Chapter 7
Christ: The Example to the Christian
|
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth (1 Peter 2:21-22). |
Before the Christian considers any course of action, such as keeping the statutes of the Torah including the feasts listed in Leviticus 23, Christ’s life and living example must first be addressed. This is because, Y’shua was careful to do exactly the things that He wants His people to do.
Peter recorded; in the above Scripture that Christ spent His life laboring to leave us "an example" and that we "should follow His steps." The first point to consider about Christ is that He kept the Torah from the cradle to the grave. This is established as Biblical fact in that Christ, "knew no sin" (see 2 Corinthians 5:21) and "sin is the transgression of the Law (Torah)." (See 1 John 3:4.)
Thus, if we are to follow His Example, we too will obey the whole Law of Elohim. Not surprisingly, we are told in Scripture that we should follow Christ into full Law-keeping (through His power).
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full (John 15:7-11).
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of Elohim, and the faith of Y’shua (Revelation 14:12).
As has already been presented in this book, Law-keeping goes beyond our actions into the realm of our thoughts and motivations. Our thoughts are to be brought into holiness, just as Christ’s thoughts were holy.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Y’shua (Philippians 2:5).
Christ never sinned. Thus it also follows, that He never sacrificed animals. Certainly, One who never committed sin had no need to be forgiven, through the blood of sacrifices. Christ WAS the sacrifice. He was the unblemished One that each lamb had pointed to all along.
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me (Hebrews 10:4-5).
The part of the Law, which lists the services and rites of sacrifices, has sometimes been extra-Biblically referred to as the "ceremonial law." But Christ, as our Living Example, never sacrificed animals. He offered Himself as the Sacrifice.
One writer concurred, "Christ passed through all the experiences of His childhood, youth, and manhood without the observance of ceremonial temple worship" (The Bible Echo, October 31, 1898).
One might conclude that the reason Christ never sacrificed an animal was because He never sinned. This is certainly true, but there is more to it than that. Christ also never sacrificed an animal, because we, following His Example, were never to sacrifice animals.
How can we be sure this secondary reason is true? Christ was baptized. Baptism is a ceremony, which symbolizes dying to sin and being raised up as a new creature. Christ never needed to die to sin. He never needed to be spiritually re-born. His only reason for being baptized is that He wanted us to follow His example.
Then cometh Y’shua from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? And Y’shua answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered Him (Matthew 3:13-15).
Clearly then, Christ took great care to do exactly as He wanted us to do. This truth makes it extremely important to examine Christ’s example regarding feast keeping. Did He keep the Seventh-day Sabbath as well as the annual Sabbaths?
We will begin with the Seventh-day Sabbath. The Bible teaches that Y’shua kept this Sabbath. In fact, keeping the Seventh-day Sabbath was His "custom."
And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught (Mark 1:21).
And He said unto them, That the Son of man is Adonai also of the Sabbath. And it came to pass also on another Sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught (Luke 6:5-6).
And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read (Luke 4:16).
Time and again, the Bible reveals that Christ, our Example in all things, kept the Seventh-day Sabbath. In so doing, He was honoring the very institution, which He Himself had established. We too, should do as He did.
Where does this leave us with respect to keeping the annual holy days? What did Y’shua do? Did He, Who never kept any part the "ceremonial temple worship," keep the annual holy days?
The simple answer is yes. Christ did keep the annual Sabbaths. The first recorded annual Sabbath that Christ kept was the Passover that He attended as a 12-year old boy.
And the Child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of Elohim was upon Him. Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the Child Y’shua tarried behind in Jerusalem (Luke 2:40-43).
As a Man, Christ continued to keep the Passover. In fact, we find Him keeping it at the end of His life on earth with His disciples.
And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover. And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And He said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of Elohim (Luke 22:13-16).
As He kept His last earthly Passover, Christ showed His disciples how to keep it (see Luke 22:8-20), and explained that His people would one day keep Passover with Him in His kingdom (see Matthew 26:29). Christ was referring to the Passover, not only the ordinances of communion when He commanded His followers, saying, "This do in remembrance of Me" (Luke 22:19).
The Bible also records that Christ kept the Feast of Tabernacles.
Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Y’shua stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink (John 7:2, 37).
Thus Scripturally, we find that Christ did indeed leave us the message of His example in keeping the mo’edim found in Leviticus 23.
But some may wonder whether or not Christ’s example in this point is really sufficient to mean that Christians should keep these Sabbaths today. After all, Christ was a Jew. Perhaps He only kept the holy days because it was traditional to do so in the Jewish community. Such an explanation simply does not align with Christ’s consistent pattern; for, He did not leave us an example of following Jewish traditions. In fact, if a tradition was not in harmony with the teachings of the Torah, He refused to follow it, even though it greatly upset the Jewish leaders.
One example of this is found in the story of the man with the withered hand. The Jewish laws stated that healing on the Sabbath was breaking the Sabbath. Christ disobeyed this man-made law. His purpose was to establish the original heavenly Law given to Moses as the only basis for truth. All the traditional teachings which the Jews had tacked onto that Law, served not to complete it, but to impede and burden it. Here is the Biblical record of the story:
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? That they might accuse Him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. Then saith He to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him (Matthew 12:10-14).
Many times, when Christ blatantly went against the expressed traditional teachings of the Judaic leadership, His actions were met with death-threats and underhanded plots against His life.
Obviously, as He counted it worth the risk of shortening His life and ministry, Christ considered it important to teach the world the truth about the Torah. It is really no great surprise the Christ’s life was lived in such a way as to establish the true teachings of the Torah. After all, He is the One who gave the Torah to Moses. The Bible also teaches that Christ is our Judge.
There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? (James 4:12).
Thus, as He is our Saviour, we see that Christ gave us the Law. He followed the Law as our Example, He saved us from our sins in breaking the Law, He empowers us to obey the Law, and finally He will judge us by the Law.
Of all the Law, the Sabbath is the heart. It embodies, as we will later discuss in greater detail, the seal of Elohim. It is the sign by which we are known as belonging to YHWH. The term "Sabbaths" often applies to the Seventh-day and annual holy days, which is evident by the reference in the following text to "statutes." For the feasts are statutes. (See Leviticus 23:41.)
I am YHWH your Elohim; walk in My statutes, and keep My judgments, and do them; And hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am YHWH your Elohim (Ezekiel 20:19-20).
Chapter 6 Summary