King Of The Jews - Part 10The Gospel of Grace, or the good news that God had provided the means for salvation through His Son's work on the cross heralded a new dispensation in God's dealings with man. The Mosaic Covenant was a foreshadowing of the blood sacrifice necessary to deal with man's sin. In some ways, it's easier for people to adhere to a program of rituals and rites, pomp and ceremony, even burdensome routines of religious service than to accept the simple gift of Salvation through faith. God is a covenant God; in other words He essentially makes agreements with Man and in some cases makes unilateral covenants which do not necessitate Man's action. The Adamic Covenant was bi-lateral and simple. Adam and Eve were given dominion over the Earth and its creatures and were allowed to live in fellowship with God provided they obeyed Him by not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They broke that covenant or agreement and disobeyed Him by eating of the forbidden fruit. Some scholars believe that the tree was actually the Law. That has some major credibility in the sense that the Law or God's Ten Commandments as they were later called, certainly tell men and women what is right and what is wrong; what is good and what is evil. The Law is in itself both good and bad. It is referred to as a "curse" in Scripture and in a more positive light, as a "Schoolmaster". When Adam and Eve realized immediately that they had disobeyed God and hid from Him, they tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. The fig leaves are a symbol of the final stages of Judaism which could not deal effectively with sin. Instead God killed innocent animals, shedding their innocent blood, to provide skins for them to wear. "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin". Hebrews 9:22 The fig tree is often used as a symbol for Israel and Judaism. Jesus cursed a fig tree which was fully leafed out but had no fruit. This was symbolic of the state of Judaism at His first advent. All pomp and show, but bearing no fruit. He also refers to the fig tree bearing leaves just before His second advent, a prophesy fulfilled in the return of the Jews to the land of Israel. After 2,000 years they became a nation again in 1948. "For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without a king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall turn and seek the Lord their God, and David their King: and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days". Hosea 3:4-5 RSV Both the Old Testament and the New Testament required death to bring them into effect. "For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats...and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, saying This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you". Hebrews 10:19-29 But the Mosaic Laws and the Temple sacrifice was a temporary solution, having to be repeated constantly. "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins". Hebrews 10:4 Paul in addressing the shortcomings of the previous dispensation wrote, "For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. A man is justified by the faith of Jesus Christ". Galatians 2:16 "We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified". Just as the Old Testament was confirmed by the shedding of blood, so was the New Testament. On the night on which He was betrayed, Jesus celebrated the Passover, a pre-figurement of His sacrificial death. "And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying 'Drink ye all of it' For this is my blood of the new testament". Matthew 26:27-28 Still, even after 2,000 years the Jewish people can't even carry out the Mosaic Laws because there is no Temple. God prescribed that Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount would be the only place where sacrifices would be accepted by Him. As previously stated this is not possible as this site is wholly controlled by the Muslims and the site of Al Aqsa Mosque or the dome of the rock, referring to the supposed site of Abraham's intended offering of Isaac. (Although they claim he was readying Ishmael for the offering) So, for 2,000 years, there has been no way for Jews to atone for sin; at least under the Old Covenant. But under the New Covenant, Jesus has made it possible for them to be forgiven, once for all. Jesus fulfilled the Law on man's behalf and ushered in the Age of Grace and Salvation by Faith in His atoning work for our sins. Moses was a picture of the Law and the inability of the system of the Law to bring mankind into the Promised Land of Salvation. He was not allowed to cross over into the Promised Land because he "smote the Rock", a picture of Jesus being slain by his brethren according to the flesh. Jesus told several parables that foreshadowed Israel's rejection of Him, but in one particular parable He reveals that the Spiritual Kingdom which He came to establish would be opened up to the Gentiles because of Israel's refusal of Him as King. "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son. And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. But they made light of it and...took his servants and...slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed these murderers, and burned up their city". Matthew 22: 2,3,6,7 What a clear prophetic picture of Christ's rejection by the Jews and God's wrath poured out upon Jerusalem. He continues the parable, "Then saith he (the king) to his servants, The wedding is ready but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage". Matthew 22:9,10 This is a foreshadowing of The Church Age, and the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Kingdom. "The highways" denotes the position of the Gentiles as being outsiders. There is an interesting verse that seems to further illustrate the sea change in God's dealings with Israel and the Gentiles. Ecclesiastes 9:4, "for a living dog is better than a dead lion". The Gentile "dogs" were now raised to new life in Christ while the "lion" was still dead in its sins. "Judah is a lion's whelp". Genesis 49:9 Jesus was to the Gentiles "...a sanctuary;" to the Jews however, "a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, ...and many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken". Isaiah 9:14 He was meant to be "a sanctuary" to Israel, but they would not enter into Him. |
