The "Noble" Experiment of Legalism (Matthew 12:1-14)
From 1920 to 1933, the United States conducted what some call, “The Noble Experiment.” Actually, it was not an experiment, but an exercise in government sponsored legalism, the prohibition of alcohol. People had observed for years that alcohol, for a small percentage of people who partook of it, was a problem. Alcoholism destroyed families and led to abuse of women and children. People were dying. So, the reasonable action taken was to outlaw all fermented beverages. Period.
It was a typical legalistic position. As if, seeing murder as a problem, the country decided to outlaw arguments. This is the way legalism has functioned right from the beginning of time. When God established a moral law by instituting a single rule,
Adam added to it. Eve’s understanding of the rule (presumable obtained from Adam) was,
Adam’s aim (and that of legalism) is to protect poor, weak, morally incapable people from themselves. They can’t be trusted to do what is right, so we make the borders of what is right more expansive. We hope to keep people from getting close to immorality. But all we do is add a burden.
That was the result of “The Noble Experiment.” Crime increased. Respect for better laws eroded. Drinking increased. Whereas before men were always in saloons, after prohibition men and women were always in speakeasys. It was such a bad situation that, even though the constitutional amendment instituting Prohibition was passed in a surprising quick time, the amendment to repeal it took half the time.
All of this helps to illustrate the problem Jesus addresses in Matthew 12. God had commanded people to respect the Sabbath and count it as holy. It is a regular, routine time to consider our Creator. What the Jews did was turn it into an impossible burden of legalistic overkill. When Jesus’ disciples “break” the sabbath by picking a few grains of wheat—and when Jesus himself breaks it by healing a sick man—the religious professionals jump on the chance to call them illegitimate. The concern of religion is not to help or justify people, but rather to judge and rule over them. Jesus’ message of the Kingdom is the opposite of this.
Instead of religion, Jesus offers a new reality where people live as God intended, not following a series of rules prescribing behavior, but rather where people behave rightly without the need of rules. By design, not prescript.
Religion is rebellious humanity trying to be right in its own power. The Kingdom of God sees humanity redeemed and transformed through the power of the Creator.
It was a typical legalistic position. As if, seeing murder as a problem, the country decided to outlaw arguments. This is the way legalism has functioned right from the beginning of time. When God established a moral law by instituting a single rule,
“…from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,”
Adam added to it. Eve’s understanding of the rule (presumable obtained from Adam) was,
“…from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it.”
Adam’s aim (and that of legalism) is to protect poor, weak, morally incapable people from themselves. They can’t be trusted to do what is right, so we make the borders of what is right more expansive. We hope to keep people from getting close to immorality. But all we do is add a burden.
That was the result of “The Noble Experiment.” Crime increased. Respect for better laws eroded. Drinking increased. Whereas before men were always in saloons, after prohibition men and women were always in speakeasys. It was such a bad situation that, even though the constitutional amendment instituting Prohibition was passed in a surprising quick time, the amendment to repeal it took half the time.
All of this helps to illustrate the problem Jesus addresses in Matthew 12. God had commanded people to respect the Sabbath and count it as holy. It is a regular, routine time to consider our Creator. What the Jews did was turn it into an impossible burden of legalistic overkill. When Jesus’ disciples “break” the sabbath by picking a few grains of wheat—and when Jesus himself breaks it by healing a sick man—the religious professionals jump on the chance to call them illegitimate. The concern of religion is not to help or justify people, but rather to judge and rule over them. Jesus’ message of the Kingdom is the opposite of this.
Instead of religion, Jesus offers a new reality where people live as God intended, not following a series of rules prescribing behavior, but rather where people behave rightly without the need of rules. By design, not prescript.
Religion is rebellious humanity trying to be right in its own power. The Kingdom of God sees humanity redeemed and transformed through the power of the Creator.
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