10. The New Covenant (1)
We have seen the history: the ancient Israelites repeatedly failed to remain faithful, even after receiving the Law from God through the covenant made with Moses. Their independent minds gradually turned a relational gift into a heavy burden.
So, what changed after Jesus came into our world?
1. Jesus Restored the Spirit of the Law
From my understanding, first and foremost, Jesus restored the true spirit and underlying purpose of the Law, which is love. When our hearts are genuinely guided by the teachings of Jesus, we begin to fulfill the requirements of the Law almost naturally.
His two greatest commandments can be understood this way: loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength leads us to follow the first four commandments given through Moses; and when we truly love our neighbors as ourselves, we naturally seek to obey the remaining six.
Let us look closely at the first four commandments from Moses. If we truly love God as Mark 12:30 instructs, we will naturally have no desire to worship foreign gods or bow to worldly idols. We will have no desire to misuse the Father’s name; instead, we will bear His name with respect and in a genuinely meaningful way.
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Some may argue that because Jesus healed the sick on the Sabbath, He broke the fourth commandment. But in doing so, He actually revealed the true meaning of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was given to humanity as a sacred day of rest and an important way to remember God, not as a rigid rule interpreted in a way that prevents us from showing mercy to someone in need. (I plan to explain the deep beauty of the Sabbath in detail in another article.)
Second, if we truly love others as ourselves, we will also naturally seek to obey the remaining six commandments. Filled with genuine love, we will honor our parents and seek to build up our families. We will instinctively value and protect human life. We will respect others’ freedom, their bodies, their families, and their property. Because love lives in our hearts, we will have no desire to steal, lie, bear false witness, commit adultery, or covet what belongs to our neighbor.
We must recognize that Jesus did not introduce a brand-new concept or a foreign kind of love to us. The profound love flowing from God, and our calling to love Him in return, had already been declared multiple times throughout the Old Testament. For instance:
“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’” (Jeremiah 31:3)
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5)
The key has always been the spirit and underlying purpose of the Law, which is love, not merely an outward obedience to written words separated from the heart and purpose behind them.
To be continued: 2. The Trap of the Clever Mind
