Jesus’ life, from birth to mature adulthood, was one of steady growth in body, mind, and spirit. Since there is no record of any breach in His upbringing or behaviour, we can safely conclude that Jesus, under the watchful eye of Joseph and Mary, safely navigated these crucial years without faltering. Had He once failed, Luke would have been under obligation to report it. Jesus Himself later testified to His own perfect obedience to Father…
“The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”
John 8:29 NIV
and His sinless life…
“Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?”
John 8:46 NIV
Peter testified of his Lord, after observing the way Jesus handled the greatest test of His sinlessness, the terrible injustice of His crucifixion…
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
1 Peter 2:22-24 NIV
Now, let’s go back to Jesus and the Mosaic Covenant. Why was it imperative that He live in perfect obedience to the covenant? The Law of Moses was the constitution that guided Israel’s government. God’s laws were an expression of His nature and His requirements for those who lived under His rule. The kings were to rule by the laws of His covenant. Despite the fact that Israel failed and rejected God’s covenant, Jesus, as a Jew, was still obliged to keep it as their human and divine king and the representative of humanity.
Jesus came not only to fulfil the law so that it would eventually become obsolete, but also to demonstrate to His people how to obey the law, not only in letter but also in spirit.
“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.”
Matthew 5:17 NIV
In His conflict with the Pharisees, Jesus accused them of being so preoccupied with the letter of the law that they ignored its true meaning…
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”
Matthew 23:23 NIV
Jesus showed by His words and behaviour, that the whole law is summed up in one commandment…
“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.”
Romans 13:8 NIV
Jesus’ selfless love, culminating in His death, is the perfect fulfilment of the Mosaic Covenant with all its rules and rituals.
The other, equally important reason for Jesus to obey the law was that its picture of Him, as the tabernacle/temple worship with its priesthood and sacrifices revealed, had to be carried out to perfection. Everything about the redemption from sin that Jesus came to provide is presented to His people in the rules and rituals of worship and the sacrificial system.
The writer to the Hebrews, in chapters 7 to 10, culminating in the declaration and invitation…
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:19-22 NIV
…shows how Jesus, through His life and death, according to prophecy, perfectly fulfilled every type and shadow of Himself in the Old Testament. So, the writer could conclude…
“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship…First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Hebrews 10:1, 8-10 NIV
The outcome of Jesus’ obedience to the Mosaic Law is the new dispensation of grace, allowing sinners to approach a holy God boldly and freely because the law has been satisfied and the sinner forgiven, cleansed, and justified. The way is open for us to come to the Father as dearly loved children.
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:19-22 NIV
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
Galatians 4:4-5 NIV
On this tiny, newborn baby boy, the son of Mary and the Son of God, rested the destiny of all mankind. His life and death, accomplished under the law of Moses, were to provide salvation from sin for all who believe in His name.
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
Luke 2:25-32 NIV
To be continued…