Bootstrap wrote:
But your black-and-white reading makes no room for relaxing anything in the Old Testament, including circumcision and sacrifices in the Temple. Unless you relate this to the rest of the New Testament, what started out as "just the words of Jesus" suddenly brings in the entire Old Testament. That's a rather different proposition.
At the same time, you reject much of the New Testament, including everything that Paul wrote and the things in other books that testify to the authority of Paul. There's not much point discussing which translation or which manuscript is best if you reject half of the New Testament entirely. And that makes it hard to discuss this, because I think the real answer is to read Galatians, our best guide to the relationship between Jesus and the Old Covenant. Without that common ground, I'm not sure where to go with this.
As for Luke 6:1, it doesn't really matter much which reading is correct. Luke writes for Gentiles, starting out with an introduction that could have come straight out of a Greek history, explaining Jewish customs along the way for his Gentile audience. I don't think we can assume that these readers would have been experts on the Jewish festivals, that's knowledge that he does not seem to assume. Commentaries often say that if this is genuine, they are not at all sure what it means, offering at least several possibilities. I don't think this is particularly solid ground to build a theology on.
I have promised not to say anything negative about Paul. So, I will say this with the words of Christ:
John 8:(17) It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
Whatever Paul said, or claimed to be, you would need a second witness to make it a fact. And for most of what he said, and what he claimed to be as a title, there is not a second witness.
And you are right, Christ said that all of the Law would always be relevant, yet there is no Temple to offer sacrifices. There is no "place where the Lord has put His name" for where we should celebrate the yearly feast days. And circumcision is only given to the physical descendants of Abraham (Gen 17:10), so that is not a commandment for everyone either.
For the sacrificial law, the Book of Hebrews tells us that there is a true tabernacle, not made with hands, where Christ is our High Priest. This is where the sacrificial law is performed, once and for all.
For if the sacrificial law had been abolished, then Christ would not have needed to die on the cross. His sacrifice is something that we still celebrate, so the sacrificial law, now in the true tabernacle, is something we acknowledge as eternal. Hebrews 9.
The feast days are no longer in Jerusalem, and no longer point to the delivery from Egypt, or the sojourn in the desert.
The feast days all point to Christ.
Passover points to Christ's death, Unleavened bread to His burial, and First Fruits to His resurrection. Pentecost is still celebrated as when the Spirit or Comforter was given. The fall feast days point to His Return, when the Trumpet of the Lord shall sound and the dead in Christ shall rise. (Matt 24:31) And we shall reign with Him and tabernacle with Him, as indicated by the Feast of Tabernacles, and be judged on the Last Great Day. And Atonement was the day He entered our world, as a scapegoat to wander the lonely places.
Bootstrap,
The only major differences between most of us are the dietary laws, resting on the 7th day, usury, and replacing the pagan feast days that honor Mithras and replacing them with the holy days that honor Christ.
In one thing I will agree with Paul. That there was a part of the law that was added because of transgressions. (Gal 3:19).
This is talking about the laws added after the covenant of Sinai, which are the sacrificial laws. Paul is wrong, yet right in that they are not on earth at this point.
Carefully look at Exodus 20 - the 10 Commandments.
Exodus 21-23 - the law written in a scroll. This was the basis of the covenant, and was the moral laws that men should follow.
Exodus 24 - the covenant
Exodus 25-31 the tabernacles laws, that had been added after covenant.
Paul is wrong, but also right, in stating that what was added is now abolished, at least here on earth.
Take care and nice to talk to you.
John
"He replaced the teachings of Christ with his own opinions, and gave us a religion based on the doctrines of men."
