Old and New

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

OLD AND NEW

Luke 7:24-30

24 After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written:

"'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'   

28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  29(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)

NIV

Jesus spends some time here with the people talking about John the Baptist and who he was in relationship to the people and to Jesus himself. Matthews account includes a statement about John which Luke does not but the message is the same. Before John there were many other prophets of God, in fact the people may have misunderstood some of them, because they thought it would be Elijah himself that would return before the Christ appeared. But the point Jesus was making is that John was the last prophet which means Jesus is the Christ. John was the last of the old and he ushered in the new. This is what Jesus was telling them. If they accepted the message of John and were baptized by John, repenting of their sin, they were part of the new. They were no longer condemned by the law, but were being a part of the new covenant God has made with his creation, through Christ Jesus. As far as being greater than John, it is all about the old and the new. John was by far the greatest of the prophets because he was the one who came just before Jesus and in fact baptized Jesus, proclaiming him to be the Lamb of God. Yet John died before the Sacrifice was made, so in fact he was still the old, but all of us who followed after John and accepted the act of repentance are in fact part of this new covenant with God. We acknowledge that God’s way is right. We acknowledge that the law was to show us our need for Jesus. We know that once we have been freed from that bondage under the law, we should not put ourselves back under it, burden ourselves with the law which has been perverted by men. The Pharisees had done just that and could not accept neither John nor Christ, as they were imprisoned by their own choosing to the law. We have to remember this lesson. We who have accepted the message of John the Baptist and repented of our sin, acknowledging that God’s way is right, which was to redeem us, to satisfy his own need for justice, but sending Jesus to be the one and last sacrifice for all our sin. When we try to live under the law, any law, which includes all those rules and regulations set forth by various denominations rather than by the covenant God made with us through Jesus, we are in fact more like the Pharisees then those who acknowledge God’s way is right. No, we should not continue to sin, that God’s grace can abound. But we have to acknowledge we do continue to sin, perhaps not on purpose, but because we are human, and no law, no rule or regulation can justify us, make us holy and righteous in the sight of God. Repentance and acceptance of Jesus as our Savior is our only path to God. We are not a part of the old, we are in the new.