Jesus is speaking with the Pharisees. He has just healed a man on the Sabbath, and when questioned, identified Himself as God’s Son, completely justified in his work. It’s blasphemy to their ears. After an explanation of the source of his authority, Jesus tells them they can search the Scriptures all they like, but He is the one who gives life. He closes His response with this:
Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? – (John 5)
This passage is foundational to a right understanding of Scripture, and particularly to a right understanding of the Law: A failure to believe in Christ is a failure to believe in the Law. And likewise, failure to believe in the Law is a failure to believe in Christ.
John the Baptist reviles the Pharisees with a similar remark:
You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. – (Matthew 3)
I sat up straight in the pew this past Sunday when, after reading this scripture aloud, our pastor closed the reading with the standard declaration, “This is the Gospel of the Lord.” Somehow I’d fallen into a stupor. I’d forgot that the Gospel has edges this jagged. There’s an identifiable line of thought which says something along the lines of “We have Luther as our father…” Fruit in keeping with repentance? Winnowing fork? Baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire?
Christ-centered theology cannot be weak on the Law; to weaken the Law is to weaken Christ. If we are to put the cross and resurrection at the fulcrum point of our theological framework, we cannot forget why it had to be the cross, why it had to be blood, why it had to be the Son of God Himself.