Study Notes: Will of God - Law (Christianity)
Hey everyone! Welcome to the study notes for the "Will of God - Law" chapter. Ever felt like religion is just a long list of rules and 'don'ts'? This chapter is super important because we'll explore how Jesus explained God's will. You'll see it's less about blindly following rules and more about something much deeper: the attitude of our hearts. Understanding this will help you see the bigger picture of Christian ethics. Let's dive in and make sense of it all!
Understanding the Context: The Law in Jesus' Time
To understand Jesus' teachings, we first need to know what "The Law" meant to his audience. It wasn't just a few rules; it was the foundation of their entire life and society.
- The Law (Torah): This refers to the first five books of the Old Testament. It contains God's commandments given to the people of Israel, including the famous Ten Commandments. For the Jewish people, following The Law was a way of showing their love and faithfulness to God.
- Traditions of the Elderly: Over centuries, religious leaders created extra rules and interpretations to explain how to apply The Law in daily life. Think of it like a detailed user manual for The Law. However, sometimes people focused more on these man-made traditions than on the original meaning of God's commands.
- The Religious Leaders: Groups like the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law were the religious experts. They were very serious about following every single rule, both from The Law and the traditions.
Think of it this way: The Law is like the basic rule "drive safely." The traditions are like adding specific rules: "you must check your mirrors every 5 seconds" and "you must hold the steering wheel at 10 and 2." Jesus came to remind people that the main point is to "drive safely" (love God and others), not just to obsess over the smaller rules.
Key Takeaway
The "Law" was central to Jewish life. Jesus didn't come to get rid of it, but to show people its true meaning and purpose, which had sometimes been lost under layers of human traditions.
The Heart of the Matter: The Greatest Commandment
When a Teacher of the Law asked Jesus which commandment was the most important of all, Jesus gave a clear and powerful answer that sums up the entire Law.
Jesus said the greatest commandments are:
- "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mk. 12:30)
- "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Mk. 12:31)
He then said, "There is no commandment greater than these." This was revolutionary! He boiled down hundreds of laws into two core principles based on love.
Memory Aid: Up & Out!
A simple way to remember the Greatest Commandment is to think "Up & Out".
- Love UP to God.
- Love OUT to your neighbour.
Key Takeaway
For Jesus, the entire will of God hangs on these two principles. If an action is not rooted in love for God or love for your neighbour, you are missing the entire point of the Law.
Challenging the Rules: Jesus' Debates on the Law
Jesus often got into trouble with the religious leaders because his understanding of God's Law was different from theirs. He focused on the spirit of the Law, while they focused on the letter of the Law. Here are some key conflicts:
1. Eating with "Outcasts" and Forgiving Sins
The religious leaders were shocked when Jesus ate with tax collectors and "sinners." According to their traditions, this would make him "unclean." But Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mk. 2:17). He also claimed he had the authority to forgive sins (Mk. 2:1-12), which they believed only God could do.
Jesus' Point: The Law is about mercy and reaching out to those in need, not about separating yourself from them.
2. Conflict Over Fasting
The Pharisees fasted regularly as a sign of religious devotion. They criticised Jesus' disciples for not fasting. Jesus used an analogy of new wine and old wineskins (Mk. 2:18-22), explaining that his new message of joy couldn't be forced into their old, rigid traditions.
Jesus' Point: Religious practices like fasting should have a real purpose, not just be done for the sake of tradition.
3. Conflict Over the Sabbath
The Law commanded a day of rest called the Sabbath. The religious leaders had created hundreds of strict rules about what you couldn't do on this day. Jesus broke these traditions by healing people and allowing his disciples to pick grain when they were hungry (Mk. 2:23-28). He declared: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."
Jesus' Point: Human need is more important than a rigid observance of religious rules. The purpose of the Sabbath is to be a gift of rest and restoration for people, not a burden.
4. Clean vs. Unclean & Man-made Traditions
The Pharisees were obsessed with ritual purity, especially washing hands before eating (Mk. 7:1-5). Jesus called them out, saying they were honouring their own traditions over God's actual commands (Mk. 7:6-13). He taught that what truly makes a person "unclean" is not what goes into their mouth, but what comes out of their heart—things like greed, evil thoughts, and deceit (Mk. 7:14-22).
Jesus' Point: God cares about your inner purity (your heart and motivations) far more than your outer purity (following rituals).
5. A Question on Divorce
When asked about divorce, Jesus pointed back to God's original intention for marriage as a lifelong union, suggesting that the law allowing divorce was a concession to human sinfulness, not God's perfect will (Mk. 10:1-12).
Jesus' Point: It's important to understand the original purpose and spirit behind God's commands.
Key Takeaway
In all these conflicts, Jesus was not trying to cancel The Law. He was trying to "zoom out" and show the religious leaders the big picture they were missing. He taught that mercy, justice, and love are the "weightier matters of the law."
The Ultimate Guidebook: The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew's Gospel) is Jesus' most famous collection of teachings. It's like a manifesto for the Kingdom of God, explaining what it looks like to live out God's will from the heart.
Don't worry if this seems like a lot! The main idea is that Jesus is raising the standard from outward actions to inward attitudes.
The Six Antitheses: "You have heard it said... but I tell you..."
This is a key part of the sermon (Mt. 5:21-48). Jesus takes six commands from the Old Testament Law and explains their deeper meaning.
Example 1: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not murder'... But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment."
Jesus' Point: Don't just avoid the act of killing someone. Deal with the anger in your heart that is the root of murder.
Example 2: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Jesus' Point: Don't just avoid the physical act. Deal with the lust in your heart that is the root of adultery.
The Pattern: Jesus consistently shifts the focus from the action (murder, adultery) to the root cause in the heart (anger, lust).
Other Key Teachings from the Sermon:
- The Beatitudes (Mt. 5:3-12): A series of "Blessed are..." statements that praise inner qualities like humility, mercy, and peacemaking, rather than outward success or power.
- Salt and Light (Mt. 5:13-16): Jesus tells his followers they should be like salt (to preserve and add flavour to the world) and light (to shine and guide others), having a positive influence on society.
- True Piety (Mt. 6:1-18): When you give to the poor, pray, or fast, do it secretly for God to see, not publicly to win praise from other people. It's about your relationship with God, not your reputation.
- The Golden Rule (Mt. 7:12): "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." This is another beautiful summary of our ethical duty to others!
Did you know? The Sermon on the Mount shows that Jesus didn't come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Mt. 5:17). He fulfilled it by living it out perfectly and by revealing its deepest meaning.
Key Takeaway
The Sermon on the Mount is a guide to a heart-level righteousness. It teaches that to truly follow God's will, our inner thoughts, motivations, and attitudes must be transformed, not just our outward behaviour.
Final Summary: Chapter Takeaways
If you remember just a few things from this chapter, make it these:
- Love is the Goal: The entire Law can be summed up by the two greatest commandments: Love God and Love your neighbour.
- Heart over Ritual: Jesus consistently taught that God cares more about our inner heart and motivations (mercy, justice, faithfulness) than about perfectly following external rituals and traditions.
- Fulfilled, Not Abolished: Jesus did not get rid of the Law. He revealed its true, deeper meaning and purpose, calling people to a righteousness that comes from the inside out.
- People over Rules: In situations like the Sabbath debate, Jesus showed that the purpose of God's laws is to help and heal people, not to be a heavy burden.
Great job getting through this topic! It's a deep one, but it's central to understanding Christian ethics. Keep these key ideas in mind as you continue your studies.