The Scandal of Grace, Part 2
Notes
Transcript
2. Grace transforms sinners. (2:18-22)
2. Grace transforms sinners. (2:18-22)
The scene changes in starting in verse eighteen, “Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” The only fast that was commanded in the law was on the Day of Atonement. Every other fast was something that the religious leaders added beyond the law.
The religious leaders did not understand why the disciples of Jesus were not fasting two times a week. Therefore, Jesus answers, and he do so using three metaphors as illustrations: a wedding, sewing new cloth on old cloth, and putting new wine in old wineskins.
A Jewish wedding was a time of joy, a time of celebration, a time of feasting. Therefore, Jesus likens his presence with his disciples as a wedding. Jesus in the bridegroom, they are in the presence of the bridegroom, which always results in joy. This metaphor points to the New Covenant where sinners are wed to Jesus Christ and they become one, and joy becomes a permanent quality of their lives. That is why we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord.
The next two metaphors drive home the same point. The new will not mix with the old. Jesus is referring to the Old Covenant, which was external, and the New Covenant, which is internal. The New Covenant will not fit into the religious system that the Pharisees devised. Jesus didn’t come to reform religion. He came to replace it with himself.
God was doing a new thing in Christ. The law would no longer be external, but internal, written on the hearts of believers by the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. The scandal of grace is the transformation of the sinner from the inside out through the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. Grace embraces sinners. Grace transforms sinners. Grace liberates sinners.
3. Grace liberates sinners (2:23-3:6)
3. Grace liberates sinners (2:23-3:6)
The next two scenes take place on the Sabbath, one in the grain fields the other in the synagogue. The first one is the grain field where you have the disciples walking through it plucking the heads of grain. This was scandalous; therefore, the question in verse twenty-four, “And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” To the credit of the Pharisees, it was unlawful to plant or harvest on the Sabbath. However, their interpretation of the law and application fell short of God’s intent. You could say that they missed the forest because of the trees.
Jesus answers the question with an astonishing response, “And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” Now, the story that Jesus is referring to is found in 1 Samuel chapter twenty-one. What is interesting about this story is that not only did David break the law by eating the bread, but he also lied to the priest about why he was there.
I don’t know about you, but this is hard to understand. How do we reconcile what seems to be disobedience on the part of the disciples and King David, and Jesus justifying it? I believe verse twenty-seven helps, “And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath was given to man for his good. It wasn’t designed to harm man, but to restore man, to revive man, to help man. The Sabbath is for the man, not man for the Sabbath. This is where the religious leaders got it wrong.
Religious people think that man was made for the Law. It was given so that man can keep it and merit favor and acceptance from God. Therefore, those who see the law in this way will want to know all the details to the law and keep them to merit favor and acceptance. They will even go as far as adding more detail to the law so that they can earn acceptance, and deserve acceptance. That is a misunderstanding of the Law.
First, the law was given for man’s good, not harm. Moses said to the Israelites, “Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all of his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes which I am commanding you this day for your good.” The commandments and statutes were given for man’s good, not harm.
Second, the law was given to show us that we can’t keep the law, and; therefore, we can’t merit favor and acceptance with God by trying to keep the law.
I believe it is the Pharisees who are breaking spirit of the law. They are more concerned about keeping the law than they are about meeting needs of their fellowman. The Pharisees were keeping the law, not because they loved God, but because they loved self. They didn’t try to keep the law out of love for God, but out of a desire to earn favor, which is self-centered.
Jesus drives this home in the next scene in the synagogue, “Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.”
When religious people are confronted by grace the respond like the Pharisees, “The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” "Christianity is not an addition to what you’ve done. It’s a whole new thing."
The scandal of grace will decimate your tiny little kingdom of one and then welcome you to a kingdom of righteousness and peace that has no end.
Grace will call you to admit your inability while it comforts you with the powerful indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Grace will expose the depth of your sin while it astounds you with the extent of God's mercy.
Grace will work to smash your pride while it gives you more reason for confidence than you've ever had before.
Grace will expose all of your weaknesses while it blesses you with divine strength.
No scandal is ever a good scandal, unless it is the scandal of grace. Have you experienced the scandal of Grace? Have you ever been embraced by the love of God and forgiven? Transformed by the power of God? Have you ever been liberated to love God and love people? Then you have not experienced the scandal of grace.
God is able to make all grace abound so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times we can abound in every good work. That is the scandal of grace. Are you living it? Are you sharing it? Are you spreading it?