My Favorite Verses - Vol II (Mar 15 to Jul 16)

Matthew 5:17-18 … Belief and the “unbeliever”
(03/09/2015)
I've always found Christians' use of the term ―unbeliever‖ to be somewhat
patronizing (if not a blatant violation of Matthew 7:1's call for us to avoid judging others
altogether), and yet what I find even more intriguing is that the ones doing this and
any similar name-calling seem to have fully forgotten an all-important fact: namely,
that their own Lord & Savior was first & foremost an ―unbeliever‖ himself!
Indeed, if we lay out all 613 of the Jewish laws (called “mitzvoth”) that were
viable in Jesus' day & time, and if we then slowly & Care-fully read Jesus'
teachings as they are found in the Gospels, we start to see a most potent Truth take
shape – namely, the Truth that Jesus was not a supporter of the Old Testament at
all. Rather, he was a downright radical reformer thereof … In fact, of the 613 Old
Testament laws that were literally ―on the books‖ during the time of Jesus' threeyear
ministry, we find in the Gospels themselves that he violated, amended,
expanded, or fully discarded EVERY -- SINGLE -- ONE of them! He violated
them in the name of Love, and yet violate them he did ... He amended them in the
name of Justice, and yet amend them he did ... He expanded them in the name of
selfless Service, and yet expand them he did ... He discarded them in the name of
Compassion, and yet discard them he did.
And even though the Scribes & the Sadducees & the Pharisees -- even
though these most pious and most ―holy‖ and most ―learned‖ religious leaders of
his day all openly denounced him as an ―unbeliever‖, Jesus had the courage to
openly challenge the wicked ways in which their laws were being interpreted &
the capricious ways in which their laws were being applied ... Yes, even though he
was called a ―heretic‖ and a ―heathen‖ -- even though he was openly shunned as
an ―unbeliever‖, Jesus still spoke up for Love & Justice & Compassion anyway.
―But what about Matthew 5:17-18?‖ my Christian friends cry. And indeed in
that particular passage Jesus does quite clearly say ―Do not think that I have come
to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill
them‖ ... Of course, what my Christian friends have not been taught is that the
Greek word commonly translated as ―fulfill‖ in this verse (pleroo - Greek #4137 in
Strong's Concordance) is far more accurately written as ―honed‖ or ―perfected‖ or
―brought to completion or fullness‖ … something that can only be truly fulfilled
by the courage of true ―unbelievers‖.
Amen ... Let it be so.
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