Step 4: Say YES to Jesus’ perspective on the Old Testament

Step 4: Say YES to Jesus’ perspective on the Old Testament 

Scripture

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 

…For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

Jesus in ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬, ‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.5.17-20.NIV 


Brief Observation

If we are going to take Jesus’ call on our lives seriously, we will need to carefully consider his attitude and approach to the Old Testament (aka “the Law and the Prophets”), those scriptures that came before his incarnation. Some people want to accept the gracious and forgiving Jesus of the New Testament while rejecting what they perceive as the condemning and vengeful God of the Old Testament. But that comes from a misunderstanding of God and the nature of the Old Testament.


What’s interesting is that the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Jesus’ day also operated with a misunderstanding of God and the nature of the Old Testament. Instead of rejecting the Old Testament, they mistakenly elevated its rules and regulations. 


Jesus did not come to make new rule followers. He came to make disciples, men and women, whose right living would go beyond following rules to following Him. This wasn’t a rejection of the Old Testament, but a realization that the entire Old Testament was about God’s creation of and guidance for loving relationships. That’s why when Jesus was asked what the most important Old Testament law was he said it was “Love the Lord your God” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:34-40).


As we go through the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, you’ll see how Jesus’ explanation of the kingdom is less about regulations and more about restorative relationships. And if you read the Old Testament with Jesus in mind, you’ll see the same thing: a God who desires for people to follow Him, not to follow rules. 


Prayer

Father, I confess that without Your Spirit I cannot truly make sense of the Old Testament. Jesus, thank you for carefully explaining that it is all about relationship. Spirit, enlighten my mind, enliven my heart and empower my body to live a life of love.


Daily Scripture


Sunday: Matthew 5:17-20

Monday: Luke 4:16-21

Tuesday: Mark 10:1-9

Wednesday: Matthew 22:23-33

Thursday: Matthew 22:34-40

Friday: Luke 24:13-32

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Step 7: Say YES to Jesus’ Perspective on Marriage and Singleness

Say YES to Jesus’ Perspective on Marriage and Singleness  Scripture ““It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NIV‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.5.31-32.NIV Brief Observation Commitment is hard. And the life-long covenant of marriage may be the most difficult commitment to keep. It requires love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (all of which are provided by the Spirit to those who say “Yes” to Jesus…Galatians 5:22). And in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenged his disciples to not give up on marriage as people in their culture were.  Later, in Matthew 19:4-9, Jesus explained that God set up marriage as a life-long spiritual and physical bond between man and woman and added this com
Read more

Step 1: Say YES to Jesus’ Kingdom

Welcome to the YES encouragement blog where we’ll explore what it means to say YES to Jesus in every aspect of life. This is an extension of the Mid-Atlantic Nazarene Youth Equipped to Serve Retreat. Let’s start at the very beginning… Say YES to Jesus’ Kingdom “From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:19-20 ‭‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.4.17-20.NIV   Brief Observation At the start of a new year, there’s no better place than to look at the start of Jesus’ ministry and the start of the new life of a disciple. Repentance is embracing the newness that is available in Jesus! To repent is to turn to Jesus as King and turn away from the kingdom of this world. It is to say “No” to what “wars against your soul” (1 Peter) and to say “Yes” to the One who won the war for your soul.  When Peter an
Read more

Step 5: Say YES to Jesus' Perspective on Anger and Insults

Week 5: Say Yes To Jesus’ Perspective on Anger and Insults Hey YES Peeps! If you haven’t noticed, the weekly encouragement is coming from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. And I found out that The Bible Project is doing a year long study of the Sermon on the Mount and so far it’s awesome! Check it out and follow along . Here’s this week’s YES encouragement… Scripture “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment…And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. … First go and be reconciled to them;  …Settle matters quickly with your adversary Matthew 5:21-26: www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.5.21-26.NIV   Brief Observation You have not ever and never ever will meet a person who is disposable. Every person that you live with, study with, worship with, work with or work for is someone wo
Read more