Jesus: The Anti-Legalist - Part 2
John 7:14–24
Legalistic religion is pridefully sectarian, dangerously fanatical, and mercilessly dogmatic; Jesus exposes these traits in the Jewish leaders and calls His followers to humble unity, loving devotion, and merciful balance instead.
Outline
- Pridefully sectarian
- Dangerously fanatical
- Mercilessly dogmatic
- Conclusion: contrast with true discipleship
Themes: Anti-Legalist · Sectarianism · Fanaticism · Dogmatism · Theological Triage · Mercy · Unity · Humility · Balance
Key Cross-References: John 7:14-24, Matthew 11:28-30, John 9:28, Matthew 3:9, John 3:26-27, Mark 9:38-40, Amos 5:21-24, John 18:36, John 16:2-3, Galatians 1:13-14, 1 Timothy 1:13, Hosea 6:6-7, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 1:11-17, Deuteronomy 10:16-19, Proverbs 21:3
MANUSCRIPT
Legalistic religion is superficial. Whereas true religion brings upon a spiritual transformation on the inside of people, legalism compels people to try to clean themselves up on the outside while neglecting transformation on the inside. It judges spirituality on the basis of externals. You are godly if you dress the right way, keep the right traditions, and make the appropriate show before others. Consequently, legalistic religion, Jesus said, is like a nicely decorated grave with beauty on the outside, but death and corruption on the inside (Matt 23:27-28).
Legalistic religion is heartless. Whereas true religion is meant to produce a people who are their brother’s keeper, legalism leads men to neglect their brother in the name of keeping their religion. It piles rigorous rules and expectations upon others without care for their struggles, heartaches or limitations.
Legalistic religion is authoritarian. Whereas true religion is liberating, legalism is a heavy-handed religion with a continual emphasis on judgment, criticism, and wrath. Some of the most frequently used tools in the legalists toolbox are the tools of fear, guilt, and condemnation. It is an authoritarian religion which seeks to bring its adherence into fearful submission.
Legalistic religion is blind. Whereas true religion seeks God’s will with humility, legalism is so securely ensconced within its own echo chamber that it is blind to God’s will and ignorant of its own errors. It is so devoid of a genuine desire to know God’s will, and so determined that it is right, that it remains blind to the truth even when it is right in front of it’s face.
Legalistic religion is praise-seeking. Whereas true religion fears God, and seeks his praise, legalism has traded praise from God for praise from men. Likewise, it has traded a fear of God for a fear of man. It loves praise, recognition and accolades from others. Consequently, it sacrifices any future reward from God.
Superficial, ostentatious, pretentious, heartless, harsh, arrogant, judgmental, hypocritical, close-minded, ignorant, oppressive, self-serving, and vain.
It’s no wonder that when Jesus came to a people languishing under this type of religious system he said:
Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Legalism said “work”, Jesus said “rest”
Legalism said, “it’s all on you,” while Jesus said “yoke up with me.”
Legalism said, God is harsh, Jesus said he is “gentle and lowly.”
Legalism said, bear up under the heavy burdens we place upon you, Jesus said, “my burden is light.”
When Jesus came in his incarnation, he came at a time when people were burdened with legalistic religion. Therefore, it’s not an overstatement to say that when Jesus came, he came to free men from legalism. Neither would it be an overstatement to say that Jesus is still inviting men and women to come out from under the heavy weight of legalistic religion to find liberty in him.
Well, as harsh as our assessment of legalistic religion might seem thus far, we aren’t done yet.
This morning we will return to John 7 and explore three related characteristics of legalistic religion. The things we will look at will be true of the religion of the Pharisees in the New Testament while also true of legalistic religion today.
We will see that legalistic religion is:
Pridefully Sectarian
Dangerously Fanatical
Mercilessly Dogmatic
Let’s read John 7:14-24
John 7:14-24 ¶ About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Up to this point, Jesus had been carrying out the majority of his earthly ministry in Galilee to the North. He had visited Jerusalem on two prior occasions, both at feast times. It was during his last visit (which we read about in John 5) when he healed a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. Remember, that when he healed him he said to the man, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”
Well, the fact that Jesus first of all, healed the man on the Sabbath, and second of all, told the man to carry his bed on the Sabbath, sent the Jewish leadership reeling. From that point on, they began to persecute Christ and to seek an opportunity to kill him.
In our passage in John 7, Jesus has returned to the belly of the beast. By this time, the Jewish leadership have not only had time to consult with one another about what Jesus had done in healing the paralyzed man during his last visit, but they have certainly gotten wind of other works which Jesus has been doing in Galilee. So, when Jesus showed up to the temple in the middle of the feast and began to teach, the hostility of these legalistic religionists was already piqued.
What we find as the account unfolds is that although these men sought to expose Jesus as uneducated, self-seeking, demon-possessed, charlatan, worthy of death, he uses the occasion of their response to him to expose them as Judgmentally Sectarian, Dangerously Fanatical, Mercilessly Dogmatic.
Let’s consider the first of these characteristics of legalistic religion.
1. Legalistic Religion is Pridefully Sectarian We see this attitude among the Pharisees in our passage. First in verse 15:
John 7:15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”
It may not seem obvious at first, but when Jesus came on the scene and taught like a man educated in the scripture and sounding like he’s had theological training, the sectarian nature of the Pharisees came to the surface. What they are saying in verse 15 is that “he is not one of us.” He’s never studied under any Rabbi that we know. If he were part of any of the acceptable schools, having learned under any of the acceptable Rabbis, we would know about it. He’s not within the stream of our tradition – and so he must be rejected. To be sectarian is to have a group identity shaped by peculiar beliefs, or a peculiar emphasis upon particular beliefs. It is accompanied by a broad skepticism toward all other groups, and a narrow view of who should be counted among the orthodox. To the sectarian, their group has the only right view and all others are in error. Their determination that everyone else is in error is what justifies their rigid separatism. And because separatism has become a fundamental mark of their identity, they never stop separating. Sectarians form splinter groups from splinter groups from splinter groups. They do it on the basis of evermore rigid standards of what passes as acceptable beliefs. A consequence of this is that the sectarians end up creating an increasingly odd subculture. They have peculiar distinctives that set them apart from others and they love to emphasize them. In fact, its those distinctives that become a point of pride, and the standard by which they judge others. In the case of a church, if anyone would join up with them, they have to be willing, not only to accept the broad Christian subculture, but the peculiar sub-sub-culture that they’ve developed. As a consequence of all of this, their group (or their church) becomes elitist. They begin to see themselves as the special ones. They are the only ones with the truth. Everyone else is lesser, or in error. They are the only ones that God approves of, and everyone else is on the outs. Jesus wasn’t want of them, and so to them, Jesus was nothing. Jesus understands the pridefully sectarian nature of the Jewish leadership and so he calls them out at this very point in verse 19:
John 7:19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
How is this calling out their prideful sectarianism? Well, in John 9 we find the Pharisees debating with a man whom Jesus had healed from blindness. John recounts:
John 9:28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
This was a cutting insult from the Jews to this formerly blind man. You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! They are smug and arrogant about their own group identity, and denigrating toward him. Jesus knows the pride they put in their identity as the religious elites, the spiritually superior ones. So, he calls them out at this very point. You may be of God’s people, who have received the law of Moses, but more important than receiving the law, is keeping it – which you don’t do. What’s the evidence that they don’t keep the law? He says, “Why do you seek to kill me?” You can’t be disciples of Moses if you aren’t obeying Moses. Your ethnic or religious identity isn’t enough. He said the same thing elsewhere to those who would find pride in being descendants of Abraham:
Matthew 3:9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.
He is destroying religious pride based upon group identity. What was more important than their group identity was the condition of their individual hearts.
They say, “We are disciples of Moses.”
He says, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God…”
It wasn’t just the Pharisees who were prone to sectarianism though. John the Baptist had to correct the sectarian thinking of his followers. In John 3 we find some of John the Baptist’s disciples coming to him distraught:
John 3:26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”
“All are going to him.” What does that sound like? It sounds like rivalry and competition doesn’t it? John’s disciples are concerned because whereas people used to be coming to John, now they are going to Jesus. That’s the sectarian spirit. The spirit that believes one’s group is the only one with the truth, and that all others are in error. Such a spirit resents the success of others. John responds:
John 3:27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.
He is saying that Jesus’ success is God-given. The fruit of Jesus’ ministry proves it. Instead of resenting his success, the disciples should praise God for it. What a lesson for us to learn! How often do churches look at one another with a spirit of rivalry instead of cooperation? Resentment over success instead of celebration? Such an attitude is pridefully sectarian.
It wasn’t just the Pharisees or the disciples of John the Baptist who were prone to prideful sectarianism. Jesus had to correct this attitude in his own disciples too.
Mark 9:38-40 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” | judge another man’s servant
The disciples saw someone performing miracles in the name of Jesus and they tried to stop them. Why? Because they were not part of Jesus’ direct group of disciples. John was surprised to learn that their small group was not the only group sharing the gospel, or wielding the power of God. His first thought was, “If they aren’t part of us, they can’t be legitimate.” Jesus corrects him.
39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us.
In other words, don’t judge them by their association. Don’t judge them by their group identity. Judge them by their fruit. If they are doing genuine works in my name, then they are not to be opposed but viewed as co-labourers in the ministry. Interestingly, it does not appear that that the disciples walking with Jesus and the disciple casting out demons in his name ever joined forces. The disciple casting out demons was not required to submit to, or be absorbed into the other disciples. Both ministries were allowed to co-exist, side-by-side. The Pharisees in John 7 were pridefully sectarian. Jesus was from outside their group. He wasn’t taught by any of their recognized Rabbis and it was unclear whose disciple he actually was. They were disciples of Moses, and he wasn’t part of them, and so he was to be rejected and despised. We can learn from the prideful sectarianism of the Pharisees, of John’s disciples and even the disciples of Jesus. There are other Christians all around us, who may not be part of our group, but who are equally part of the people of God. They may not be part of our particular denomination, but they are preaching an accurate gospel, so we should count them, not as enemies, but as co-laborers for Christ. They may not be part of our fellowship, but they are genuinely blessed by God, and so their success should be celebrated, not denigrated or resented. It's the legalist who is pridefully sectarian. On the other hand, the healthy believer recognizes a wide swathe of genuine believers who come under a wide array of different names. He is blessed, not only by the success of other churches within his denomination, but of any church which preaches the genuine gospel, regardless of denomination.
Next, not only is Legalistic Religion Pridefully Sectarian, but: 2. Legalistic Religion is Dangerously Fanatical Because the legalist is absolutely convinced that it has a corner on the truth, and because he sees God as an angry, condemnatory God, he spreads and defends the truth with anger and condemnation. He can justify all sorts of divisive, and destructive behaviour in God’s name. This is far beyond legitimate zeal. This is dangerous, legalistic fanaticism. Where do we see this in our text?
John 7:19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
The Pharisees prided themselves on being disciples of Moses, yet they didn’t keep the law which Moses gave.
This was a bold assertion by Jesus. They don’t keep the law? Remember the setting here. He is in the temple, teaching during the Feast of Tabernacles. They were literally observing a biblically prescribed feast at that very moment! Yet, Jesus criticism was dead-on. The Jewish leadership were hypocrites who kept the ritual of their religion, but neglected genuine heartfelt worship, and care for the weak. They were like the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the Prophet Amos’ ministry. God, through Amos called them out in this way:
Amos 5:21-24 ¶ “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. 24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
They had the feast, they had the music, they had the offerings, but they were not righteous. They were not just. The greatest example of this is in what Jesus says in the latter part of verse 19.
How did they want to deal with Jesus? They were willing to break the sixth commandment by murdering him. You say, well they felt it was their religious duty to have him killed for blasphemy on the basis of Old Testament scripture. Yes, that was true of some. But by and large, that was a façade. In Matthew 26 (Matt 26:59-60), we find that they end up resorting to dredging up some false witnesses to lie about Jesus so they could have him crucified. They falsely accused him of blasphemy so that they could kill him in the name of religious duty.
Besides the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, there was another Jewish religious group in Jesus’ day known as the Zealots. The Zealots were also sometimes referred to as the Sicarii. The Sicarii were religious terrorists. Their name is derived from the Latin word for dagger. They would carry concealed daggers in their robes and, when in the midst of a crowd, stab their target and slip away before anyone was the wiser.
What was their motivation? A fanatical take on their religion. They felt a God-given mandate to use any means necessary to overthrow the godless, oppressive government of Rome and to establish an independent Israel. They viewed their struggle with Rome as a struggle for the soul of the nation. They were nationalists who wanted to see Jewish customs, traditions, and religious practices dominate the land. In their minds they were religious freedom fighters, battling for the liberation of their land from the demonic tyranny of Rome. Do we see any parallels today? Are there Christians who have such a desire to see our nation return to Christian customs, traditions, and morals that they are tempted to use ungodly means to see it happen? Are there Christians who see themselves as freedom fighters, battling for liberation from a demonic and tyrannical government? Are there Christians who feel they have a divine mandate to wield the Kingship of Jesus against the culture? Sadly, I believe we are seeing the rise of this sort of dangerous fanaticism among some. Some who falsely claim to be representing Jesus. When a people believe they have a divine mandate for retribution, revenge, or revolt, they are dangerously fanatic. Beware of any religious, or political movement which uses the name of Christ, or Christ’s Kingship to justify an attitude of domination or rebellion. Whereas the Pharisees were willing to use their religion as a guise for murder, and the Sicarii were able to justify their terroristic tactics in the name of establishing a Kingdom, what did Jesus say about his disciples?
John 18:36 [To Pilate] “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
His kingdom is not of this world, and so this world is not our home. He has not called us to fight to usher in his kingdom. He hasn’t called us to revolt in order to establish godliness in the land. He has called us to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world all the while exemplifying the meek and gentle character of Jesus.
Legalistic Religion is Dangerously Fanatical. It raises manmade rules and traditions to the level of divine commands and then feels justified in citing divine authority when demanding compliance or punishing rebellion. Jesus warned his disciples in John 16:
John 16:2-3 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Dangerous, legalistic fanatics who think they are serving God, while not even knowing him. This is religion without God. Religion without the only true God, and without his Spirit, is dangerous.
The Apostle Paul was a man deceived by legalistic religion for a time. Consequently, he became a dangerous fanatic. When Paul wrote to the Galatians he described his former life this way:
Galatians 1:13-14 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
What did advancement in the Judaism of Paul’s day look like? What did it look like to be an extremely zealous Pharisee? What did it look like to have an unwavering commitment to Pharisaical tradition? Persecution, violence and destruction. Persecution, violence and destruction against the genuine people of God.
Now, God has mercy on Paul. Why? He wrote to Timothy:
1 Timothy 1:13 … formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
Paul was the victim of legalistic religion. As a young man, he had a zeal for God. It was an ignorant zeal, but a zeal nonetheless. The religion of his day told him that if he was zealous for God, then he should channel that zeal into dedication to the system. He learned the scriptures, studied the tradition, was quickly the head of the class, surpassed his peers, and still wanted more. He wanted an outlet for his zeal and some way to prove his dedication to God. And what did the legalistic system of the Pharisees tell him? Persecution, violence, and destruction against the church of Jesus Christ is the outlet for his religious zeal.
Woe to the religions, or denominations, or sects that victimize zealous young men by deceiving them into channeling their religious fervor towards legalism. In their ignorance, these young men embrace the legalistic system with their whole being thinking that it will bring them closer to God, in reality it just makes them dangerous fanatics.
Is it really fair to call people with such zeal fanatics? After all, aren’t we supposed to be fully devoted to Jesus? Aren’t the fanatics just people who have taken devotion to the next level, maybe even serving Jesus with a fervor that we should all strive towards? Consider this quote from Tim Keller, from his book “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism:”
Think of people you consider fanatical. They’re overbearing, self-righteous, opinionated, insensitive, and harsh. Why? It’s not because they are too Christian but because they are not Christian enough. They are fanatically zealous and courageous, but they are not fanatically humble, sensitive, loving, empathetic, forgiving, or understanding—as Christ was. Because they think of Christianity as a self-improvement program they emulate the Jesus of the whips in the temple, but not the Jesus who said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” (John 8:7). What strikes us as overly fanatical is actually a failure to be fully committed to Christ and his gospel. – Tim Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.
So, Legalistic Religion is Pridefully Sectarian, Dangerously Fanatical, and lastly:
3. Legalistic Religion is Mercilessly Dogmatic We’re learning some good words this morning, aren’t we? Sectarianism, Fanaticism, and now, Dogmatism. To be dogmatic is insist that your interpretation, or your opinions are the absolute truth without considering that you might be wrong, or that the alternative perspectives that others might bring could be helpful at arriving at a more balanced understanding of the truth.
Where do we see this in our text?
John 7:20-24 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
As mentioned earlier, the anger of the Jews toward Jesus stemmed from his healing of a man on the Sabbath the last time he was in Jerusalem. In their mind, he was a Sabbath breaker and therefore worthy of death.
After all, it seemed like a clearcut, open and shut case, didn’t it? He healed a man on the Sabbath, and healing is a work, and working on the Sabbath is forbidden, therefore he is guilty, and the penalty for Sabbath breaking is death, so he must die.
But we might say to these Jews, are you sure you’ve considered every angle here? Are you sure there isn’t some necessary nuance? Are you sure you are striking the right biblical balance when you consider God’s complete revelation? Are you sure there aren’t multiple truths, or priorities, or commands that you have to hold in tension here?
These are foreign words to the mercilessly dogmatic legalist – nuance? Balance? Tension?
Well, Jesus proceeds to show them an area where they had actually exercised this kind of nuance, balance and tension and then goes on to call them out for not doing the same thing in regards to the man healed on the Sabbath.
See, the Jews has the law of circumcision. Every male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day. They also had the law of the Sabbath. They were to do no work on the Sabbath. So, here’s a problem. Circumcision is a work, and it must be done on the 8th day after birth, and sometimes that 8th day would fall on a Sabbath. What were they to do? Were they to break the law by not circumcising on the 8th day? Or were they to break the law by circumcising on the Sabbath?
The Jews had reasoned that in such cases the command to circumcise was of greater importance than the command to keep the Sabbath. The reasoning was that circumcision was a religious duty and a religious duty could be performed on the Sabbath. Further, circumcision in one sense was more of a healing and purification than it was a work, and so it was permitted on the Sabbath.
They had managed to recognize a hierarchy of importance among circumcision and the Sabbath. They were able to recognize nuance. However, when Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath they reverted to dogmatism. The Sabbath was broken, he must die!
Jesus’ point here is that they should apply the same reasoning to the healing of a man on the Sabbath as they did to the circumcising of a man on the Sabbath. Whereas circumcision makes only part of a man well, Jesus’ healing made a man’s whole body well. If circumcision is allowed on the Sabbath, then healing should be allowed on the Sabbath.
Beyond this, whereas they saw circumcising as a religious duty, Jesus’ implication is that mercy and love toward others is also a religious duty. God made this clear over and over again in the Old Testament, with which the Pharisees should have been familiar.
Hosea 6:6-7 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. 7 But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.
According to God through Hosea, steadfast love is better than sacrifice. Beyond this, the neglect of steadfast love is a transgression of the covenant.
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does Yahweh require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
If we’re talking about a hierarchy of importance here, we shouldn’t just talk about which comes first between the Sabbath and circumcision, we should start talking about what comes first between, the Sabbath and circumcision, and mercy, kindness, and justice.
The nice thing is, the answer to that question is very clear. God said through Isaiah in Isaiah 1:
Isaiah 1:11-15 “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says Yahweh; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12 “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? 13 Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16 ¶ Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.
Do you know what is more important than the Sabbath and the whole sacrificial and ritualistic system? Social justice, correcting oppression, caring for the orphan and the widow. In other words, acts of mercy.
Proverbs 21:3 ¶ To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to Yahweh than sacrifice.
What about circumcision? God said through Moses:
Deuteronomy 10:16-19 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. 17 For Yahweh your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
The circumcision of the flesh symbolized something. It symbolized total consecration to God. A consecration that begins in the heart. This is why God could use the metaphor of circumcising “the foreskin of your heart.” In other words, actually live out the spiritual reality that is symbolized by the outward act of circumcision.
What would that look like according to verses 18 and 19? It would look like living like God who cares for the widow and orphan and the traveller, and the hungry, and those in need of clothes. In other words, acts of mercy.
Acts of mercy are greater than the Sabbath and acts of mercy are greater than circumcision. In reality, acts of mercy fulfill the intended purpose of the sabbath, and the symbolism of circumcision. Nevertheless, if the Pharisees were able to determine that circumcision trumped the Sabbath, they should have been equally able to discern that mercy trumped both of them.
Instead, they determined that Jesus’ miracle of mercy on the Sabbath deserved death.
Legalistic religion is mercilessly dogmatic. Again from Tim Keller:
In Jesus’s and the prophets’ critique, self-righteous religion is always marked by insensitivity to issues of social justice, while true faith is marked by profound concern for the poor and marginalized. – Tim Keller, The Reason for God
Legalistic religion fails to understand nuance, balance and tension where biblical truths and priorities are concerned. Instead it elevates external commands, and ignores attitudes of the heart.
If we are to avoid such merciless dogmatism, we have to learn the discipline of distinguishing between those doctrines which are of first importance and those which are not.
This is a discipline which Al Mohler described as “theological triage.” Just like you might go to the emergency room and have a nurse assess you to determine where your sickness or injury falls in the hierarchy of urgency, so too, when we consider doctrines we must be wise in determining where each falls in the hierarchy of importance.
If we get this wrong we can be guilty of separating over differences in minor doctrines on the one hand, or in ignoring errors in major doctrines elsewhere.
We should recognize first-order doctrines as those which separate orthodoxy from heresy. These are the doctrines that separate a church from a cult. These are the doctrines which are essential to be believed if one is to be counted as a genuine believer. The deity and humanity of Christ, the Trinity, the atonement, the bodily resurrection, etc. There is no room for compromise where these doctrines are concerned and so genuine believers must separate from those who deny or distort them.
Next, we should recognize second-order doctrines as those which do not define the gospel. If individuals hold to error in these doctrines, it doesn’t mean that they are not believers, or that we should break fellowship with them. Christians holding differing views on church government, biblical offices, the sovereignty of God in salvation should be able to count one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Sure, denominations might form as a result of these differences, but we should be able to love one another, count one another as co-laborers, and cooperate in various areas.
Next, are third-order doctrines. These are things like the order of the end times events, the appropriate use of alcohol, matters of conscience and Christian liberty. These are things on which we might differ, but allow us to maintain close fellowship within the same covenant community.
The problem with legalistic religion is that it is so mercilessly dogmatic that it views even opinions on third-order doctrines as reasons to reject others, and to separate from them. In fact, in many legalistic churches it’s the third-order issues that you hear preached on the most. Why? 1) Because they are the issues that welcome the greatest debate since they are often matters of opinion, or conscience, 2) Because separatism or sectarianism is part of the DNA of a legalistic church and so they must always be distinguishing themselves from others.
So, legalistic religion is mercilessly dogmatic. We said mercilessly because in all this wrangling over whether or not rules were broken on the Sabbath, who was ignored? The man that Jesus healed of paralysis. He wasn’t even an afterthought to the Pharisees. Their only concern was determining who broke their rules. Lost in the theological scuffle was mercy.
I wonder how much mercy is neglected, how much justice is forsaken, and how much love is withheld because Christians are two busy quibbling over doctrine and theology which shouldn’t rise to the level of such debates? I wonder how many Christians are so caught up in theological wranglings that they’ve forgotten that there is a lost world all around us that needs us to extend to them the love, mercy, and compassion of Jesus Christ?
CONCLUSION
Legalistic religion is Pridefully Sectarian,
But followers of Jesus are called to be humbly unified.
Legalistic religion is Dangerously Fanatical,
But followers of Jesus are called to be lovingly devoted.
Legalistic religion is Mercilessly Dogmatic,
But followers of Jesus are called to be mercifully balanced.
Legalistic religion is superficial,
But followers of Jesus worship with their whole hearts by the Spirit, on the inside of man.
Legalistic religion is heartless,
But followers of Jesus prove the genuineness of their faith by their love for one another.
Legalistic religion is authoritarian
But followers of Jesus lead with a spirit of humble service, never domineering over the flock.
Legalistic religion is blind,
But followers of Jesus are always growing in knowledge of God and God’s will, by his Spirit.
Legalistic religion is praise-seeking,
But followers of Jesus seek to live lives which redound to the praise and glory of God, even if it means sacrificing earthly praise.
