In the Book of Exodus, God delivers God’s law to the people in the form of commandments, starting with God’s desire for exclusive worship: You shall not have other gods besides me. God wants God’s people to be devoted to God alone. We know that the first three chapters of Genesis focus on establishing relationship: God’s relationship with creation, man’s relationship with creation, and man’s relationship with others. When Adam and Eve choose independence over relationship, this system falls apart; God delivers the Decalogue to reestablish the rules for humankind. Psalm 19 will celebrate the guidance the Lord offers: Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. For the psalmist, God is the source of all true wisdom: the law of the Lord is perfect; the decree of the Lord is trustworthy; the precepts of the Lord are right, and so on. Moreover, following the ordinances of the Lord is more desirable than going in our own independent direction, for God’s ordinances are more precious than gold and sweeter than syrup or honey from the comb. The path to God seems pretty clear.
What happens to the law of Moses in the time of Jesus? When, in John's Gospel, Jesus clears the temple of money changers and those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, he does so not because they are breaking any laws, but because he himself is the new law; he is the sacrifice that will end all sacrifices. The laws of Moses have become more of a barrier than a path to God; Jesus comes to change that through his death and resurrection, reminding all yet again that what God truly desires is relationship. Jesus’ death may not make sense to all; Paul tells the Corinthians that, while Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, Christians proclaim Christ crucified. Jesus Christ is the revelation of everything God ever intended; to believers, that is the greatest wisdom and the greatest power of all. To believe in Jesus Christ is to take the path that passes through the cross, confident that resurrection, and everlasting life, lie on the other side.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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