In John 1:17 the Gospel writer contrasts Moses with Jesus. He says that the Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus. Isn’t this an odd manner in which to compare the Old and New Covenants? John seems to imply that the Old Covenant contains no truth at all, but, of course, this would be a misapplication of the word truth, because John clearly implies in his remark that it was God who gave the Law through Moses, and it is also God who gives us grace and truth through Jesus. So what is John saying?
No doubt we’ve all had to live by the discipline of another, not that that is a bad thing. One needs to be taught discipline, and one needs to obey guidelines, whether according to the laws of the community in which we live or according to the rules set down by our employers. Most often, however, when one thinks of discipline, one thinks of his parents. We have lived according to whatever our parents demanded of us—good or bad—for many years before we left their home to make a home for ourselves. They had set the pattern of how we look at discipline for the rest of our lives.
We even come to grips with discipline on TV commercials that advertise things like exercise programs and dieting plans. The point is that, if one does not obey the law, rule or discipline there is always a penalty to pay. If I don’t adhere to the exercise program or my new diet, I simply will not be able to attain to my goals. I could lose my job, if I don’t obey the rules—not to mention paying fines or spending time in jail, if I disobey the laws of the land. All this was taught to us by our parents. Disobedience reaps a penalty, for sure, at times our parents left us off with a warning, but by and large, if they were disciplinarians at all, we knew the penalty of disobedience.
Paul tells us that the Law of Moses was like a schoolmaster (Galatians 3:24) whereby we learned how to discipline our lives. We found out through the law what sort of behavior was unacceptable, and what penalties might be administered, if we became lawbreakers. Penalty or chastisement is what we can expect, if we do not discipline ourselves according to the expectations of the government, our employer or even our parents. There isn’t a great deal of mercy there when it comes to breaking the rules.
The Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus. When we come to Jesus we find a different story. Are we lawbreakers, or disobey the rules? Perhaps we are. Certainly none of us are perfect when it comes to our parents, our employers or the government—not to mention morally before God. All of us fall short in some manner both before God and men, but in Jesus, it is different. The truth part is: we see what we are, but the grace part is that we have obtained mercy. That is, the penalty does need to be paid, but the good news (Gospel) is: Jesus did it for us. We cannot come to him without beholding his holiness and our own sinfulness, but the beauty of it all is I am still accepted—I find grace in the face of Jesus, and I am changed thereby (2Corinthians 3:18).
I loved my dad and wanted to be like him, but you know, just because he was a disciplinarian didn’t keep me from doing wrong. This is because laws, rules and guidelines are not able of and by themselves to enable me to do what is expected. With Jesus it is different. I want so much to be like him. Looking into his face helps me to see the flaws in my own character, and I want to change. I am not left alone to struggle on my own, as it was with my dad. Jesus helps me by giving me his Spirit which enables me to change and become more like he is. There is a great difference here, and it is all because of the grace and truth I have in Jesus.
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