You, a gentile Christian, are on trial for your faith in Messiah, standing in front of a religious court, pleading your case.
Your prosecutors are learned, educated men. Jewish scribes of renown, devoutly religious Jews who have studied the Scriptures their entire lives.
They are accusing you of speaking against the Torah.
If they are proven right, you will be sentenced to death.
What is your defense? Do you:
- Tell them you asked Jesus into your heart, and they should do the same.
- Preach the gospel and tell them to be saved.
- Explain your Christianity and tell them it’s brought you peace.
- Rush towards the door in a daring escape. (Aided by Jesus Christ, of course.)
Your accusers shout at you,
"We heard you speak against the Torah!"
Is this accusation true?
In a short moment of introspection, you think back to all those times you chided your Jewish friends, “God doesn’t care whether we keep that old ugly Law anymore, so don’t worry, share this Easter ham dinner with me.”
You remember the times you told people how Jesus is all about grace, and not at all about law or those people who try to be saved by works. Jesus = grace, Law = ugly damning works-based religion. “Nobody can follow the law perfectly, so I’m not even gonna try!” was your old mantra.
You think back to those times you said Jesus did away with the Law… “Jesus nailed the Law on the cross.” Or even, “Jesus took the Torah and slew it on the cross.”
Quietly in your mind you concede that, yes, I have spoken against the Torah, but it’s because Jesus abolished it. Paul said so.
But you’re a smart, cool-headed Christian. You know your New Testament. “These charges against me -- I’ve heard them before!”, you think to yourself as you grab your handy little pocket New Testament. You flip over to Acts 6 and 7, remembering the story of Stephen, a man in the same predicament as yourself. You scold them,
“Foolish Jews, you are repeating history! Long ago, a man named Stephen was put on trial by your ancestors for speaking against the Law. Yet God counted him as righteous!”
You begin to read aloud the 2 millennia-old charges against Stephen,
"We heard Stephen speak blasphemously against Moses and against God." They stirred up the people, as well as the elders and the Torah-teachers; so they came and arrested him and led him before the Sanhedrin.
One foolish Jew from the council responds,
“What was Stephen’s defense? How did he justify his speaking against Torah?”
You read on to discover Stephen didn’t actually speak against Torah. To your surprise, Stephen recites the Torah to his accusers, upholding it as righteous, and even chides his accusers for not keeping the Torah.
Woops.
Stephen’s face may have been glowing white, but yours is now a full-blush red!
Regaining your composure, you sheepishly respond,
“Stephen’s defense was reciting the Torah and upholding it. He ended his defense by chiding his accusers for disobeying the Torah.
But you see, foolish Jews, I am not like Stephen.”
Embarrassed by your self-prosecution, you search your thoughts and remember the same thing was spoken against Paul. Ah, yes! Paul! A Christian theologian’s favorite apostle! We can show how Paul put the Torah down low and and still defended himself!
“Teachers of the Law, don’t you know your ancestors accused Paul of the same thing? You put me on trial and repeat history! Yet God counted Paul as righteous.”
You flip over a few pages to show that this same accusation was made against Paul. You read aloud to the court,
They said to Paul: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed in Messiah, and all of them are zealous for the Torah. But we’ve heard that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.”
A teacher of the Law responds,
“What was Paul’s defense? How did he justify his speaking against the Torah?
You read on to discover Paul didn’t actually speak against the Torah, and to prove it, even took a Nazirite vow in Jerusalem according to the commandment! Shoot, strike two!
You humbly reply,
“Paul’s defense was upholding and practicing the Torah in the sight of the whole community.
But you see, teachers of the Law, I am not like Paul.”
Things are looking down for you, but not to worry, you have an ace up your sleeve.
“My dear friends, don’t you know your ancestors accused the Christ of the very thing you accuse me? You put me on trail and repeat history. Yet the Christ is the source of all righteousness!”
One of the dear friends responds,
“What was Messiah’s defense? How did he justify speaking against the Torah?”
You read on to discover Messiah didn’t actually speak against the Torah. Instead, he rebuked his accusers for missing the important matters of the Torah!
"Woe to you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! You pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah -- justice, mercy, trust. These are the things you should have attended to -- without neglecting the others!
You respond to the court and concede it:
“Messiah upheld the Torah and chided the Pharisees for not keeping the important matters of the Torah.
But you see, dear friends, I am not like Messiah.”