One Testament

There once was an Old Testament without Jesus. It was old, crusty, dull and boring. It was rotting...

There never was an Old Testament without Jesus! From the beginning to the end of our Bible, Jesus is central.

I was talking this over with my pastor friend this morning, and he was tearfully painting with broad and generous strokes the meta-narrative of the scriptures (the tears were from allergies). It was a beautiful painting. One that when he finally stopped brushing, we both stood back and gaped at.

My conclusion as we gaped was that God's love is ridiculous. His was that it was irresponsible. Jesus was here, there and everywhere. In God's Shekinah Glory, in his dwelling with the people, in the beginning through the Lord's spoken word: "Let there be light." Jesus was in every Covenant. In fact in every Word the Lord spoke, Jesus was present, coming forth. He was there in the giving of the Law - God's perfect parameters for a people chosen to be Christ-like, a light to the nations.

All that is good in creation is from the spoken Word of God. All good is from and connected to Christ's work.

That's what irks me when I find my own dispensationalism popping up time and again. The idea of two covenants, where one just wasn't good enough is problematic. God doesn't make multiple plans. His idea from the beginning was to fully express himself in the person and work of Christ.

It's why David can revel in God's forgiveness. David had more faith in God's veiled covenant, than I do in the unveiled (thank you pastor). Sadly a veil still lies over my heart.

In Psalm 119 we see David revelling in God's Law and Word. That which created the mountains, rivers, trees, animals and us. God's Law is good. We miss-read Paul when we call it bad. We made the Law bad. We did so by making it a means to get to God, rather than the gift of parameters for a people chosen out by God. It's what we've always done.

And the Gospel is bigger than any of us. My pastor explained that the idea that God would die for us individualy is to minimalise God. God's good news was for all creation and not simply us. We are simply the beneficiaries. God's glory is expressed by his goodness, and his goodness is throughout the whole Bible.

So don't tell me Jesus isn't in the Old Testament, because I'll quickly have to repent for believing the same way most of the time and for forgetting to "Hear O Israel, Our LORD is One!"

Just a few minutes after I typed these words (and I'm not lying) in walks a Messianic Jew who says the phrase above in Hebrew! His name was Joseph, pronounced with a "Y," and he made my day. Life with God is always more beautiful than fiction. Here's to the greatest fiction ever told: (whisper) "It's true!"