FOLLOW JESUS not Jews, Torah, Law of Moses Sabbath Laws or Religious Practices
Very early on in my spiritual walk with Jesus I was exposed to Christians who though that in order to honor God they had to become like the Jews, keeping the Torah, the 10 Commandments, Feast Days, keeping the Sabbaths. Because my church was so unlawful I though that these Torah abiding, Law abiding Christians trying to become Jews might have some truth. I started to gather with them and learn from them. After being with them for a while Jesus taught me that this way was NOT the truth. One time I was at their gathering and I asked them something like; “What do you think the final authority is, or the greatest authority in heaven and on earth is.” They answered me “TORAH”. At that point I knew that they were in a lie because Jesus said that ALL authority is given to Him both in heaven and on earth, that ALL authority is HIS. If we listen to Jesus He will teach us His ways, but if we listen to the Jews we will become deceived and they will place heavy burdens upon us. I want to read to you what Jesus said about Himself and the Jews and their laws that they would place upon people. This is found in Matthew, I’m starting in chapter 11 verse 28 Jesus said; “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from ME, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus did not say that we would find true rest by keeping the Sabbath days and by seeking out how to keep the Law of Moses to a “T”, rather He said to go to HIM and that HE is the rest. He never said that keeping a day of the week is the rest. Look what Jesus said in chapter 12:1-8 “At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on thee Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple PROFANE the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire MERCY and not sacrifice, you would have not CONDEMNED the GUILTLESS. FOR THE SON OF MAN IS LORD EVEN OF THE SABBATH.” Jesus is our Sabbath Day Rest! We cannot achieve the rest by keeping a Sabbath day like the Jews, and clearly this is what they thought. They thought they could be holy by keeping the Law of Moses, the 10 Commandments, Torah, by keeping the Sabbath days… and Jesus went AGAINST that. He broke the Sabbath according to them and their traditions, yet He was holy and righteous, so was David… and Jesus even said that He desires mercy and not sacrifice, and that we should not place guilt upon the guiltless. If we trust Jesus and make HIM our teacher and our leader, He will NOT put heavy burdens upon us as the Jews did. He will teach us and He will guide us. His burden and His yoke truly are light and is easy. We must go to Jesus and learn from Him, not from people who consider themselves God fearing Christians, but who are trying to keep the Law of Moses, the Torah, the Feast days, the Sabbaths… It is written that “He will declare justice to the Gentiles.” If you read on in Matthew chapter 12, and in verse 21, “And in HIS name Gentiles will trust!” Even those who are not Jews will trust in the Lord Jesus and THEY WILL BE SAVED, not because they take on Jewish attributes and traditions and Laws, but because they find their rest in JESUS. It is not about keeping a certain day such as a day of the week, but it is about keeping the laws of JESUS, HIS truth. So if you want to know what Jesus teaches, read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Start praying to HIM, ask Him what He REALLY desires. May the grace of Jesus be with you.
