Old Testament reading: Jeremiah 31
Jeremiah 31 continues God’s promise of restoration begun in chapter 30 (cf 30:3). Jeremiah 31:31-34 is a marvelous text that foretells of the termination and passing away of the Mosaic Law, including the Ten Commandments (vv 31-32). It also explains a fundamental difference in what it means to be a child of God under the Mosaic Covenant and being a child of God under the Gospel or Christian Covenant. One born under Moses’ Law was automatically and inherently an Israelite, but he had to be taught the precepts found therein to be a faithful child of God. This is in contrast with the arrangement of the New Covenant, wherein a person must be taught first before being born into the family of God. Unlike Judaism, no one enters the family of God today by the means of physical birth. We might explain the difference like this: under Judaism, one was born first and taught afterward; under Christianity, one is taught first and then born again (1 Peter 1:22-25). Hebrews 8:7-13 is an inspired commentary on Jeremiah 31:31-34, and Romans 2:28-29 and Colossians 2:11-13 are also helpful texts.
New Testament reading: Luke 4-5
“And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority” (Luke 4:32). This statement closely resembles that found at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, where “the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matt 7:28-29). Jesus had been publicly confirmed as God’s Son (Luke 3:22), so this kind of teaching would have been a natural outgrowth of this affirmation. Contrary to the teaching of the scribes, who argued by quoting the human traditions and interpretations handed down through the centuries, Jesus appealed to no authority other than Himself. This is seen in His repeated statements in the Sermon on the Mount, “You have heard it said… but I say…” (Matt 5:21-22). Even Moses, when giving instruction to Pharaoh and the people, appealed to the Lord as his source of authority (cf Ex 5:1, 11:4). Not so with Jesus. No truer words were ever spoken than those by our Lord upon His departure, “All authority is given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18).
Leave a Reply