When we look through the many laws of the OT a number of times we can’t help but feel a little restricted. The piety of law sleeping looks better from the outside than for those who had to keep these regulations.
Much if the law has been changed by the person and work of Jesus Christ. It’s from his summary of the law that I want to spend a couple of minutes reflecting.
Many Anglican churches still read aloud the Ten Commandments and alternatively the summary of the law provided by Jesus:
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt 22:36-40)
Jesus does not elaborate what he means by “depend all the Law and the Prophets” but it is likely, whatever else the phrase implies, it has the sense of “foundation” or “heart”. Whatever the case these most important of commands depend less on restrictions and more in creative obedience.
So we see that even in the law God is at work inviting us into the creative and new possibilities of love for Him and others. Small number of restrictions, big possibilities for service