(2619)
Jesus of Nazareth arrived on the scene in a cluttered atmosphere of laws that he characterized as restrictions “that were grievous to bear” and that those who made the rules “didn’t lift a finger” to aid people in fulfilling them.
There was a need for an edit.
The document, the commandments and all the interpretations needed to be trimmed.
So just as there was a need for an author, now came the time for a finisher.
It all came to a head one day when a lawyer asked a question of Jesus, trying to make himself look extremely profound, and also in an attempt to trick the Nazarene into saying something renegade.
“What is the greatest commandment?” he asked, feigning sincerity.
Here it was–the opportunity to take thousands of years of legalism and brush it away to discover the hidden meaning, powerful and applicable.
Jesus responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and the second is like unto it: love your neighbor as yourself.”
Even though Jesus insisted he came to fulfill the law, the definition of fulfillment in this case was to simplify it down to a lifestyle instead of packaging it in a religion.
When we continue to insist that the Torah and the Talmud, and even the Epistles of Jesus’ disciples carry the same significance as these two simple commandments of Jesus, we force people into primitive spiritual caves, from which they seldom emerge, just sitting around cuddling by the fire, frightened of the outside world.
We have an edit. The author of our faith came to be the finisher.
So what is the message?
God wants to be loved:
First with our heart–our emotions.
Then with our soul–the part of us that lives on.
But also our mind–having the warmth and tenderness of His mercy affect our thinking.
And finally, our strength–taking words and turning them into actions.
Jesus’ message was profoundly clear. The way we prove we actually love God is by loving people.
To the average Jew, Jesus was a law-breaker:
- He did not honor the Sabbath.
- He did not cleanse his utensils.
- He did not fast enough to meet the qualifications.
- And he certainly did not believe that the Jews were special because they were the “children of Abraham.”
This is what got him crucified.
The Jewish Council did not trump up charges to present to Pilate. They believed that Jesus was a heretic, a criminal and a threat to Israel.
Actually, the Author came to finish His work.
So those who criticze people’s choices, personalities, doctrines, predilections and lifestyles … well, they always refer back to material which has already been edited out of the final manuscript.
What remains are two simple opportunities and responsibilities:
Love God.
And love people.
Anyone who does this is living out the dream of Jesus.
Anyone who doesn’t is trapped in a legalism…which has already been deemed worthless.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation of $10 for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
NEW BOOK RELEASE BY JONATHAN RICHARD CRING
WITHIN
A meeting place for folks who know they’re human
$3.99 plus $2.00 S&H
$3.99 plus $2.00 S & H
Jonathots Daily Blog 
