The Same Yesterday, Today, & Forever

People often say how controversial Christ was, how revolutionary what He said was, how out of the ordinary He was. And yes, I suppose when one compares Him to the Pharisees of the day He can seem so out of the ordinary. But recently in my studies of the Old Testament I came to understand it isn't as if Jesus suddenly was doing things differently, God always had been doing things differently. It seems like everything out of Christ's mouth the Father had already revealed in the Old Testament, but because Bible literacy is at an astounding - and heartbreaking - low Jesus does sound very out of place. Admittedly I knew next to nothing of the Old Testament until recently, and still know far less than I should. It has been interesting to begin to really grasp the idea that God does not change. Like a patient father God gives us the same commands in the Old and New Testaments. We didn't grasp what He was saying in the Old so Christ came and repeated what was said and gave us more examples to help us understand the nature of God in the New.


OLD
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hosea 6:6)

NEW
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matthew 9:13)

OLD
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

NEW
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (Matthew 22:37)

OLD
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:18)

NEW
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (Matthew 22:39)

I could go on and give more examples, but I think you get the point.

Oh, the comfort that is found in understanding He's been calling us to Him, willing to repeat Himself in the New to reflect the truth of the Old so that we might hear and understand. How He loves us! He wants us to seek Him, to understand Him, if He were a god who was far off with no interest in our lives would He really repeat Himself? Would He stay the same if He had no interest in being understood? Indeed He has made it simple for us, He has stayed the same so that we might find Him when He calls.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)