As demonstrated in Part 1, doing as Jesus would do requires we consult Yahweh’s1 triune moral law (His commandments, statutes, and judgments2) as the principle means for determining the answer to this extremely important question:
He that saith he abideth in him [Jesus] ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. (1 John 2:6)
And this is love, that we walk after his commandments….. (2 John 1:6)
How did Jesus “walk”? In every situation He encountered, He addressed it according to His Father’s law. To have done otherwise would have resulted in Jesus being a sinner like the rest of us. He therefore could not have been our sinless sacrifice and savior:
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4)
In Part 1, we considered how Jesus responded to the capital crimes of cursing a parent and adultery. Let’s now consider two more instances:
Usury
The following Eighth Commandment statute3 expresses Yahweh’s law on usury—that is, charging interest:
Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury. (Deuteronomy 23:19)
The usual interpretation of the parable of talents puts Jesus at odds with Deuteronomy 23:19:
He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come…. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him … that he might know how much every man had gained by trading…. And another [the third servant] came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere [severe, ESV] man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (Luke 19:12-24)
Did Jesus change Yahweh’s law regarding usury in order to make it lawful under the New Covenant, as some Christians claim? Put bluntly: God forbid! If we are counting on Jesus’ blood-atoning sacrifice as our propitiation for sin, we had better hope He did not. Had Jesus changed this or any of Yahweh’s moral laws, He would have been promoting disobedience to Yahweh’s ethical nature as codified in His law, which would have made it impossible for Him to be our Savior. He would have been no better than the Pharisees or today’ antinomians:
[Y]e made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition … teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:6-9).
With this in mind, let us reconsider the parable of the talents from the paradigm that Jesus could not and did not alter Yahweh’s law on usury but instead upheld it. Note first that, in addition to accusing the nobleman (who represented Jesus) of being an austere or harsh man, the wicked servant also accused him of taking up what he had not laid down and reaping what he had not sown. In other words, the servant accused his master of being a thief. Immediately following these false accusations, the master responded:
…Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest [or considered] that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow. Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? (Luke 19:22-23)
The master declared the wicked servant would be judged by his own standard. Because this wicked servant considered his master a thief, the very least he could have done was steal for his master in the easiest possible way, by putting his money in a bank that paid usury.
Jesus did not change the law on usury; He validated it. He identified usury for exactly what it is—theft, plain and simple.
What would Jesus do with today’s usurers? He certainly wouldn’t provide them with the chief seats (or any seat for that matter) in His church building. Instead, he would probably do the same with them as He did with the temple money changers:
And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple…. (John 2:15)
Burglary
Bouvier’s Law Dictionary defines “burglary”:
The breaking and entering the house of another in the night–time, with intent to commit a felony therein, whether the felony be actually committed or not.4
Exodus 22 addresses burglary:
If [a] thief is caught while breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. (Exodus 22:2-3, NASB)
A person who defends his family, home, or possessions by killing a thief in the dark of the night is not to be held accountable for murder. However, if an unarmed thief, who has no intent to cause bodily harm, is killed during daylight hours, the killer is to be held responsible for the thief’s blood. Although unstated, the obvious reason for this distinction is the impossibility of determining an intruder’s intentions in the dark of the night. During a night raid, Yahweh gives the benefit of doubt to the homeowner.
What was Jesus’ position on burglary?
…if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. (Matthew 24:43, NASB)
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed. (Luke 11:21, NASB)
Because Yahweh’s law clearly provides for self-defense, our Savior was likewise a proponent of self-defense.5 Although self-defense is not the primary focus of the previous two statements, Jesus would never have used them as examples had He not endorsed self-defense. In doing so, He once again validated Yahweh’s law as the standard by which we are to comport ourselves in all things:
What Would Jesus Do?
These and other examples demonstrate that everything Jesus did was in accord with Yahweh’s moral law. By doing so, He was able to then become our propitiation on the cross. Once justified by the blood shed at Calvary, our aim as Christians is to live sinless (holy) lives, made possible under the New Covenant by Yahweh’s indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:4-9). This can only be accomplished by doing as Jesus did.
The law sends us to the gospel for our justification; the gospel sends us to the law to frame our way of life.6
Rather than fashioning God into our own image (after our own desires), we need to instead submit ourselves to His will for us as reflected in His law:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity [anomian, lawlessness]. (Matthew 7:21-23)
Consequently, if we’re going to conduct ourselves in the same manner as Jesus, we must look to Yahweh’s moral law as the prime means for answering the question, “What would Jesus do?”
Related post:
Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant
Today’s Mount Carmel Christians
1. YHWH, the English transliteration of the Tetragrammaton, is most often pronounced Yahweh. It is the principal Hebrew name of the God of the Bible and was inspired to appear nearly 7,000 times in the Old Testament. It was unlawfully deleted by the English translators. In obedience to the Third Commandment and the many Scriptures that charge us to proclaim, swear by, praise, extol, call upon, bless, glorify, and hold fast to His name, we have chosen to memorialize His name here in this document and in our lives. For a more thorough explanation concerning important reasons for using the sacred name of God, see “The Third Commandment.”
2. Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant
4. “Burglary,” Bouvier’s Law Dictionary: A Concise Encyclopedia of the Law (Kansas City, MO: Vernon Law Book Company, 1914) Volume 1, p. 404.
5. Firearms: Scripturally Defended
6. Samuel Bolton, The Moral Law: A Rule of Obedience, http://www.the-highway.com/articleFeb00.html
Application of God’s Theonomy as the Christian Reconstructionists were always telling us to do, is the only way to get out of this multicultural morass.
thanks ted for making true sense out of the one parable that left me a bit puzzled
Please, of course, to hear that it provided insight.
I John 5.3 For this is the love of יהוה, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Psalms 38.4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
Proverbs 4.27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
Song of Solomon 8.
6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
Ted, I don’t understand your argument against usury. Deut. 23:20 allows us to collect interest from strangers. Why would I loan $5,000 to a stranger and not expect to be paid for my risk taken when the money may not be recovered? Also, if I foreclose on a farm whose owner has defaulted, I would be reaping a farm crop that I have not sowed. But it would be mine legally, not stolen. The servant was accusing his master of being a tough hard nosed businessman, who always came out ahead in his dealings.
ATruthSeeker, thanks for your question; although, I’m not sure I understand your point.
Yes, Deuteronomy 23:20 allows interest loans to non-Israelite strangers, but what does that have to do with the remainder of the passage and Christ being true to it?
Moreover, there is no foreclosure under Biblical land laws. Land was not sold but only leased for forty-nine years maximum. During that time, the one leasing the land had complete control of the land and crops.
A goal of usury is to for the love of money TAKE the STANDING CORN as in capitalism doing same – a form of communism in action: Deuteronomy 23.25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn. Usury if you do an in depth study is AGAINST Genesis 1.29 Blessing, not limited to a tangent by: with usury you shall not give to him of your foods. Back to De23 -vs 24 -When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. — Anything more is theft – the corners were left in a harvest and gleanings permitted so as other fallen gleanings etc. The LAW is there for sustaining life – not to murder = our wage is a trade for our limited 120 years life – it’s exchange is not GAIN and what we receive then stolen is stealing from our life which we can not ADD TO.
What is an economy: Household Management (distribution) – expending money to advantage without waste. Usury comes out of the use & money given, requiring adding to that which was given & a one sided RISK to the contract with expected principle & gain inclusive to satisfy the quote debt – with Gods gain system you get originary i.e. the yielding gain of the crops and livestock with shared risk or TRUST in Yah for providing.
Scripture is always looking out for life – restoring the party who fell out of grace if you will in the events in their life from those who were in favor or blessed or obedient – about the prodigal son returning because he realized his error – Leviticus 25.30-37 – about restitution & redeeming to those who come UNDER Yah’s covenant and it’s protective structure which supports life, not destruction. You shall not act unjustly in a judgment. You shall not take favor on the face of the poor, nor marvel before the face of a mighty one. With righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
Ezekiel 22.29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
Matthew 25.40; Proverbs 3.27
Proverbs 8.
20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.
32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
Deuteronomy 15 – & Also, do a word study on usury. It’s a war time measure.
Shariah Finance/Banking compared to Western Deception Methods… not for their PURIFICATION rituals but purely for the truth of theft vs life, enslavement vs restoration, a child in the flesh with external laws vs a child with Yah’s internal laws.
Fifteenth -to- mid Nineteenth century people where Gods laws (particularly economic) were in place we see prosperity, on all levels. To learn a little on the WAR cycles & Peace cycles – http://www.richardhoskins.com/BKWAR.HTM
Genesis 17.12; Psalms 44.20; Deuteronomy 15.3 – it’s the ALIEN a Foreigner in question. Supporting ALL of the congregation, rich or poor, without a respecter of persons – double minded man unstable all his ways, a house divided will surely fall Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.- Nehemiah 5.5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in power of our hands; for other men have our lands and vineyards.
It’s part of your role in Gods Ministry & a type of tithe sometimes Yah places you to bear but in resting on the unmovable rock, the cornerstone & risen Messiah and his perfect whole word as truth we can build in equity the hedge to protect life as He saw fit to reveal to us : Psalms 15.4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear יהוה. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. 5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
Read Proverbs 28.ALL to get a fuller grasp of some of the meatier matters of which elements of mans fallen nature God attaches to usury. If it’s UNJUST gain, and God is about JUSTICE and his people about supporting Life as God blessed & the 8th command is thy shall not steal then how can we practice being unjust stewards accounted as a blessing & a curse to Yah’s people – double minded. For more insight on our modern hardships in our money system of man, consider Jeremiah 15.10 & Ecclesiastes 10.1,3,8 – we truly have diggeth a pit & breaketh an hedge when we deal in usury… there’s summary judgment about digging a pit and not covering it and breaking the law of God for the lust of filthy lucre. Remember – Behold, all souls are mine sayeth Yahweh; the soul that sinneth, it shall die. But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Sovereign יהוה. – Ez.18
Nehemiah 5.11 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. — The SMALLEST part of usury is wrong. It’s a serpents bite and will lead you to all forms of evil – Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Actually ALL of Proverbs 23 ties into this subject matter as 28 above mentioned. And the most challenging for most people is to follow Luke 6.34-36. Usury is about LOVE – some times to love we are to hate ALL the wicked that is against that love and some times we demonstrate that love and appreciation as a debtor to forgive another debtor – not going to extract from them when your debt was forgiven.