2008 Woodie Awards
Christians bound by legalism
Justin Lindborg, Columnist
Issue date: 2/20/07
Last Updated: 8/9/07
In today's Christian community, there is a tendency to think that if you read your Bible, pray daily, go to church and otherwise play the part of the model "good person," you will instantaneously become a Christian. Forgive me if this is nauseatingly reminiscent of how the Pharisees lived.
The Pharisees lived their lives in strict adherence to a dogmatic code of law and Jesus rebukes them multiple times for their strict legalistic way of life. In one specific case, Jesus breaks one of the traditional laws - the forbidding of work on the Sabbath - in order to heal a man with a paralyzed hand. In doing so, he shows compassion for the man and keeps with the spirit of the law - loving your neighbor - while conflicting with a dogmatic law - working on the Sabbath.
In all these instances Jesus encourages his disciples to live beyond the pharisee's set of laws in a way that fulfills the spirit of Christ's teachings: love the Lord your God and love your neighbor. As John Seely says in his work "Ecce Homo:" "The principle at the same moment that it explains the rules supercedes them."
In the book of Mark, Jesus reminds his disciples of the miracles he had been performing, i.e. the feeding of the five thousand. He asks them how much food was left over after each miracle. They are able to grasp the literal sense of Christ's question, but they still do not grasp the spirit of the law that he is advocating. After their literal answer, Jesus responds with one of the most tragic questions recorded in the gospels. He asks them, "And you still don't understand?"
In this case, the disciples failed to understand the spirit of Jesus' teaching. His love and provision covered not only the people's need (physical hunger), but went well beyond it with bountiful leftover. This is representative of God's spiritual provision as well. His grace can cover all of our shortcomings - and with much more to spare.
First off, the author wishes to make no assumptions as to the respective beliefs of the readers, but is writing specifically to those who hold to some form of Christianity. This said, those who do consider themselves to be Christians would be wise to consider why they do the things they do. Is the motive for doing something widely considered "holy" or not doing something considered among Christian circles to be "wrong" simply stemming from a desire to be seen as "holy" or more Christian? Or does this sort of behavior come from a genuine conviction to do, or not do, certain things?
The Pharisees lived their lives in strict adherence to a dogmatic code of law and Jesus rebukes them multiple times for their strict legalistic way of life. In one specific case, Jesus breaks one of the traditional laws - the forbidding of work on the Sabbath - in order to heal a man with a paralyzed hand. In doing so, he shows compassion for the man and keeps with the spirit of the law - loving your neighbor - while conflicting with a dogmatic law - working on the Sabbath.
In all these instances Jesus encourages his disciples to live beyond the pharisee's set of laws in a way that fulfills the spirit of Christ's teachings: love the Lord your God and love your neighbor. As John Seely says in his work "Ecce Homo:" "The principle at the same moment that it explains the rules supercedes them."
In the book of Mark, Jesus reminds his disciples of the miracles he had been performing, i.e. the feeding of the five thousand. He asks them how much food was left over after each miracle. They are able to grasp the literal sense of Christ's question, but they still do not grasp the spirit of the law that he is advocating. After their literal answer, Jesus responds with one of the most tragic questions recorded in the gospels. He asks them, "And you still don't understand?"
In this case, the disciples failed to understand the spirit of Jesus' teaching. His love and provision covered not only the people's need (physical hunger), but went well beyond it with bountiful leftover. This is representative of God's spiritual provision as well. His grace can cover all of our shortcomings - and with much more to spare.
First off, the author wishes to make no assumptions as to the respective beliefs of the readers, but is writing specifically to those who hold to some form of Christianity. This said, those who do consider themselves to be Christians would be wise to consider why they do the things they do. Is the motive for doing something widely considered "holy" or not doing something considered among Christian circles to be "wrong" simply stemming from a desire to be seen as "holy" or more Christian? Or does this sort of behavior come from a genuine conviction to do, or not do, certain things?
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