THE LAW

 

MAN’S STRUGGLE WITH THE LAW

 

                Matthew 5:14-19 [Jesus explained] You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the grain-measure, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. 17 Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled. 19 Therefore whoever shall relax one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.

Mark 12:28-33 And coming up one of the scribes heard them reasoning, knowing that He had answered them well, he asked Him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said to Him, Right, Teacher, according to truth You have spoken, that God is one, and there is no other besides Him. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love the neighbor as himself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.

 

  “For most of Olympic history, using drugs wasn’t considered cheating. Then, in the 1960 Olympics, Danish cyclist Knut Jensen passed out during a race, cracked his skull and later died. The coroner blamed his death on amphetamines, and the case led to anti-doping rules.” Drug testing was instituted in 1968. (SMITHSONIAN magazine, the Science of Doping, July/August 2012)

  A wry situation, considering that initial motive had naught to do with cheating, ethics or morality, but “with a goal to protect athlete health.”

  Oddity of reason for and unevenness of penalty applied is common to man’s law. Consider the difference between English Common Law and the Napoleonic Code, one or the other or a mix thereof as basis for nations’ canon. And then there’s Shariah, fixed among a multitude, being mixed in elsewhere presently.

  In our USA laws vary or don’t exist within local borders. Professional criminals know this and consider. Some law abiding citizens when traveling wisely carry a booklet detailing state-to-state baggage laws.

  Man struggles not just against the law, but with what should be law and how it should be applied. This is not so with God nor should it be confusing for His children.

  God laid down the law, 10 Commandments in Exodus 20 et al; Jesus never discounting the law (Mt.5:16), for us summing up with “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Note OT & NT: Lev.19:18; Zec.8:17; Mt.22:34-40; Mk. 12:28-33; Lk.10:23-37; Rom.13:10; Gal.5:14; 6:2; Jas.2:8) 

  Jesus epitomized His words by active illustration: He left the glory of heaven (Mt.1:18; Jn.3:16), walked among man (Heb.4:15), fulfilled the law (Mt.5:16), died suffering man’s (Mk.10:34; 15:1-20) and the Father’s rejection (Mt.27:46), was resurrected and sits at-task continuing in intercession for us (Mk.16:19; Col.3:1; Heb.7:25; 1Jn.2:1).

  How wonderful is God’s liberating law of love!  EBB4 (8/7/2012)