In my quiet times and through years of trials and therapy, God revealed a lesson I have never before understood. This is my note on it. Please feel free to comment with additions/suggestions/reactions. This is as much a recording of the lesson for my future relearning as it is the opening of a conversation.
The lessons are in the Gospel of Matthew:
And Jesus said to them,The Pharisees and Sadducees are the teachers of the Old Testament Law. The Pharisees are the "people's priests," whose sensitivity to the average person and avowed doctrines (e.g. resurrection from the dead, belief in active angels) resonate most closely with our own. The Sadducees are official priests who run the temple and control Jewish government during Jesus time. Their privileged position influenced their doctrine (e.g. no resurrection) and promoted abusive temple policies. As Paul's experience demonstrates, the two camps were enemies. Nevertheless, Jesus groups them together as problematic because their commitment to focussing on law rather than spirit blinded people to the gospel. Their kind of legalism is described as "leaven" because the effects of even a little yeast seep through and affect the entire loaf of bread. In other words, even a little legalism corrupts the gospel of Jesus."Watch out and beware of the [fn]leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." .... "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the[fn]leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 6:6,11-12).
Having warned us about the wrong perspective about the Law and means for salvation, Jesus doubles down on the point:
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples,Jesus's question highlights the failings of legal teaching on two levels. First, the Pharisees and Sadducees are both factually wrong. They fail to correctly identify the Messiah. (They also fail to identify John the Baptist as the Elijah who was to precede the Messiah. [Matt. 17:10-13]) Of course, even from a traditional Jewish perspective, failing to identify the Messiah is a HUGE problem. Second, and most central to the lesson Jesus is teaching, is that the correct answer--that Jesus is the Christ, i.e. the Son of the living God, the Anointed One--is revealed to the disciples by Spirit (i.e. through the Father who is in heaven) and not through legal teaching. The two failings of the teachers of the law are connected. Failure to learn through spiritual revelation produces incorrect doctrine--even to the point of missing the single most important thing in Jewish teaching, namely the coming Messiah. The failing of law is total."Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, [fn]Elijah; but still others, [fn]Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He [!] said to them,"But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are [fn]the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said to him,"Blessed are you, Simon[fn]Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 16:13-17)
Jesus reinforces the point by immediately anointing Peter on the basis of spiritual revelation ("this is the rock upon which I will build my church" [Matthew 6:18]) and then immediately rebuking him when Peter falls back to traditional legal teaching about what the Messiah will do ("Get behind me Satan..." because Peter expects political revolution and rejects Jesus's predictions of his crucifixion [Matthew 6:22-23]).
Jesus again illustrates His points brilliantly through His transfiguration:
Six days later Jesus [!] took with Him Peter and[fn]James and John his brother, and [!] led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three [fn]tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell [fn]face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said,Through His transfiguration, Jesus proves: 1) He is neither the Law (Moses) nor the Prophets (Elijah), but the Messiah. Jesus description of Himself, revealed to the disciples spiritually though hidden from legal teachers, is factually correct; and 2) Reliance on teachings of the Law will mislead disciples. Peter's reaction to the transfiguration, namely wanting to build a tabernacle in each figure's honor, is appropriate given the Mosaic tradition. But, without shaming Peter's proposal of worship, God nullifies Peter's legal reasoning by ending the transfiguration and thereby eliminating the possibility of building a tabernacle. This is because: 1) Mosaic Law and Prophetic teaching are foreshadows of the Messiah, not His equals; and 2) reliance on legal tradition, even for insight on how to worship in this instance, was not the mode Jesus wanted to teach. Jesus was emphasizing spirit and belief, which the Father emphatically supported, "Listen to Him!" That's why, Jesus immediately follows the transfiguration with teachings about faith the size of a mustard seed and faith that moves mountains (Matthew 17:20)."Get up, and do not be afraid." And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone. (Matthew 17:1-8)
And then Jesus gives us a beautiful and fundamentally transformative teaching about spirit and faith:
When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the [fn]two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the [fn]two-drachma tax?" He [!] said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying,"Those who collect the two-drachma tax" are empowered by the Sadducees and are connected to temple worship. The tax was a traditional sacrifice for entering the temple for festivals, holidays, and regular worship. Peter--still not completely understanding Jesus's spiritual, rather than legal, emphasis--is slightly intimidated by the temple officials asking him if Jesus is an irreverent Jew, breaking the Law by not paying the tax. Peter insists that Jesus follows the law and pays the temple tax."What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?" When Peter said, "From strangers," Jesus said to him,"Then the sons are [fn]exempt. "However, so that we do not [fn]offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find [fn]a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me." (Matthew 17:24-27)
Because Peter does not recognize the spirit versus law conflict into which he has waded, he does not feel compelled to bring the question to the Christ. Jesus has to initiate the lesson. Jesus asks, "From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?" And receiving the obvious answer, Jesus gives the point, "Then the sons are exempt." In other words, Jesus is saying that our judgement and behavior should no longer be determined by law but by our relationship to God. Just as earthly children receive grace-based, not law-based, treatment from their parents, so we as God's spiritual children receive grace-based, non-legal treatment from God. Jesus is saying to Peter and us, if we understand our relationship to God, then the questions and teachings of law-based folk are revealed to be obviously silly and irrelevant. The law exists, yes. It teaches a way to approach God. But it's crazy to think God's children would be subject to law! We approach through grace and love, just like earthly children do.
Then Jesus teaches Peter and us a more excellent way. Jesus is not interested in causing debates or fights with the teachers of the law, but He is also not going to insult His relationship with God by acting as though He is bound by legalism. Therefore, Jesus instructs Peter to miraculously get a coin out of a fish's mouth and pay the tax with that. The miracle of the fish containing a coin shows that God the Father confirms Jesus's teaching and the special relationship we have as sons and daughters. And here's the part I like most, Jesus specifies that the fish will contain enough payment "for you and Me!" Hallelujah!!! Jesus is making clear to us that the lesson is about spirit, not law. Jesus does not claim exemption based on his sinlessness (i.e. being law abiding), but rather He says that we all can approach God without law because of our status as His children! And all of this is confirmed by the fact that Jesus issues this teaching and calls Peter to abide by it before He has died and paid the blood penalty for our sins (which would have classified us all as exempt based on conferred sinlessness). The relationship with God was granted to Peter through spirit and faith, just like Abraham was justified through faith. God is consistent and beyond generous! [Cue the organ! Do your praise dance!]
And so that we don't miss the point, Jesus doubles down again with the ultimate demonstration:
At that [fn]time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And He called a child to Himself and set him[fn]before them, and said,The disciples now understand that Jesus is offering a totally new paradigm from the Law teachings they grew up with, but they don't know how the new paradigm of salvation works. So they ask an old paradigm-based question to explore the dimensions of the new paradigm of spirit and grace, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Jesus capitalizes on the moment to reemphasize that spirit and faith are all that matter. He does this by using a literal child as an illustration and says, "...unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven...." The key here is that children are intellectually incapable of understanding and affirming doctrine. If Peter, the disciples, and people generally were saved through law or doctrinal affirmation--even the affirmation that Jesus is Messiah as made by Peter in Matt. 16:16--then Jesus would have had to use an adult who had correctly identified Him as Christ for the illustration. But the entire illustration hinges on being "converted and becom[ing] like children" and thus leaving the adult world of affirmations and doctrinal analysis. Instead we are to take on the characteristics of children, namely the spirit-based wild-eyed character of faith and belief, that is universal to children. As children, we are perfectly capable of believing the wildest things (e.g. Santa Claus) without the slightest hesitation or doubt. Children are perfectly trusting (though they often have spiritual discernment about evil people). Children are completely disinterested in doctrinal debates. God has unfettered access to their minds and hearts. That is the character God calls us to adopt as adults. It is not easy, especially in a culture like ours (deriving from the Greek influence Jesus also lived under). It requires humility and getting comfortable with uncertainty. But it is the only way God--whose ways "are beyond our ways," whose "judgments are beyond searching out [and whose ways are] unfathomable!" (Romans 11:33)--can reveal to us the things of His Spirit. God's thoughts and ways are "beyond searching out" and "unfathomable." In other words, there is no amount of studying or teaching or listening or church or Bible study or even imagination that can reveal to us the ways and insights of God. We can only begin by emptying ourselves, becoming like little children again, and letting Him introduce us to supernatural Christ-ness."Truly I say to you, unless you [fn]are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.... (Matthew 18:1-5)
Oh My God! For an intellectual like me, this is a tremendously difficult teaching. But praise God! I'm looking forward to trying to live it out. I can't wait for all the things God will show me and the things God will do. I will be meditating regularly in an effort to release the old wineskins of traditionalism and legalism in favor of the new wineskin of spirit and Christ-ness. I am as clueless as anyone else on what to do or how to do it.
I'll end with an invitation. As the old preachers say, "Won't you come?"
