Jesus and the Law

Yesterday I spoke out of Mark 5 where Jesus heals the woman with an issue of blood. I went into some historic detail about why it was so improper for her to come to Jesus and what significance her touching his cloak was all about. After the service, a friend pointed out something that really stuck in my head.

As we were talking in the lobby, my friend commented that Jesus never considered himself unclean after the woman touched him. He never went and ceremonially washed or stayed away from the temple as far as scripture tells us. He simply went about his business and carried out his mission. Jesus never gave the law a second thought in this case.

The reason this stuck with me is that we often think of Jesus, and by extension God, as the Great Rule God!! He is ready to beat us down and hold our sin over our heads if we break his rules. Now I am not suggesting that God ignores our sin. In fact, nothing could be further form the truth. What God does is forgets our sin and covers it with the blood of Jesus.

Wouldn't it be great if we could forget our past as God does? Wouldn't it be awesome if we let ourselves off the hook the way god lets us off the hook? Jesus paid for our sins completely. he overcame the results of our sin on the cross. By his grace we are free from the penalty our sin deserves.

This is called grace. It is what Jesus demonstrated to the woman in Mark 5 and it is what he wants to give all of us who call on his name. How amazing it is to think that the God of the universe sees us through the lens of grace. If only we could see ourselves that way!!!