The Bible is full of rules, regulations, commandments, and laws especially in the Old Testament where the tally is considered to be 613. Then Christ comes as the fulfillment of the Law and when queried on which is the most important he boils it down to two:
Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40
Or…in this day of quick “text” sound bites we could go even simpler with this teaching of Christ from Matthew 7:12 – known as the “Golden Rule”:
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”
Truly 613 down to 1 or 2 is a joyous distillation from such a comprehensive list of instruction but there is so much more in the scope of Jesus’ teaching which adds depth and challenge to our growth in the faith!
“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. Matthew 5:38-39 NLT
A few points here: “An eye for an eye” sounds a little barbaric but in fact when this law was handed down most cultures instituted a spirit of vengeance where if someone took out your eye – you just up and killed them if you could – so pausing for an equally weighted judgment was actually quite enlightened thinking! And to say “do not resist an evil person” does not mean welcome them into your home with the kiss of fellowship or condone their activity if you witness it. I think what Christ is referring to here is; once we are in conflict with evil, don’t repay them in kind – sometimes it is better to walk away with two sore cheeks than to embarrass yourself by brawling with a fool or being charged with manslaughter!
So what can help us out on this quest to get it right?
Well, I got inspired by these seeming contradictions in the Bible…
Matthew’s gospel Chapter 7 also finds Christ asking rhetorically, “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?” and he answers “Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”
And this is what inspired me – God did both for us – in a beautiful way!
Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. Isaiah 28:16
Together, we are his [God’s] house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Ephesians 2:20-21
So even when a stone is considered a bad “gift” God supplies it rightly AND then feeds our very soul too!
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:32-35
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” John 6:47-51
Have you ever been so hungry you were shaking? Consume the Bread of Life, stand firm on Christ the Cornerstone, and NEVER be shaken again!
How about this inspiring evidence of Christ leading by example, going beyond what he asks of us and teaches!?
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13
If you are sitting in my congregation today I can confidently declare the person next to you is a hero. I will not speak for them on this account but in this body of witnesses you have a good chance of being seated next to a selfless person who might just step up that deeply for ANYONE here. How many stood up when we recognized our veterans today? We are all brothers and sisters and this family is tighter even then friends!
But what if some vile, sinner crashed this gathering? Who would die for them?
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:6-8
So Jesus HIMSELF teaches that to die for a friend is the greatest love of all and then GOES TO THE CROSS FOR US WITH NO GUARANTEE ANYONE OF US SINNERS WOULD GRASP HIS LOVING SCARIFICE!
WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?
Here is what’s up with that and it is ANOTHER example of Christ going the extra mile to challenge our thinking as he taught:
A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. Matthew 7:18
And yet from that cursed tree (see Deut. 21:22-23) which was the cross…
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. Colossians 1:19-22
From the cursed crucifixion grows the fruit of our eternal saving grace!!
Closing Thought
Do you ever feel like your world is upside down and there is no good way anything positive can come out of the trials you are facing?
Well, if we are people of faith we have a Christ who exampled his ability to exceed even his challenging teaching – to our ultimate and eternal benefit – and if we remain faithful we will see his sovereign plan bear fruit.
If you are not a person of faith, that is easily remedied! Simply admit this life is too much for you, has cost you too dearly to try and master on your own, you have screwed up, done wrong, sinned, and need forgiveness. Ask Christ for it right now and let him take command of your life – and get into a family of faith where you are loved and the Word is shared joyously!
Now may the God of peace – who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus – the great Shepherd of the sheep,
And ratified an eternal covenant with his blood – may he equip you with all you need for doing his will.
May he produce in you – through the power of Jesus Christ – every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever!
Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21 NLT
Grill the Pastor 
Amen
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