Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, I introduced the idea of grace with a diagram. We will build on that now, so if you missed it, go back and watch Tuesday and Wednesday’s content.
You may be familiar with the Ten Commandments. They are an important part of the tracks that God has created for our lives, the guidelines that keep us from self-destructing.
Where did they come from? They are over 3400 years old. God led the Israelites out of danger and slavery, then gave the laws by which this newly freed people were to organize their life together. Of all these laws, the Ten Commandments come first and take most important place.
In a few minutes, please watch the attached video to hear the commandments in detail. But first we need to know purpose first, to understand the commandments in their proper place…lest you come away from this thinking that Christianity is all about following a bunch of rules.
A common misconception is to make “Obey God’s laws” #1 as if it could qualify you for a life of knowing God. Sometimes Christians communicate the rules like they are number one, having forgotten how they came to know the God who helps them keep those commandments. Knowing God qualifies you to try and follow these commandments…God is working in and through his followers to help transform their lives from the inside out.
This was certainly true for Israelites. God, in his love for the Israelites, saved them from slavery in Egypt by parting the red sea. Only once they were safely on the other side of the sea from the Egyptians did he give them the commandments, and call them to live by those commandments in thanks for the gift he’d given them.
The 10 commandments answer the question: “How can I live to thank the God who has loved me so much?” Not how can I behave to earn God’s love, or avoid his hate. Not how can I get others to live by my rules?
Take a quick run through these commandments.
The Commandments deal with two things:
Relationship with God
Relationship with One Another.
The last commandment is unique, since it talks about contentment. This one may seem a bit different from the others, and it is. The others focus on our outward actions, what to do and not do, while this one focuses on our hearts, what to want and desire, and what not to.
God is in the transformation business. He not only wanted to see the Israelites as a transformed society, but also to see the minds of all his created human beings transformed in this way.
The Bible contains many other guidelines, principles and laws. We don’t have time to go through them all here. Life is complex, and there is not a specific rule for everything. But these principles, the 10 commandments, or even just the 2 commandments to love god and neighbour, or the principle of grace behind them all, can apply to any area of life. I am happy to help you interpret and apply if you have a specific question.
Reminder: Earlier in this series, we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.
Read the Bible in Sync Today
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Yesterday Levi decided to follow Jesus, invited his colleagues for supper with Jesus. We saw all that meant for Levi, and today we see what it meant for his culture.
And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” - Luke 5:30-32 ESV
What Jesus says makes so much sense in theory. Of course Jesus came to heal broken people, including these kinds of extortioners who’ve sold out their nation.
But it’s so easy to forget that in practice.
The Pharisees don’t seem to think Jesus should be friends with those he intends to heal. They act like he should keep a safe distance, perhaps as an aloof example of how good he is and how bad they are. Perhaps if they change their ways, then they can be seen with him.
Christians can do the same. Sometimes we’d rather give to a distant charity than help a neighbour. We’d rather keep a safe distance from people’s issues, perhaps we worry about what people will think if they see us with certain kind person.
This is a problem since we see Jesus doing the opposite. He goes right to people who don’t know him, and don’t act like him. He goes right to the sick, and heals them. The problem is Pharisees don’t see themselves as sick.
This is part of why we don’t advertise this as a Christian resource. We’re not looking to be a resource just for those who already go to church, know Jesus, and like that kind of thing.
If that’s you, it’s okay, you can support and join our team in this work – get in touch with me. What we’ll work on together is building a community of people that includes those who’d never show up at church to learn about Jesus.
It’s such people as that we exist for. Now that’s a pretty familiar group. It gets much more interesting when you consider what it’s like to serve prostitutes, drug addicts, and so on. What does it look like for Jesus’ followers to sit down and have supper with them in a way that introduces them to Jesus? We’ve included one fascinating example for you to watch here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRBM_YY_YX0
Question: Why do you think the religious authorities, the Pharisees and scribes, react the way they do? Have you ever reacted similarly?
