God hits it hard right from the first verse in chapter two. The message God delivered through the angels was the Law. The message Jesus announced was salvation. The Law was a picture of the why we needed the real thing. Jesus was the real thing. What the author wants us to really get is that, plain and simple, Jesus’ message is better than the angels’ message. Well, if people were punished for neglecting the Law, and the Law is just a shadow of the real thing, what will happen to those people who neglect the real thing? Remember, he is speaking to believers here!
The Law had become more than it should have for those who followed it. It was all about tradition and nothing about God. Kind of like Christmas. John used the perfect example when he spoke of this to explain these people’s dilemma, and it really helped me to understand. Think about it for a minute. When exactly did Christmas become about an over-sized pine tree in the middle of your living room, or spending lots of money you don’t really have, or hanging some berries on your ceiling as an excuse to kiss the one you love? When did Christmas become about drinking too much, and overeating, and a big, fat, old guy who has deer that can fly (one with a red light for a nose) and stays up until an ungodly hour, overindulging on cookies and milk one night out of the year?
How did this happen? When did this happen? Because I remember it being this way forever. That’s what it was about when I was a kid and that’s what it’s still about for most people today, even those who genuinely love God. It has become less about what it’s really about, and more about tradition. And the truth is, when you’ve grown up with it this way, it’s hard to break away from. The smells, the lights, the gatherings, the songs…they all bring back so many wonderful memories. And I’m trying to think, in this context, of what it must have felt like for those Jewish Christians to let go of all of their smells and lights and gatherings.
Yes, these people loved God, just as we do, but yes they also had some pretty strong traditions that were hard to break away from, just as we do.
That’s why there is tremendous application here for us. We are in danger of drifting. That’s a fact. The writer here is warning not just the readers at that time, but the readers of today as well. And we’re not talking about Christmas anymore. I mean, yeah some of the things we do to celebrate Christ’s birth are pretty random and don’t really have anything to do with, well…anything! But the application goes far deeper than harmless Christmas traditions.
For those of us who have been walking with the Lord for awhile, sometimes it’s just easier to lean on what you know! We talked about this in our study of Romans. “Breaking up is hard to do”, remember? If we’ve been in a particular relationship for a long time, sometimes it’s just easier to go through the motions. You’ve already learned what that person likes and dislikes and after years of experience, you don’t really have to give much thought to the person at all when you are, let’s say, making a meal for him or her. You’ve done it a million times and you know not to put this ingredient in and to add another. You can cook the whole meal without ever even thinking about the one you’re cooking for! You’ve already got it down to a science!
We don’t want our relationship with God to be like this. We are in constant danger of drifting from the real thing into routines and traditions of men. It’s so easy sometimes to go through all the motions without giving Christ one thought during the day. It’s so much easier to listen to someone else talk about what God is like than to seek Him and find out for ourselves. Following the rules takes less thought, less time and sometimes even less effort if we know the ropes. After being a Christian for a long enough, we know what’s acceptable and what’s not. What’s good, what’s not. And we fall into this routine of simply following the rules, without ever considering God while we are doing it… just like Christmas, and just like the Jews who were wholeheartedly dedicated to the Law. They were so dedicated in fact, that when the fulfillment of it came, they crucified Him. We genuinely love God, but when did we resign to just following the rules instead of pursuing the One who created them?
This week, as we prepare for chapter 3 of this study, let’s not even consider the rules. Let’s let the “supposed to’s” and the “should do’s” all fall to the ground and simply allow our hearts and minds to fix on Christ and the fact that He has already taken care of all of these things. Every “supposed to” and “should do” is covered so that you can rest in His presence with great peace and simply enjoy Him. Let’s fall in love with Him all over again as we simply spend time with Him and with others who love Him.
See you all on Monday!
Sara