love. I cannot help but wonder, do they know Christ? Have they missed out on the greatest news that will free them from the bondage of fear and hate? (I digress).
Today the good news has become even stronger for woman, and people of colour but what of the LGBTIQ community.
Many people whose gender and sexual orientation differ from others are told that this good news somehow excludes them because the law says what? Don’t worship idols by having sex with them, after all that is an abomination (idolatry). Don’t sleep with someone with whom you are not actually attracted because that is unnatural?
I dare say that the LGBTIQ community is the next generation to finally be allowed to enjoy the good news of Christ. Jesus never said that people who identify differently were excluded… never said it… and yet this lie or a simple misunderstanding of scripture has been perpetuated over and over again by people who chose to use scripture to correct their fellow human beings (law).
But I am thankful to the God-fearing people who stand up and declare that hate is nowhere found in the heart of God or God’s Son, Jesus Christ. I am thankful to those who have learned from Christ that all people are created equal in the eyes of God and are equally loved. I am thankful for the hours of study that have led them to the truth (love).
We have a journey ahead of us as many continue to cling to the law. Today, however we have more good news than ever as we see the walls begin to crumble around hate and discrimination toward those perceived as “other”. The law of love is finally turning a corner as more and more people stand on the truth of God’s love for all creation.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
“1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Continue to share good news people…..someone near you needs good news!
