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Thursday 15 January 2009

Benefit from others' mistakes

In the New Testament, Moses appears most frequently in the work of Luke [Luke(10) + Acts(19)=29 times]. He also appears 12 times in John and 11 times in Hebrews. Therefore, it makes sense to follow John Baptist's suit to write about "Moses' position in the Kingdom of God". But unlike John the Baptist, Moses was not mentioned directly in relation to the Kingdom in the gospels. Together with Elijah, he appeared in Transfiguration. Otherwise, his name mostly appears in relation to the laws he handed down for Judaism. I wonder if it is the consequence of a basic contradiction and even hostility between Judaism and Christianity.
The gospel of John had a very good summary of relation between Judaism and Christianity.
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17).
Judaism is mostly concerned with the observance of the laws handed down by Moses: Sabbath, circumcision and the 10 Commandments etc. Torah is the only thing that came down from heaven. Torah is full of wisdom and is a heavenly sent guidance and instruction manual for the Jews to conduct their life. God is elusive. But the Torah is concrete and practical.
Christianity is more concerned with grace. Christians do not totally reject or overthrow the laws of Moses. They understand that keeping the laws is a necessary but not a sufficient condition to attain eternal life. God is not a dispenser or a vending machine. We cannot perform a series of actions and expect God, out of necessity, to grant us rewards. They understand that we cannot force the hands of God to satisfy our wants. Therefore, they introduce a better concept: grace. On top of observing the 10 commandments, Christians understand that they rely on God's grace to attain eternal life and this grace comes from their faith in Jesus Christ. John summarizes it well.
The author of Hebrews was probably the only New Testament author to define Moses' position in the Kingdom.
Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later,
but Christ was faithful over God's house as a son
(Hebrews 3:5-6a).
Moses is only a servant in God's house but Jesus is the son. Moses is inferior to Jesus. Therefore Christianity is superior to Judaism. Why? It is because Moses' mission is, to a certain extent, a failure. The author of Hebrews quoted Psalm 95 to prove his case. The author reflected on the rebellions of Israelites in the wilderness.
Who were they that heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses?
And with whom was he provoked forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
And to whom did he swear that they should never enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?
So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief
(Hebrews 3:16-19).
In one breath, the author of Hebrews advised Christians to benefit from the mistakes of the rebellious Israelites. Believe and place our hope in Jesus. Obey Jesus. Provoke Jesus not. Be not rebellious. Otherwise, Christians will not be able to enter God's rest!
And we are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope (Hebrews 3:6b).

Dear Jesus, You are our hope and our pride. May we hold fast on You to enter God's rest. I place the implementation of NSS E&RS in Your hand. Help us realize it in Shung Tak. Amen.

Appendix:
Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their hearts; they have not known my ways. As I swore in my wrath, They shall never enter my rest'.σήμερον ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε,
μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷκατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ,
οὗ ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν δοκιμασίᾳ καὶ εἶδον τὰ ἔργα μου
τεσσεράκοντα ἔτη· διὸ προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ταύτῃ καὶ εἶπον· ἀεὶ πλανῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ, αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰς ὁδούς μου,
ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου· εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου.
(Hebrews 3:7b-11)
σήμερον, ἐὰν τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ ἀκούσητε,
μὴ σκληρύνητε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν τῷ παραπικρασμῷ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ πειρασμοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ,
οὗ ἐπείρασαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν, ἐδοκίμασαν καὶ εἴδοσαν τὰ ἔργα μου.
τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη προσώχθισα τῇ γενεᾷ ἐκείνῃ καὶ εἶπα Ἀεὶ πλανῶνται τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὰς ὁδούς μου,
ὡς ὤμοσα ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου Εἰ εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν κατάπαυσίν μου.
(Psalm 94:7b-11,LXX, 95:7b-11 MT)

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