7/19/09

The way of the dinosaur

I have always admired the ability of scientists to be able to take a few bones and reconstruct a long dead dinosaur. Those fierce creatures who ruled the earth for so long are gone now, but inspire both respect and fear for anyone who really thinks about it. What killed them is a mystery, but they are gone and that is that. Things change; consider how much they have changed in the past 50 years alone. I played with a yo-yo as a kid, but now my grand-children play with Wii's. I was taught to add using a paper and pencil or believe it or not, to actually do math in my head, but today hand held calculators and computers have taken the forefront. Is there anything that will never change? The answer is a resounding YES and Jesus gives a very insightful answer when questioned about the Law and the Prophets.
Matt 5:17-20
17 "Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.
18 For most assuredly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.
19 Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.WEB
The Bible is usually considered in two parts by Christians: The Old and the New Testament. Jesus came to fulfill the old, not abolish it.... HIS words, not mine. If he didn't come to destroy them, then how are things different? In a word... righteousness. Righteousness is being right and doing right before God and men. Those under the Law made mistakes and sacrifice was the remedy for those errors. But their "mistakes" (or SIN) went far deeper than just actions, they went into the very heart of a human being, into the thoughts and attitudes which LED to their actions. So, while an outward action might be dealt with by sacrifice, it took a more powerful remedy to address the inward problem. This is the mission of Jesus; to help men deal with the inward first and then the outward. The human heart must be the primary goal. Just following a set of rules and regulations is not enough and this is what the Scribes and Pharisees failed to see. Their perception of God was superficial and has gone the way of the dinosaur. Jesus has brought us back to the reason for the disobedience in the garden of Eden, not the law concerning eating fruit, but the heart to obey out of love. This will never grow old or pass away, because The Love of God is the greatest motivator of all. This love has been expressed in the sacrifice that reaches into the very heart of man and supplies an eternal remedy; Jesus on the cross, given for our sins. What man could never fully accomplish by himself, Jesus did once and for all. All that remains is for us to learn, love and obey... Jesus has done the rest.