By Edward O’Hara
For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.
Have you ever noticed what Jesus said here? That as He was reckoned among the transgressors the things concerning Him have an end? But, Jesus is God and God is eternal. So even though we know why He was reckoned among the transgressors, how could the things concerning Jesus have an end? Certainly this can not be referring to Him as a being. He must be telling us something vitally important though regarding His ministry here on earth.
If we consider closely in context what He was saying here it will tell us what Jesus was saying would have an end. That it was the end of the things that He came to accomplish. He was speaking of the end of His ministry while living as a man here on earth.
If we will consider what He told to Israel He came to do in Mt.5:17,18 He said He came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it. So causing Israel to revolt against the law to destroy it was not what Jesus’ came to do. His purpose was to fulfill it by meeting its demands so that Israel would no longer be held accountable to those demands. By meeting its demands Himself in His life and His death when He said while being the final once for all sacrifice under the law on the cross “It is finished”.
So that when He has accomplished fulfilling the law it would pass away. Adding that the law must be fulfilled before it can pass away. And until the law is fulfilled heaven and earth would pass away before the law would. Showing that only by accomplishing what He said He came to do could the law then pass away.
Because it was for Him to bring an end to the Old so that the New can begin. Because in the Old Covenant sin was imputed, the soul that sinneth it shall die, and there was no life that could be derived from its keeping. But, only death. This is what we read in Paul’s explanation of the Old Covenant found in Rom.5:13, Gal.3:21, and Rom.6:23 respectively. And all through the letter to the Hebrews.
So why is it that so many believe they are to do the things that Jesus taught in obeying the law? When He plainly said “I have come not but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel”? And “the things concerning me have an end”?
It’s because they do not really believe Jesus. But, only understand their need to be controlled like slaves because otherwise they will do bad things. To be led by the law and its commands. Rather than by the love shed abroad in the believer’s heart by the Holy Spirit.
Instead of appealing to God’s love, they continually appeal to the law for direction. Believing that if they keep it well enough it will earn them brownie points with God and somehow prove to Him that they are obedient children. So that God will have to accept them.
But works, especially the works of the law, can never be proof of a man’s salvation. To the contrary, for the one who believes he must keep the law to show his love for God there will only be great disappointment. The kind of disappointment that we see in Mt.7 where Jesus said, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Because rather than the faith without works for salvation that Paul prescribes in the New Covenant. Which is the only way for anyone past, present, or future to be saved. These trusted in their works to be made acceptable to God. Saying, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”
So we see that Jesus Himself taught that works can not save anyone. Not because they could not do them. Because here we see Jesus does not rebuke them for not doing these good works. But, these are rebuked for having the belief that by doing them they could be made acceptable to God.
Even though while Jesus was here on earth teaching Israel the law remained. Being an enmity between Jew and gentile that not only kept Israel shut up unto the faith that should afterward be revealed as Paul tells us in Gal.3:23. But, also that as long as it remained the law would also insure that salvation would not come to the gentiles either.
So just as He said Jesus’ ministry to Israel had to come to an end. So that the Holy Spirit could come. And when He would come the Holy Spirit, not Jesus’ earthly teaching, would now lead men to and in their new life of faith. Placing His love in their hearts to be their guide.
Love that “suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth.” 1Cor.13
It is this love that the law could never teach. And is why what the law could not do because of the weakness of the flesh, love has done in the hearts and lives of every believer who trusts in Jesus and His resurrection. Jew and gentile alike.
This is why Jesus told the disciples in John16 that He had many things to tell them but that they could not hear them yet. Because while He was ministering on earth there was no born again experience that could take place. So they had not spirit in them by which to understand spiritual things.
It was only after Jesus left that men could be born again by being given a spirit in them that could now commune with the Holy Spirit who leads believers in the truth. The Old Covenant had no such provision. And teaches them all things of Jesus because “He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”
So this end Jesus spoke of concerning His ministry came when He gave Himself as the final once for all sacrifice for sin. Sacrifice for sins under the law and their imputation for Israel to come to an end by fulfilling the Old Covenant. And as a sacrifice for the sin of unbelief Jesus said was the sin of the world for which the Holy Spirit is here now reproving all men.
Because now that He has taken on Himself the unbelief of the world. Becoming sin as 2Cor.5:21 says by joining with all men in the same death every unbeliever dies. Going into the grave as all unbelievers do for 3 days and nights. And raising again on the 3rd day. All men have access to eternal life through faith in Jesus and His resurrection.
So the question for us is will we stay under the law believing that we must keep it to show our love for God? Or will we believe those things have come to an end by their fulfillment as Jesus said?
If we will believe Jesus we will hear what the Holy Spirit says. That we are led by His love shed abroad in our hearts. And not by the law that was written in stone.
A love that encourages us to say yes to Jesus when we hear the gospel. A free will yes that brings to us the gift of faith by which we receive the gift of eternal life.
We say yes by first confessing with our mouth the Lord Jesus. And then by believing in our hearts that He has raised from the dead. Because in Rom.10:9,10 Paul said it is with the heart man believes and is righteous. And with the mouth that confession is made unto salvation.
If you will do this then you will have eternal life. If you will do this then you will be made a child of God and heir to His kingdom. If you will do this then you will put off this mortal body at the resurrection and be made immortal. If you will do this… then I will see you there or in the air!
This message can also be heard at: https://rumble.com/v4t8fzc-dispensations-revealed-only-when-we-rightly-divide-the-word-of-truth-luke22.html
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Author: Edward O’Hara
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