Christians and the Law

A while back, a Catholic apologist and I briefly discussed the Christian's relationship with the Law of Moses. He began the exchange with these words:

The Challenge: Although as Christians we're not "under *the curse of* the Law," there's nothing wrong with following the Law.

The Response: Based on this statement, may I ask whether you try to keep the Law? Do you know the Law well enough to make the effort? Keeping all the 613 Laws our Lord gave the Hebrew nation was more than any Jew ever could or ever will be able to do. Do you have any idea what is really involved in “following the Law?” For example, Let's look at the simple observance of just one major point of the Law – the Commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. Are you aware of, and do you manage to keep, all the melachos involved? Do you know what a melacha is?

Basically, a melacha is is a creative act which was done to construct the sanctuary. The thirty-nine melachos represent thirty-nine categories of creative acts. There are actually hundreds, if not thousands of creative acts which fall under these categories and are forbidden.

The thirty-nine melachos are what the Torah expressly forbids. There are hundreds, if not thousands of things that Jews do or don't do, whose source is by rabbinic decree. Actually, one cannot know what to do and not to do from just reading a list. For example, cutting is a melacha. Does this mean that a Jew can't cut up his Shabbos Kugle? Observant Jews really need a guide and/or a teacher to know what to do. Without a guide/teacher to explain the requirements of the Law, one is merely playing at “following the Law” – participating in a simplistic sham.

For your edification, these are the melachos:

Plowing, sowing, reaping, sheaf-making, threshing, winnowing, selecting, sifting, grinding, kneading, baking.

Shearing, bleaching, combing, dyeing, spinning, three weaving operations, unweaving, tying, untying, sewing, tearing.

Trapping, slaughtering, skinning, tanning, scraping, marking out, cutting.

Writing, erasing, building, demolishing, making a fire, extinguishing, finishing something off, carrying.

The defender of Romanism then turned the exchange to a new direction:

There is nothing wrong with proclaiming the Year of Jubilee, as there is nothing wrong with proclaiming the Ten Commandments. [Note: This was in reference to a comment addressing JP2's declaring the year 2000 to be a jubilee year]

Nothing wrong? Of course not. Similarly, there is nothing wrong with proclaiming Catholic Mary as Queen of Heaven. Just as Mary's role as Queen of Heaven is fictitious, so also is the Year of Jubilee. There used to be a Year of Jubilee – read all about it in Leviticus 25 – but one has not been proclaimed since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. The Jews once again will begin counting sabbatical and Jubilee years when they enter their Messianic Era after they recognize Jesus as Messiah.

I see nothing wrong in proclaiming the Decalogue – though your introduction of it in this instance seems a non sequitur.

Aware that arguments put forth in apologetic encounters are much stronger when the sources are identified, my Catholic antagonist offered support for his position:

A few years ago, I'm pretty sure I read in one of those Jewish encyclopedias that the next Year of Jubilee would begin around 1997. And I heard recently that last year, Israel declared 1997 the Year of Jubilee.

He continued:

If there were any doubt about which year is the Year of Jubilee, I think we would have heard something about it from the Orthodox Jews or some other group in Israel.

“I think?” There you go again; calling upon those authoritative sources. Are you here confusing research and study with opinion? “Orthodox Jews?” Who do you think study the Mishnas? Do you know what the Mishnas are? Let me help you out.

Mishna, collection of interpretations of the legal portions of the TORAH and a codification of traditional Jewish practice. The Mishna and the Gemara, a commentary on the Mishna, constitute the TALMUD. Next to the Scriptures, the Mishna is the basic textbook of Jewish life and thought, covering, e.g., agriculture, Sabbath and festivals, marriage and divorce, and civil and criminal matters. The final compilation of the Mishna was made under the direction of JUDAH HA-NASI from the work of the Tannaim, a group of sages of the 1st and 2d cent. A.D., including AKIBA BEN JOSEPH. The Mishna has been widely translated and has had a considerable influence beyond the confines of Judaism.Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 1994 Columbia University Press

I don't think we can rely on the Mishna because it is not part of the Bible.

If we proclaim the Year of Jubilee, we are in for some guaranteed blessings as mentioned in Leviticus 25:21.

18 Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety
19 And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.
20 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:
21 Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.
22 And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat the old .-- Leviticus 25:18-22

This defender of Romanism fired his parting shot and withdrew:

So that's why I proclaim this a Year of Jubilee.

One of your quotes mentioned slaves that were required to bore their ears to show they were permanent bondservants. I was wondering...what do you think about men wearing earrings in their left and/or right ears?

Actually, I could not care less about which ear a man might adorn with an earring; or whether a man wears an earring at all. And what in the world does that have with the subject at hand?