… born under the law,
Summary: One of those words that has many meanings is the word “law.” Making an assumption about which “law” a person is talking about can be dangerous, even deadly.
Jesus’ appearance on earth was not a random event. As Paul has already pointed out, Jesus was born at a “set time,” and born “of a woman.” God had a plan and he chose Mary, Jesus’ mother, to help him carry it out. God’s Son, then, became a Son of Man as well.
In addition to being born human and subject to human frailties, Jesus was born “under the law.”
The question that immediately springs to mind is, “Which law?”
It is easy to gloss over this question. I can hear the voice in my head asking the question, and the answer that comes back is, “You know… the law.” Maybe it means “the law of God” or something like that.
Let’s take a closer look, and see if we can figure it out.
The first laws that we encounter as human beings are the laws of physics. Gravity weighs us all down and holds us to the surface of the earth. Water is water, and wine is wine, and if we walk along the beach and into the surf, we sink into the water.
Except none of this applies to Jesus. He changed water into wine (John 2:1-11), and when he chose to, he could defy the law of gravity and walk on top of the water (John 6:19). Obviously, he is not subject to the laws of physics, but what about the Jewish laws?
Perhaps he was born under the Mosaic laws? You know, the ones that say you shouldn’t do any work on a Sabbath. But if that is the case, why were the Pharisees always accusing him of breaking the law? (Matthew 12: 1-14)
Hmmm…
Maybe he is subject to the temple laws? No … I remember now. He said he was “exempt” for some reason. (Matthew 17:24-27)
What’s left?
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he answered this way:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)
Oh … !
Application: Strive to live the Law as Jesus did.
Food for Thought: What examples come to mind of Jesus submitting to “the law”?
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