Compiled and written by Jonathan W.

Lankford

http://jonathansdocs.com

Law and Burden of Messiah

Paul refers to the law of Messiah (i.e. law of Christ) two times, and Yeshua
himself refers to a burden that he gives to others. What is this law and this burden?
Law of Messiah
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that
I may win more.
20
To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are
under the law, as under the law though not being myself under the law, so that
I might win those who are under the law;
21
to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the
law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without
law.
22
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all
things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
23
I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow
partaker of it.
In this passage, Paul explained the great lengths to which he goes in order
to teach others about the gospel. He served others. Even though he was not
present at the foot-washing of the disciples (John 13) or when Yeshua said the
last will be first (Mark 9:35), he understood what it meant to serve others.
Paul also became like a Jew under Jewish law, even though he did not have
to. But what does this mean that Paul became a Jew? Was not Paul a Jew by birth
and did he not study Jewish law under the great teacher Gamaliel? Indeed, he was
a Jew and had studied Jewish law as a Pharisee. Yet, his Jewish identity under
Jewish law was not beneficial to him while teaching the gospel to the non-Jewish
people of the nations. In fact, Jewish law prohibited Jews interacting in certain
ways with non-Jewish people. Even apostle Peter could not break completely free
from the prejudice of the Jewish customs until seeing a vision from God (Acts
10:28). Jewish law should not be confused with Gods law, which has no law
regarding general association with non-Jewish people. In fact, the true Law states:
15
As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the alien
who sojourns with you, a perpetual statute throughout your generations;
as you are, so shall the alien be before Yehovah. 16 There is to be one law
and one ordinance for you and for the alien who sojourns with you.
(Leviticus 15:15-16)
Some English translations capitalize the word Law when Paul referred to the Jewish
law, therefore confusing the reader to think that Paul actually put away the law of
God. But there is no use of capitalization rules in the earliest Biblical Greek
manuscripts; there was no standardization of letters capitalized, as the photo
below of 2 Corinthians 1:1-4 in Papyri 46 clearly illustrates. This is why not all
English translations capitalize words in the same way. If a reader is not familiar
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Compiled and written by Jonathan W. Lankford

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with the Law from Scripture, and if the reader is not aware that Law is not actually
capitalized, then he/she might think that the law of God prohibits association
between Jews and non-Jews; he/she might think that Paul obeyed the law of God
only when with Jews, and put aside the law of God when not with Jews. But this
is clearly not the case as the context shows.
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Not only did Paul serve others and become like a Jew under Jewish law, he
even became like a non-Jew under non-Jewish law. The Greeks had their own
customs, and Rome had its own empirical government. All of the other
nationalities in the Roman Empire had their own set of rules and cultural nuances.
Paul submitted himself to these things, as the phrase goes, When in Rome, do as
the Romans do. But Paul made a point to ensure the reader that he did not put
aside the law of God, which is the Law from the Scriptures. In this context, he also
wrote that he was under the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1-2
1
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual,
restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that
you too will not be tempted.
2
Bear one anothers burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Paul referred to sins as burdens, which believers should help each other
overcome. This is the context of the law of Messiah in Galatians. From this
reference in Galatians and from 1 Corinthians, it is clear that the law of Messiah
in its most explicit meaning is helping others and teaching others about the gospel
(good news of the atonement and kingship of Yeshua).

Compiled and written by Jonathan W. Lankford

http://jonathansdocs.com

Burden of Messiah
With the clear meaning of the law of Messiah, it is now fitting to examine
the burden that Yeshua gives to all believers. The Bible considers different things
in life to be like burdens:
Exodus 6:7 oppressive government
Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know
that I am Yehovah your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of
the Egyptians.
Psalm 38:4 sin
For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too
much for me.
Isaiah 1:14 worship from a sinner or hypocrite
I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts; they have become
a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them.
Yet there is still another kind of burden that Yeshua gives to his disciples.
He encourages everyone to come to him in order to receive this burden. Matthew
11 records this burden that he gives his disciples, and Matthew 12 gives it the
appropriate context. The reader needs to remember that chapter divisions do not
exist in the Bible, but were added for convenience. Context around the key verse
is important.
Matthew 11:28-12:2
28
Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take
My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. 1
At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and His disciples
became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 But when the
Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful
to do on a Sabbath.
The Pharisees complained about Yeshuas disciples picking food from the
field and eating it on the Sabbath day. It was not against the Law of God to do
this, but it was against the law of the Pharisees, also called the Jewish law or the
oral law. The Pharisees did not accuse Yeshuas disciples of doing anything against
the Law or doing anything unlawful; the Greek word they used to describe the
actions of the disciples was , which means not permitted. Being unlawful
requires a completely different Greek word. So the disciples actions were not
permitted according to instructions or traditions that were really no law at all.
The Pharisees often had issues with Yeshua and his teaching to ignore the
religious laws. Yeshuas strongest statements were against their ideas of what was
right and what was wrong. He often accused them of being hypocrites themselves.
3

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While teaching others to keep many religious regulations, they exempted

themselves from these same rules:
1
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: The scribes
and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3 therefore
all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their
deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4 They tie up heavy burdens
and lay them on mens shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to
move them with so much as a finger. (Matthew 23:1-4)
Regarding the Law of God, the Pharisees seemed to keep the small laws from
Scripture while ignoring the major laws. To this, Yeshua said that they should have
kept all of the laws without ignoring any of them:
42
But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and
every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God;
but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the
others. 46 Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with
burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens
with one of your fingers. (Luke 11:42, 46)
In context, it is clear that the burden of Messiah is to obey the Law of God in
simple and practical faith, regardless of what other people may say or teach. As
the prophecy is written regarding a time still in the future:
6
Moreover Yehovah your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of
your descendants, to love Yehovah your God with all your heart and with
all your soul, so that you may live. 10 If you obey Yehovah your God to
keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of
the law, if you turn to Yehovah your God with all your heart and soul. 11 For
this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you,
nor is it out of reach. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who will
go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may
observe it? 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who will cross
the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?
14
But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you
may observe it. (Deuteronomy 30:6-14)
Conclusion
The law and the burden of Messiah are this: to obey the Law of God in
simple and practical faith while focusing on the greatest commandments first,
which are to love God and love others. Yeshuas disciple, John, affirms this in his
letter when he writes about Yehovahs commandments:
2
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God
and observe His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep
His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For
whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that
has overcome the world our faith. (1 John 5:2-4)