Post by Mark on Nov 17, 2008 6:55:02 GMT -8
It has been argued that Messiah Yeshua held a standard of righteousness superior to that of 
. His dissertation on righteous living (Matthew 5:21-48) is often understood to have been arguing against the commandments of as being insufficient or inadequate in its definition of righteousness.
Emphasis is given on the fact that what we "have heard said" is contained in the commands of. "You shall not kill," "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not foreswear yourself," are all commands that we acknowledge as coming from the commandments of the Old Testament, even by those who have made no study of it. The problem with this is when Messiah said, "…but I say to you," exerything He commanded is there, too. If it were not, then He would have been guilty of violating , as adding to or taking away from the commandments of Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:2). Since we have on good authority that He was submissive to the commands in every way (Hebrews 4:15).
Things would have been understood very differently, and the response of the people would likely altered the course of history, if He would have said, "You know that is is written… but I say unto you…." This would have been a direct challenge to the writings of and the Law given through Moses. He didn’t say that, so it was properly understood that His conflict was with the rabbinical teachings of the day.
Rabbinical/Phariseeic teaching, over the years, had not only made areas of normal conduct a meticulous practice of worship; but in many cases, negated commands that were deemed beyond any reasonable expectation. "Love your neighbor but curse your enemy," is a reasonable resonse to any person. Yet commands to have respect for that which belongs even to your enemy (Exodus 23:4). commands that we teach our children the things of at every opportunity: "when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you retire and when you arise;" but the rabbinical application is that by reciting the Sh’ma once in the evening and once in the morning together with your children, you have fulfilled this command.
The lesson that Messiah Yeshua was teaching the common people from the Mount of Olives was no different from His rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees that will come later:
But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
(Luke 11:42)
It’s easy to cast judgment upon the hypocrisy of the rabbinical authority for trying to make themselves look good at the expense of anyone else and at the expense of the very commands of God. It’s easy to cast judgment until we look at our own practices. We read Romans chapter 1, concluding that the only condemnation is against those practicing homosexuality. Paul’s list is a little more encompassing:
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
(Romans 1:29-32)
We read 1st Timothy 1, taking to heart that "the Law is not for the righteous but for sinners." We conclude, then, since we have not murdered our father or mother (at least, not physically), we are not actively involved in prostitution or homosexuality, we haven’t kidnapped anyone, we’re not… well, maybe we should stop there. Paul defines as being applicable and for the understanding of "anything contrary to sound doctrine." So, when we take the Law and say, it is wrong to lie, to murder, to commit fornication; but ignore the commands to worship according to holiness, sanctifying the Lord’s Sabbath day, avoiding that which is unclean, etcetra, and so on… we are no different than the Pharisees that our Messiah so ardently condemned.
It is our nature to place confidence in what we have heard said from them of old. It is what is familiar to us, what sounds right. It is the nature of our society to protect and exalt the teachings and teachers on antiquity. The schools of theology that are recognized as authoritative go unchallenged and thus are free to pursue whatever agenda they wish. The result is that the position of truth we see in the Gospels where Messiah battles against the status quo is absolutely mirrored in our own reality.
So much is this the case that I have had pastors use 2nd Peter 1:20, where we are admonished to not interpret Scripture by private means, as justification for following in rank and file behind the teachings of the modern Christian theological seminary, ignoring the very next verse, which teaches us to line up our interpretation of Scripture with the prophets of the Old Testament.
It’s an arrogant, self-serving world in which we live. We are arrogant, self-serving people. Nothing has changed, not since the words of Adonai were reinterpretted and fitted into the agenda of the Serpent and of Eve in the garden.
When we place our confidence in and hear the teaching of those who have taught us, to the point that we are indifferent toward the words that are preserved for us from the mind of God, we have crossed from obedience and draw near into hypocrisy and idolatry. Soud harsh? Look around.
. His dissertation on righteous living (Matthew 5:21-48) is often understood to have been arguing against the commandments of as being insufficient or inadequate in its definition of righteousness. Emphasis is given on the fact that what we "have heard said" is contained in the commands of
. "You shall not kill," "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not foreswear yourself," are all commands that we acknowledge as coming from the commandments of the Old Testament, even by those who have made no study of it. The problem with this is when Messiah said, "…but I say to you," exerything He commanded is there, too. If it were not, then He would have been guilty of violating , as adding to or taking away from the commandments of Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:2). Since we have on good authority that He was submissive to the commands in every way (Hebrews 4:15).Things would have been understood very differently, and the response of the people would likely altered the course of history, if He would have said, "You know that is is written… but I say unto you…." This would have been a direct challenge to the writings of
and the Law given through Moses. He didn’t say that, so it was properly understood that His conflict was with the rabbinical teachings of the day. Rabbinical/Phariseeic teaching, over the years, had not only made areas of normal conduct a meticulous practice of worship; but in many cases, negated commands that were deemed beyond any reasonable expectation. "Love your neighbor but curse your enemy," is a reasonable resonse to any person. Yet
commands to have respect for that which belongs even to your enemy (Exodus 23:4). commands that we teach our children the things of at every opportunity: "when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you retire and when you arise;" but the rabbinical application is that by reciting the Sh’ma once in the evening and once in the morning together with your children, you have fulfilled this command.The lesson that Messiah Yeshua was teaching the common people from the Mount of Olives was no different from His rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees that will come later:
But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
(Luke 11:42)
It’s easy to cast judgment upon the hypocrisy of the rabbinical authority for trying to make themselves look good at the expense of anyone else and at the expense of the very commands of God. It’s easy to cast judgment until we look at our own practices. We read Romans chapter 1, concluding that the only condemnation is against those practicing homosexuality. Paul’s list is a little more encompassing:
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
(Romans 1:29-32)
We read 1st Timothy 1, taking to heart that "the Law is not for the righteous but for sinners." We conclude, then, since we have not murdered our father or mother (at least, not physically), we are not actively involved in prostitution or homosexuality, we haven’t kidnapped anyone, we’re not… well, maybe we should stop there. Paul defines
as being applicable and for the understanding of "anything contrary to sound doctrine." So, when we take the Law and say, it is wrong to lie, to murder, to commit fornication; but ignore the commands to worship according to holiness, sanctifying the Lord’s Sabbath day, avoiding that which is unclean, etcetra, and so on… we are no different than the Pharisees that our Messiah so ardently condemned.It is our nature to place confidence in what we have heard said from them of old. It is what is familiar to us, what sounds right. It is the nature of our society to protect and exalt the teachings and teachers on antiquity. The schools of theology that are recognized as authoritative go unchallenged and thus are free to pursue whatever agenda they wish. The result is that the position of truth we see in the Gospels where Messiah battles against the status quo is absolutely mirrored in our own reality.
So much is this the case that I have had pastors use 2nd Peter 1:20, where we are admonished to not interpret Scripture by private means, as justification for following in rank and file behind the teachings of the modern Christian theological seminary, ignoring the very next verse, which teaches us to line up our interpretation of Scripture with the prophets of the Old Testament.
It’s an arrogant, self-serving world in which we live. We are arrogant, self-serving people. Nothing has changed, not since the words of Adonai were reinterpretted and fitted into the agenda of the Serpent and of Eve in the garden.
When we place our confidence in and hear the teaching of those who have taught us, to the point that we are indifferent toward the words that are preserved for us from the mind of God, we have crossed from obedience and draw near into hypocrisy and idolatry. Soud harsh? Look around.
