Born Under the Law

Second Week of Advent: the Incarnation, the Parousia, and the Covenants of Israel

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But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:4

If we have trouble understanding what the Apostle Paul meant when he said that the Son of God was born “under the law,” the narrative of Jesus’ birth and childhood in Luke 2 paints a picture for us. Jesus was born to devout Jewish parents who, on the eighth day after his birth, had him circumcised. This circumcision was a command attached explicitly to the Abrahamic covenant,¹See Genesis 17:9–14. then confirmed and reiterated to Moses in Leviticus 12:3. Just as Abram received the name Abraham from the Lord at the time of his circumcision, Jewish boys are officially named at their brit milah.²This is the Hebrew term, meaning literally “covenant of circumcision,” for the ceremony practiced to this day by observant Jews. This boy born under the Law was named Yeshua, just as the angel Gabriel had told Yeshua’s mother, Mary.³See Luke 2:21.⁴ According to historical records, Yeshua was the third most common boy’s name in late Second Temple Judaism. This name marked Jesus as a common Judean man and the object of prophetic Jewish expectations. For instance, Isaiah 62:11 reads, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your Yeshua (salvation) is coming.’”

In case we had not yet picked up on the diligent observance of the Law by Mary and Joseph, Luke continues, “And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Not only would the family travel to the Temple for the pidyon haben⁵The pidyon haben is the redemption of the firstborn, a practice laid out in Exodus 13:12–15 and Numbers 18:15–16. and the ritual purification of Mary after childbirth,⁶See Leviticus 12. but they would also annually make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.⁷See Luke 2:41 in observance of Exodus 23:14–17, Exodus 34:18–23, and Deuteronomy 16:1–17. On one such journey when Jesus was twelve, he remained in the Temple after the holiday unbeknownst to his family, who had begun the return journey to Nazareth. After discovering his absence, Mary and Joseph retraced their steps and found their oldest son sitting at the feet of the Temple teachers, asking wise questions and giving profound answers.⁸See Luke 2:41–52.

The centrality of the Torah, the instructions and legal code given to Moses in the covenant cut at Sinai, continued to have a defining role in the life and ministry of Jesus well beyond his childhood. Jesus took for granted that his hearers would offer sacrifices at the Temple and recommended that they approach that holy time without bearing any offense towards others.⁹See Matthew 5:23–24. Jesus regularly attended synagogue on the Sabbath,¹⁰See Luke 4:16. and observed the appointed feasts of Israel given to Moses in Leviticus 23.¹¹See John 2:13; 5:1; 7:2, 10, 37–39; 10:22–23; 12:12 and 13:1–2. Jesus wore tzitzit,¹²This is the Hebrew rendering for κράσπεδον in Greek. the tassels that God instructed the people of Israel should wear on their clothes as a reminder of his commandments.¹³See Numbers 15:37–41. Interestingly, miracles of healing often followed when the sick reached out to touch this visual sign of the commandments given to Moses attached to Jesus’ clothes.¹⁴See Matthew 9:20, Matthew 14:36, Mark 6:56, and Luke 8:44.

Even while Jesus critically assessed the scribes and Pharisees of his day because they did not “practice what they preached,” he instructed his followers to listen to and obey the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. “These teachers sit on the seat of Moses,” Jesus declared, “and their rulings and exegesis have weight because of that position of authority.”¹⁵See Matthew 23:1–3 and Deuteronomy 17:8–13.

Covenant Discipline

In Exodus 18:19–20, Jethro advises Moses on what he should do from his seat: “Warn the people about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they should do.” Moses agrees with his father-in-law’s guidance and enacts it. In the subsequent chapters of Exodus, those statutes and laws would become more clearly defined when God imparts his covenant to Moses at Mount Sinai. Moses came down from the peak of Sinai and set up an altar at the foot of the mountain. He then directed some young men of Israel to make sacrifices to the LORD. The Book of the Covenant is read in the hearing of the people, who are sprinkled in the blood of the covenant, and they reply, “All that the LORD has spoken, we will do.”¹⁶Exodus 24:7

Thus, the Mosaic Covenant between God and the people of Israel was ratified. What did the LORD promise to this nation should they abide by the terms of this covenant? He promised an obedient Israel would be his prized possession among the nations,¹⁷See Exodus 19:5. that she would have a unique priestly role among the nations—consecrated and set apart—holy as the LORD is holy,¹⁸See Exodus 19:6. and that God would defend Israel from her enemies.¹⁹See Exodus 23:22.

The covenant terms were spelled out more specifically in Deuteronomy 28 when Moses outlined the blessings of keeping the statutes given in the Book of the Covenant and the curses for breaking them. The blessings of obedience included the fruitfulness of the land promised to their father Abraham, the fruitfulness of the people of Israel, security in their country, and safety from enemies.²⁰See Deuteronomy 28:1–14. The curses of disobedience were barrenness of land and womb, death, invasion, and exile.²¹See Deuteronomy 28:15–68 Like Adam and Eve in the garden in Eden, the holy promised land would not long tolerate a sinful people, and sustained national disobedience to the Law would lead to expulsion and, ultimately, death.

Covenants Clash

The Mosaic Covenant poses an immediate problem when viewed alongside the Abrahamic Covenant. God unconditionally promised Abraham and his descendants a specific piece of land.²²See Genesis 15:7–19. God unconditionally promised that the descendants of Abraham would be a people more numerous than the stars.²³See Genesis 15:5. But now both of these promises: security in and possession of the land and a growing Israelite population now seem dependent on the obedience of the people of Israel. Would God’s ability to be faithful to Abraham rely on the power and inclination of Israel to keep the Law of Moses? Does Sinai abrogate or redefine the promises made to Abraham?

The conflict between the two covenants is so apparent that the Apostle Paul addresses them directly in many letters. The covenant of faith given to Abraham, based on unconditional promises, is not overturned by the covenant of Law given to Moses.²⁴See Galatians 3:15–22. But neither does the Abrahamic Covenant override the Mosaic Covenant—the Law is still upheld!²⁵See Romans 3:31.²⁶Galatians 3 can be a tricky chapter for those contending that the Law of Moses is still valid and in effect, mainly because of how it has been historically interpreted and taught in Gentile settings. While often seen as contrasting “grace” and “the Law,” Romans 3 provides helpful context to understand Galatians 3, as the Apostle Paul tackles almost the same issues in both passages. In Romans 3, it is clear that he is talking about faith contrasted with works, where faith in God’s redemption is salvific and works are not. Salvation is from God’s work alone. “Grace” and “Law” versus “Faith” and “Works” might seem to be a distinction without a difference until we see the phrase “law of faith” contrasted with “law of works” in verse 27, making the Law an aspect of both realities. If we are still unsure what conclusion we are to draw, Paul has anticipated the logical question pitting faith in opposition to works and answers it in verse 31: “Do we then overthrow the Law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the Law.”  

What then? We seem to be at an impasse! Israel seems doomed to be caught in a cycle of national sin, exile, repentance, and return. Will she be in this state forever?

Our kind and gracious God knew this would be the desperate realization that soon followed the giving of the Law. “The blessings and the curse of the Law will come upon you,” the Lord declared to Israel as he renewed the Mosaic Covenant in Moab. “You will suffer exile. But if you turn to me with all your heart and soul, I will regather you.”²⁷See Deuteronomy 30:1–8.

The problem is not with the Law itself, which the Psalmists rightly praise as delightful, trustworthy, and “perfect, reviving the soul.”²⁸See Psalm 19:7. The Apostle Paul, in agreement with the Psalmists and the prophets, affirms the Law as holy.²⁹See Romans 7:12. The problem is with the heart of the people, who did not want to keep the Law. Again, this covenant dynamic was not a surprise to God. “But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear,” said Moses to the people of Israel.³⁰See Deuteronomy 29:4.

But how will the problem of disobedient hearts be solved? Moses has the answer: “The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”³¹Deuteronomy 30:1–7 The prophet Jeremiah expanded on the prophecy of Moses in his description of the mechanics of a future covenant with Israel. This covenant would bring elegant resolution to the seeming contradictions of the Mosaic and Abrahamic covenants: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my Law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”³²Jeremiah 31:33

The problem of Israel’s exile would not be solved by the Law but by new hearts. These hearts would not be law-free but instead inscribed with God’s Law.

To Fill Full

This future promise makes sense of Jesus’ declaration in Matthew 5:17–20: “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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Just as Moses did not abrogate Abraham, neither did Jesus abrogate Moses.

But what does Jesus mean by “fulfill”? In one sense, it means to interpret and apply the Law rightly.³³See Romans 8:4. But it also seems that “fulfill” might also be understood as “to fill full.” Indeed, while Jesus was teaching and interpreting the Law of Moses, he sometimes would expand and intensify its requirements. One such recorded instance in the gospel of Matthew was when a group of Pharisees asked Jesus about the legal requirements for divorce. Jesus answered that divorce itself was against natural Law. “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” asked the Pharisees. Jesus answered, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”³⁴See Matthew 19:7–9.

When giving the Law to Moses, God considered that the people did not have circumcised hearts but rather hard hearts. But this condition would not be forever. Indeed, the prophet Ezekiel declared, “I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”³⁵Ezekiel 36:24–28

In his first advent, Jesus came for the forgiveness of sins, perfectly satisfying the requirements of the Law. He did not abolish the Law of Moses but upheld it and even added to its content, “filling it full” in anticipation of his second advent, when all Israel would have soft and circumcised hearts with the Law written on them. “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”³⁶Jeremiah 31:34

In Jesus’ first advent, most of the ten lost tribes of Israel remained in exile, scattered among the nations. At the end of the first century, Israel suffered yet another devastating exile at the hands of the Roman Empire. Exile due to Israel’s disobedience to the Law is still enforced through covenant discipline! But at his second advent, the Messiah will regather all Israel’s tribes to the land promised to Abraham, ending exile.

The people of Israel will finally be free of the curse of the Law when they have a new heart and a new spirit, which will cause them to walk in the statutes of the Lord and obey his rules. God will keep the promises to Abraham of land and fruitfulness, and exile will end. Only the blessings of the Law will come upon this renewed people under the rulership of their Messiah, born under the Law and who cut a covenant in his own body that they might have hearts inclined to obedience.

Thanks for reading this second week of “Advent: The Incarnation, the Parousia, and the Covenants of Israel.” If you missed the first two installments, you can catch up by reading, “Maranatha: Our Lord (Has) Come” and “Son of Abraham.” Please stay tuned for the next installment in the series for the third week of Advent: “Great David’s Greater Son.”

Further Reading

Piper, John. God’s Covenant Through Moses. Desiring God.

Pitre, Brant. Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile: Restoration Eschatology and the Origin of the Atonement. Baker Academic.

Postell, Seth. Jesus [Not] as Moses in the Gospel of Matthew. A Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Gospels.

Footnotes

• 1
  See Genesis 17:9–14.
• 2
  This is the Hebrew term, meaning literally “covenant of circumcision,” for the ceremony practiced to this day by observant Jews.
• 3
  See Luke 2:21.
• 4
  According to historical records, Yeshua was the third most common boy’s name in late Second Temple Judaism. This name marked Jesus as a common Judean man and the object of prophetic Jewish expectations. For instance, Isaiah 62:11 reads, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your Yeshua (salvation) is coming.’”
• 5
  The pidyon haben is the redemption of the firstborn, a practice laid out in Exodus 13:12–15 and Numbers 18:15–16.
• 6
  See Leviticus 12.
• 7
  See Luke 2:41 in observance of Exodus 23:14–17, Exodus 34:18–23, and Deuteronomy 16:1–17.
• 8
  See Luke 2:41–52.
• 9
  See Matthew 5:23–24.
• 10
  See Luke 4:16.
• 11
  See John 2:13; 5:1; 7:2, 10, 37–39; 10:22–23; 12:12 and 13:1–2.
• 12
  This is the Hebrew rendering for κράσπεδον in Greek.
• 13
  See Numbers 15:37–41.
• 14
  See Matthew 9:20, Matthew 14:36, Mark 6:56, and Luke 8:44.
• 15
  See Matthew 23:1–3 and Deuteronomy 17:8–13.
• 16
  Exodus 24:7
• 17
  See Exodus 19:5.
• 18
  See Exodus 19:6.
• 19
  See Exodus 23:22.
• 20
  See Deuteronomy 28:1–14.
• 21
  See Deuteronomy 28:15–68
• 22
  See Genesis 15:7–19.
• 23
  See Genesis 15:5.
• 24
  See Galatians 3:15–22.
• 25
  See Romans 3:31.
• 26
  Galatians 3 can be a tricky chapter for those contending that the Law of Moses is still valid and in effect, mainly because of how it has been historically interpreted and taught in Gentile settings. While often seen as contrasting “grace” and “the Law,” Romans 3 provides helpful context to understand Galatians 3, as the Apostle Paul tackles almost the same issues in both passages. In Romans 3, it is clear that he is talking about faith contrasted with works, where faith in God’s redemption is salvific and works are not. Salvation is from God’s work alone. “Grace” and “Law” versus “Faith” and “Works” might seem to be a distinction without a difference until we see the phrase “law of faith” contrasted with “law of works” in verse 27, making the Law an aspect of both realities. If we are still unsure what conclusion we are to draw, Paul has anticipated the logical question pitting faith in opposition to works and answers it in verse 31: “Do we then overthrow the Law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the Law.”
• 27
  See Deuteronomy 30:1–8.
• 28
  See Psalm 19:7.
• 29
  See Romans 7:12.
• 30
  See Deuteronomy 29:4.
• 31
  Deuteronomy 30:1–7
• 32
  Jeremiah 31:33
• 33
  See Romans 8:4.
• 34
  See Matthew 19:7–9.
• 35
  Ezekiel 36:24–28
• 36
  Jeremiah 31:34