Friday, March 27, 2015

A Voice from the Past - Leo the Great

Let us then take the yoke that is not heavy nor irksome, of the Truth that rules us, and let us imitate His humility, to Whose glory we wish to be conformed: He Himself helping us and leading us to His promises, Who, according to His great mercy, is powerful to blot out our sins, and to perfect His gifts in us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Leo the Great, 400-460 AD, Sermon XXIII, On the Feast of the Nativity, III, V (translated by Rev. Charles Lett Feltoe, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, T & T Clark and Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1997, Second Series, Vol. XII, p.134)

What is meant by Christ's easy yoke? How does it differ from other approaches to moral living?
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8 comments:

  1. kc bobMarch 29, 2015 at 9:21 AM

    I think that the heavy yoke represents Mosaic Law. Following it is a heavy burden that makes one weary.

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    1. Mike Erich the Mad TheologianMarch 29, 2015 at 6:49 PM

      I would say the heavy yoke is trying to keep any moral system without the grace and forgiveness of God. The Mosaic law was the obvious system in view, but the problem was not with the Mosaic Law which Paul said was good, but the idea people could live up to it without God's grace.

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  2. kc bobMarch 30, 2015 at 6:35 AM

    In my view, grace is all about receiving and giving love not following the rules. Following the rules puts one in bondage. Following the law of love sets one free.

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    1. Mike Erich the Mad TheologianMarch 30, 2015 at 8:58 PM

      I would agree and disagree.

      I agree that essence of what God requires is love. Love for God and love for my neighbor and not just a list of rules for rules sake. But I think grace goes deeper than that. The basic principle of grace is forgiveness. For I do not live up to the law of love, but fall far short of it. And it is my being forgiven that kindles real love in me, to love God and from that to love my neighbor. It is this that gives real freedom, because my relationship with God is not based on my performance, but His pardon.

      But I do not think that love is necessarily contrary to all rules. I believe that love is not just a feeling, but an act of the will, a decision to put the welfare of others before our own. And I believe this results in there being certain specific things we do or do not do. Done in a different spirit than one of slavish obedience, but done nonetheless as part of what love is.

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    2. kc bobMarch 31, 2015 at 12:51 PM

      I agree with your last comment Mike. I may be misunderstanding your previous point. What part of the Mosaic Law are you speaking of? 10 Commandments? Laws about the Sabbath? Capital punishment laws? Every single law? Something else?

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    3. Mike Erich the Mad TheologianMarch 31, 2015 at 8:45 PM

      Jesus said the sum and substance of the law was to love God with all our heart and mind and strength and our neighbor as ourselves. I see the other laws, such as the 10 commandments as growing out of that. Now there where specific ceremonies involved in the Law which the New Testament pictures as shadows that point to Christ (Colossians 2:16,17). The Sabbath was one of those. Now the Pharisees made it into a legalistic monstrosity, adding details found nowhere in the OT and mistaking the shadow for the substance. But the Sabbath was meant to point beyond itself to picture the ultimate rest of the people of God (Hebrews 4:3-11).

      I know that one of your great objections to the Mosaic Law is the provisions for capital punishment. I think we have kind of run that one into the ground. But I do not think the sole purpose or the most basic thing about the Law was the provisions for punishment. I am convinced it pointed to something more basic then that.

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  3. kc bobApril 1, 2015 at 5:23 AM

    I think that Jesus summed up the law in these statements:

    Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets. -Matthew 7:12

    He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” -Matthew 22:37-40

    Any Christian reading of the law must sifted and filtered through these verses.

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