legalism

The greatest commandment

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“You are not far from the kingdom of heaven.” Mark 12:28-34

Now a scribe comes with a question for Jesus. He seems to have a different approach as Mark tells us he had been listening as the others asked their questions. He readily saw that Jesus had answered well. The scribes were the theologians. They were experts at interpreting the scriptures, so he asks a scripture-based question: “Which is the greatest commandment?”

Jesus answers without hesitation, “The first: The Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” But then Jesus implies that this is not enough. There needs to be more to make the command complete: “You must also love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

The scribe responds, “You have spoken well,” agreeing with his synopsis. “Such love is greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Jesus saw that he spoke thoughtfully, “You are not far from the kingdom of heaven.”

Note that Mark mentions what the scribe thought of Jesus’ previous answers. How did he know this? Mark was not there and the scribe does not reveal his reasoning. Could he have been one of those Jewish leaders who later came to the Lord and believed on him? We do not know for sure, but it is nice to think that he might have. Such is the hope of the gospel. None are excluded, no matter what their previous state had been.

The answer of Jesus is deceptively simple. The scribe’s question boils down to this: “What must a person do to please God?” or, “What must I do to be saved?” It is easy to learn phrases and pat answers and then parrot them back when the subject comes up. It is a much different thing to actually live it. Which commandment would you choose? Would you pick one you thought no one could ever catch you breaking? Or one that God would pick?

The one Jesus picked is harder than it first appears. What does it mean to love the Lord with all your “heart, soul, mind and strength”? Does he really mean all of my affection, desires, thoughts and activity should be directed at him? How is that even possible? I think we all know, either by trying or by wishing, that none of us could even begin to achieve this kind of sustained devotion. That is the point of this and all Law. None of us are able. Our best and only response is to throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus and beg for his mercy. Only through his help and strength can we start to become the people God intends us to be.

Ins and outs

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“Why do your disciples not walk according to…” Mark 7:1-8

The scribes and Pharisees again come out from Jerusalem to take another look at Jesus and his teachings. They readily observed that the disciples were eating with unwashed hands. And their implication was that Jesus was negligent for not requiring them to do so.

This time their complaint seems incredibly picky to us, but to them it was of tremendous importance. They do not mean that the disciples were eating with dirty hands, but that they had not followed the prescribed ritual to rid themselves of all unholy contamination caused by contact with the outside world. The Jews were well known for their slavish devotion to this tradition, which not only including washing their hands up to the wrists but extended also to cups, pots and pans. And tradition it was. The Law never required such cleansing. But their traditions were held in such regard that they even superseded the law of God.

Jesus is quick to point this out. He quotes from the respected prophet Isaiah, saying that these religious leaders were hypocrites (play actors), portraying themselves as something they were not. They knew which words to say about just about everything, but their hearts were not in tune with God and the intent of His word. Further, their worship was self-serving and of no worth to God because they exalted the ideas and commands of men above even what God had to say.

We may wonder what all the fuss was about, but then we have enjoyed a couple of thousand years of freedom in Christ. But that does not mean our lives as Christians have not been impacted by the pronouncements of religious leaders and organizations above and beyond what God requires. The pressure to define who’s “in” and who’s “out” permeates even our Christian society. However, we humans lack the resources to judge even those most like ourselves.

The trick is to keep in mind who you are trying to please. If it is a person, the rules may well change with every person you happen to meet. If it is God, rest assured He will look past your outward appearance and actions and examine your heart, seeing what you are really about.

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

Watching and waiting

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“And they were watching Him… in order that they might accuse Him.” Mark 3:1-6

Jesus came into a synagogue. There was a man there with a withered hand. Why was he there? Mark makes it plain that he was to be the point of focus.

The Pharisees were also there. They were intently watching Jesus with a single purpose: to see if he would heal the man. Are they hoping to see a miracle that would end this man’s suffering? Are they joyous over the prospect that he would be made whole?

No. They want to accuse Jesus if He dares to heal the man on the Sabbath.

Jesus’ first concern is the man, but he also needs to make sure the Pharisees understand the depravity of what they are about. He calls the man forward, saying to the Pharisees, ” Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save life or to kill?” They remain silent. To engage him would make it evident to everyone there that they were clearly in the wrong.

Jesus is angered by their callous silence. He is grieved by the hardness of their heart, their stubborn, willful resistance to God, their self-importance and pride. He presses forward despite them.

He tells the man to stretch out his hand. He does, displaying the first act of obedience and faith in this scene. His hand is fully restored. If jubilant rejoicing spontaneously broke out, Mark does not record it.

In fact, he notes just the opposite. The Pharisees have now seen what they came to see – a gross violation of their rules for the Sabbath. Without hesitation, they get up and leave to begin plotting to destroy Jesus. They meet with the Herodians, who they would otherwise have nothing to do with. But they would be helpful against One who was becoming too popular and too much in demand by the people, thereby destabilizing the system of power they had become comfortable with.

So what is the answer? To do good, or to do harm? To save life or to kill? Mark trusts his readers to draw the proper conclusion.

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

Grain pickin’ disciples

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“See here, why are they doing…” Mark 2:23-28

How picky can you get? Jesus and his disciples were passing a field of grain. Some of the disciples were picking the heads of grain as they went by. Luke adds that they were rubbing the husks off in their hands and eating the kernels. Here’s the kicker: any other day this would have been fine. But this was the Sabbath!

The Pharisees immediately complained to Jesus. They were well known for their zeal for the nitty gritty details of Jewish law and tradition, but this was bordering on the ridiculous. First, it was not unlawful to gather a few heads of grain, even if the field did not belong to you. Second, it wasn’t wrong to eat on the Sabbath. So the Pharisees call a technical foul: picking was essentially reaping; rubbing the husks would be threshing. Both were defined as work. And work of any kind was prohibited on the Sabbath.

Jesus counters them by citing the example of David, who fed himself and his men with the consecrated bread reserved for the priests. It was for the priests alone. But because of his need and hunger, David was allowed to take the bread and eat it. Jesus’ point is that the Sabbath was made for man’s benefit, not the other other way around.

The Sabbath was to be a holiday from the toils and cares of everyday life. It’s purpose was to provide time for rest and worship. Instead the Pharisees had folks worrying about exerting too much energy or violating some infinitesimal point of religious tradition. Jesus asserts his Lordship over the Sabbath and restores it as a day of mercy and peace, a time of restful devotion to God.

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

To fast or not

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“…they cannot fast… they will fast…” Mark 2:18-22

Confused? Some people were beginning to feel that way. Jesus was exciting to hear and watch but he was trampling on some long-time customs and traditions. So they came to see Jesus and asked, “John’s disciples fast regularly. Who could help but notice that the Pharisees fast (they might as well put it on Facebook)! So why don’t your disciples fast?”

Jesus responded that fasting should be occasional. That is, it was appropriate in certain situations, not because of a date on the calendar. It would be unreasonable for wedding guests to weep and fast in the presence of the bridegroom. So long as Jesus was present with his disciples, it was an occasion for celebration. Soon, he would be taken from them. Then fasting will be appropriate.

Religious practices can be very helpful. But when they become routine or separated from their intended meaning and use, they become just so much fluff. Imposing a fast during a time of great joy would be as ludicrous as using new cloth to patch an old garment, or to put fresh wine in an old, stiff wineskin. The garment will be torn again when the new patch shrinks in the wash. The wine will be spilt and lost when the old skin bursts during fermentation.

Jesus is not offering helpful hints to seamstresses and li’l ol’ winemakers. He speaks of our religious observances. Is he saying to abandon all our old ways and replace them with something new? I don’t think so. He did not condemn fasting. He only asked that it be done appropriately. To throw out an old but serviceable garment would be wasteful when it needs only a minor repair. To discard old wine simply because new wine is available is to miss out on the beneficial effects that aging brings.

Fasting and other religious ceremonies and rituals can be important spiritual tools when used to meet appropriate needs and circumstances. We are not to prevent their use; neither are we to impose them indiscriminately on those who may not understand them.

Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley

Deal with… who?

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“If you call on the Father…” In other words, when you pray, you need to keep in mind who you are dealing with. We can easily slip into the trap of thinking that something about us, what we do or say or what we give, somehow gets us in good with God.

None of this commands God’s attention when it comes to redemption. God sees all things and judges each man’s work and motives fairly and indiscriminately. Do you really want to place your soul before God on the basis of such things?

Rather, the basis for our salvation is what God has done through the giving of his Son as a sacrificial Lamb to remove forever the stain of our sin. Whatever we do is in response to God’s grace, and in fact fulfills his desire for us, as Paul declares in his letter to the Ephesians:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:8-10 ESV)

1 Peter 1:17-21

(c)2018 David J. Cooley