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John 7:24 – Love and Tensions in the Law
If love is redefined by the cross, and by commands that defy self-interest, then learning how to love is answered by God’s “why”.
That is the reality behind judge righteous judgment (John 7:24) which saw two commands in tension: 1) For the Jews, they chose to perform 8th day circumcision on the 7th day. Both Sabbath keeping and circumcision were commands and part of the covenant. 2) For Jesus it was performing mercy on the 7th day because the reason for keeping the Sabbath day holy was because God showed mercy to them (Deut.5). Both Sabbath keeping and receiving mercy are part of the covenant.
So we have this trifecta: 1) Love shown 2) Love commanded to be obeyed in certain ways 3) Understanding the why behind the command – mercy, grace, faithfulness, etc. – leads us back to love in the cross.
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