11. Meditation: Chapter 10. The Food Question

Chapter 10

The Food Question

John 6:22-71

Jesus Corrected Some Wrong Notions

There are two kinds of food which Jesus mentioned in the conversation with the crowd who seek Jesus positively (John 6:27). The material food is the basic need for our flesh, but the spiritual food which abides unto life eternal is much more important than the meals. For manshould not live by bread alone, but by every word which goes out through God's mouth. The crowd sought Jesus earnestly in order that they could eat the earthly food. However, they are missing the focus, and our Lord wants to tell the crowd that "I Am" true, spiritual and heavenly bread, and the material food is not the true bread actually (Isaiah 55:2). Only the bread of life (Jesus Christ) could satisfy the spiritual needs of human.

Let us apply the sayings of our Lord to our precious Christian faith. Christians are the people of eternity. We are sojourners here, in other words, we live here now for eternity. In the more intense sense, God is using the school of time and sufferings to educate and train us to be eternal kings. Therefore our short life time is very meaningful and purposeful in the light of eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17). Oh, let the eternity now dominates and transforms the full details of our life. Let us seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:31-33) and loose our strong hold of that which is temporary and earthly (Colossians 3:1-3). For we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are for a time, but those that are not seen eternal.

Furthermore, Jesus corrected the wrong conception of the God's work. In our old religious notions, we think that Christians should "do" something for God, and when we "do" many things for God, we believe these are God's works. Therefore today the modern Christianity is full of manifold kinds of services and works for God by natural zeal, but the Lord don't approve them (Matthew 7:21-23). John 6:28-29: They said therefore to him, What should we do that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he has sent (Darby Bible Version). The crowd mentioned the works of God in plural way, but Jesus talked about the work of God in singular way. In God's sight, His own work is singular. And His work is the Son of God. All the God's leadings and dealings with us are intended to produce and form the fuller measure of His son in us by the Holy Spirit and the cross, so that we are confirmed to Christ more and more. Therefore God takes the activeinitiation and works in our spiritual life. And our part is to believe into (not to do) and cooperate with God, and watch for His intention, learn the spiritual lesson and get spiritual knowledge of Himself under His mighty hands in the circumstances arranged by Him. Hebrew 8:10: I am the God whom they believe into, to Me they are people whom I goes into (another translation from Greek original). God is our spiritual inheritance, when we believe into Him more and more deeper, His son will go into us and possess us as His peculiar treasure. We are inheriting Christ as our possession by believing into Him.

What is the service and work of God? That is the overflowing forth of life of God's Son spontaneously. The essential condition of service is full measure of Christ's life within the servant. What a challenge to us! The Chinese brother Watchman Nee (1903-1972) once said: service is not to do many works for God, but let God do His work in us (Ephesians 2:10). When God does His work in us (forming the full measure of Christ in us), then we would be His chosen and sent vessels to contribute His fullness so that the life of Christ could be reproduced and formed within other saints more andmore (Galatians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 4:12). That is divine order of the God's work and the law of spiritual travail. Our value of services and works will depend upon how much measure of Christ is formed in other people through us.

"I AM" The Living And Heavenly Manna

Here Jesus had some dialogues concerning the heavenly bread with the unbelieving Jews. And He treated the Jews as sinners and summoned them to believe and come to Him so that they could have life eternal. What a tragedy to the unbelieving Jews! They have long and glorious history with God in epoch of old testament, and the oracles and Moses' law are entrusted to them. The Jewish people have so many advantages and chances to be theimportant instrument to bring forth the glory and salvation of God unto the nations. However, they failed to fulfill their divine vocation, and they are also sinners in the epoch of new testament.

Let us learn some lessons from these dialogues for our spiritual benefits. John 6:31: Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. This verse teaches us that Christians cannot always live in past glorious experiences. We need to count the blessings and graces of Lord in past days with a grateful heart so that He will again deserve our praise and worship, and we also could be encouraged by His unchanging faithfulness and mercy (Psalms 103:2). However, meanwhile, let us remember to press on forward positively in order that the past experiences would not be the obstacles of progressing onward (Luke 9:62; Hebrews 12:1-2; Philippians 3:13-14).

John 6:32: Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say to you, It is not Moses that has given you the bread out of heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. God cares about our spiritual condition at the present time. Do we have fresh experience and knowledge of Lord Himself day by day? Do we have new acquisition and discovery when we read the bible by the Anoiting? Do we have an opened heaven so that the words of God could come down out of heaven, and we eat the heavenly manna to get strength, energy and vitality for our heavenly pilgrimage in the wilderness of the present evil world? These questions are very searching to all of us! It is the matter of life and death, newness and oldness, freshness and staleness, living faith and dead religion, present recognition and past doctrine, or revelation and tradition. And the work of cross is going to deliver us from the latter into the former gradually. Oh! May our Father ever give us the living bread out of the opened heaven.

Eat His Flesh And Drink His Blood

John 6:53: Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Unless ye shall have eaten the flesh of the Son of man, and drunk his blood, ye have no life in yourselves. This verse inspires us to think of the Lord's supper (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). The Lord's supper is the core and firm foundation of faith of God's chosen people. The Lord's supper is not a ceremonial of Christian religion, but the Lord intends it to announce and portray out His mighty resurrection from the death before the spiritual eyes of the saints (Galatians 3:1; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:2; 15:3-4). For our very life is rooted deeply in His mysterious death. Without His death, we could not have His life of resurrection within us.

John 6:51: the bread withal which I shall give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The bread is the crucified Christ. And what does it mean to eat His flesh and drink His blood? That is to draw upon and live (grow) into the deeper and fuller meaning of the crucified and resurrected Christ. The teachings of each epistle in new testament are the unfolding, disclosure and explanation of this crucified and resurrected Christ as our all in all. We desperately need the Anoiting to reveal us the tremendous changes, profound significances and mighty impacts accomplished by the salvation of cross. May the Spirit of truth guide us into the reality in Christ progressively by reading His words!

10. Meditation: Chapter 9. The Principles Of Services

Chapter 9

The Principles Of Services

John 6:1-21

The fourth sign of John's gospel in this chapter is a touchstone whichtested out the spiritual condition of the disciples and Jews. We also could receive spiritual education from this sign. Oh, for anointing to teach us more!

The Money-Trap

The sayings of Philip and Andrew contain some important principles of service. Here Philip tried to meet the need of a great crowd by buying loaves with the "money". In Philip's old natural conception, he probably thought that the more money he could have at his disposal, the more effectual the service would be. That is thoroughly wrong idea about God's service! The valuable and effectual services chiefly depend on the good and mature quality of spirituality of Lord's servant. For the nature of service is spiritual. To cultivate the excellent spirituality (Daniel 5:12; 6:3) should be our high priority. Unfortunately, the modern Christianity fails to recognize this important truth, and today the money predominates the service evilly. To spend much money to promote Christian religious activities is not the guarantee of spiritual revival among saints. Let us remember a truthful fact that money are secondary in the realm of service, and the spiritual ministry is not based on the uncertain money. If we continue to set our eyes upon money, we will lose the spiritual influence, impact and testimony toward the covetous and avaricious world unwarily.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), an influential theologian of medieval times, once visited the Vatican and was amazed at the wealth of Vatican. And a clergyman looked at him and said: You see, Thomas, now the church can no longer say what Peter said in Acts chapter 3 "silver and gold have I none". Thomas Aquinas replied wisely: Neither can we say "at the name of Jesus, rise up and walk". The one of greatest hindrances to the power of God working among His saints is the silver and gold. Today we had rather trust in material possessions than trust in our living God (1 Timothy 6:17; Proverbs 23:4-5). That is our weakness before God.

Besides money could be our snare and trap. Watch out the Lord's warning: "you can not serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24; Luke 12:15; 16:13).

Who Hath Despised The Day Of Small Things?

Here the sayings of Andrew set forth an important spiritual principle for the assembly (church) in the end-time. The characteristics of Lord's work in last days are smallness, littleness and condensation with a view of intensifying and forming the measure of Christ within the saints by the work of Christ's cross. 

Today the modern Christianity conceives an unhealthy conception of "bigness and greatness", and desires to be the noticeable and famous something on the earth. They are developing the "mega church", and exalt the man of good countenance, not exalt the crucified Christ. The big development of earthly Christianity is just like the grain of mustard seed grow abnormally into a big tree (Matthew 13:31-32), and many profane and evil things, values and standards from the Satan invade massively as the birds of heaven come and roost in its branches. Please bear in mind that the scriptural principle is smallness and littleness (Zechariah 4:10; Luke 12:32; Matthew 18:1-6, 10; Mat. 22:14, 25:21).

Serving Through Brokenness

The principle and law of service is brokenness and suffering. When the Christ's love constrains us, we spontaneously follow the steps of Lord and devote ourselves to His revealed will and His divine purpose as the little boy in this chapter consecrated his small all to the Lord's need. But that is just the beginning. Before too long we will begin to experience the painful process of being broken (like the broken five barley loaves and two small fishes) because the Lord is going to do His divine work in us so that we could be conformed to the image of Christ gradually. We will undergo trials of faith, fiery tests, severe temptations, manifold persecutions, sorrows, pains, heartbreaks and disappointments. We will suffer for Christ because we love Him and stand for His interests and testimony. Such an experience of brokenness and suffering is not due to our sinning against the Lord. The truthful and consoling fact is that He sovereignty chooses and counts us worthy to suffer for Him. To suffer for Him is actually a divine privilege, gift and prize (Colossians 1:24-25). He knows that we will glorify Him more greatly by His grace in the sufferings. And He also cares about us and cherishes every bit of our experiences of being broken. Our faithful and merciful Lord is gathering our broken experiences with His twelve handbaskets so that our labours and sufferings in Christ will not be lost and in vain. He is putting our precious tears into His bottle (Psalm 56:8).

Furthermore, only the service and ministry which undergo the costly brokenness could satisfy the needy and hungry souls. The fruitful and effectual services are based on sacrificial brokenness for other people. Thereal ministry is the effect of brokenness. Please spend some time to meditate on the sufferings of Job and apostle Paul. What the fruitful and effectual services which they render! Today we still live in the good of their fruits of suffering and travail. They paid the costly price and endure the manifold tribulations for the spiritual welfare of God's assembly. 

A good doctor is the man who suffers from the similar diseases of his patients beforehand. What about us? May God correct and adjust our imperfect and immature notions about the sufferings and services!

No Cross, No Crown

The men want to make Jesus king after this sign. This is a wonderful chance for Him to vindicate that He is the king by the ardent approval ofmen. In this situation, His disciples also desire to crown Him as their Jewish king in such a tumultuous atmosphere. What is the reaction of Jesus? He dismissed the crowd and departed to the mountain himself alone! What a disappointment to the crowd and the disciples!

The heavenly life of Jesus would never agree with the opinions of earthly people. Himself alone is on the spiritual high places and untouched by the earthly filthiness. The point is that Jesus must enthrone through the cross. Jesus is the king! Yes, but He is the "crucified king"! And His crown is plaited by the thorns. 

Sadly the gospel which we preach today is missing the cross. The ministry of apostle Paul puts much emphasis upon the cross and Christ (1Corinthians 2:2). The cross and Christ are enough for us. The evil trend and falsehood of "successful theology" which prevails among the modern Christians is the enemy of the cross of Christ. Many Christians are pursuing after the earthly prosperity, success, blessing and ambition, but neglect that our most precious blessings are spiritual and heavenly (Ephesians 1:3).What they desire is the blessings, not sufferings. 

To suffer and to bear the cross of Lord is too difficult for the modern Christians because we just want to walk in the smooth and easy way, not the thorny and difficult way. But that is an absurd illusion rooted in our old natural man. For all indeed who desire to live piously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (Acts 14:22). Let us wake up! Do we hunger for the glorious crown as the prize from the Lord in that day? Remember: No cross, no crown! The pathway to the throne is the way of cross. If we endure the cross, we shall reign together with Him. If indeed we suffer with Him, we may also be glorified with him. The salvation of deliverance from sin is free, but the glorious crown as the prize is costly. May the love of Christ encourage us to pay the costly price!

9. Meditation: Chapter 8. The Dead Religion And The Living Son Of God - Part 2

Chapter 8

The Dead Religion And 

The Living Son Of God - Part 2

John 5:18-47

The Revelation Of Mysterious Relationship 

Of Father And Son

In this paragraph, Jesus answered the Jews who want to kill Him with very mysterious revelation of Father and Son. That is so incredible! For Jesus laid forth so important revelation before the blind Jews. That is also a huge contrary between blind religion and enlightening revelation (dead religion and living union with Father). May the Holy Spirit continue to unveil and teach us some precious lessons by Jesus’ divine sayings more and more!   

The word “Father” is used thirteen times in this chapter. This word reveals us that living union and oneness with Father is the most important basis and secret of Son’s ministry on the earth. This divine and intimate relationship is a reminder for us. The valuable services in the God’s sight should be based on deep loving relationship with our precious Lord. We could not serve acceptably before God if we neglect this aspect. 

Unfortunately, the modern Christianity devoted herself to many services and activities by natural religious zeal without paying attention to love, admire, adore and pursue after the Lord Himself and His words (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9). The consequence is that we gain the approval, praise and glory from the religious world by benevolence, but meanwhile sacrifice a lot of precious truth and fullness in Christ, and lose the glory which comes from God alone. And modern Christians are no longer the lovers of God, but the supporters of superficial religion with religious benevolence just like Buddhist, Catholicism and other earthly religions. We fail to recognize that the focus and core of gospel is Lord Himself and His unsearchable fullness.

Jesus Is Selfless Servant

Futhermore, the selfless Jesus as a servant is our sample. The Son of man owns a perfect selfhood, and He could serve or do anything by (from) Himself. But He chose to empty out His perfect selfhood, and surrender under the sovereignty, guide and indication of His Father. Therefore His life is just like a baby, and He has to live by Father’s love, and thoroughly depends on Father for everything, and do Father’s (not His own) will, and finish Father’s work.

Dear servants of God, we have to learn from this selfless Servant in the realm of service. Let us remember all our services and works will be tried by God’s fire (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). And all that from ourselves (natural zeal and ability, good intention, human wisdom, carnal means, religious notions, worldly methods) will not be accepted by God. To give an account before the judgment seat of Christ! What a serious matter! 

To wait for and seek to understand the Master’s will and mind is most significant to the servants (Psalms 123:2). Today we need a fearful heart (Psalms 19:13), calm mind, clear vision (revelation, understanding) from God’s words and humble spirit to learn how to serve the living God according to His mind because spiritual services are so divine and profound that we could no longer serve by our old natural man. The Chinese brother Watchman Nee (1903-1972) once said: “The work of God is that: its commencement - God’s will; its process - God’s power; its end - God’s glory.” The Christ must be all, and in all! For of Him, and through Him, and for Him all things: to Him be glory for ever. Amen!         

What Is The Testimony Of God’s Assembly (Church)?

In Jesus’ divine reply, we could understand the nature of testimony. What is testimony? The testimony of God’s assembly is that: “the supreme status and excellent significance of Christ (God’s Son) in God’s eternal purpose.” Jesus Christ will head up all things in Himself (Ephesians 1:9-10), and occupy the first place in all things (Colossians 1:15-21) according to God’s eternal purpose. And now God’s Son is the King and Righteous Judge on the throne, Minister and the indissoluble High Priest of the holy places and of true tabernacle (Hebrews 8:1-2). And our testimony and part is to set forth the surpassing greatness and excellency of God’s Son (John 1:14; Hebrews 1:3-4).

We have to hold fast the Head (Christ) as our all in all, for He is the Pivot and Center of all things, and if we miss Christ, we almost forfeit everything. The Christ is the gate of salvation to the unbelievers, and whosoever don’t believe on and accept Him as the savior will miss eternal life and enter into judgment. Moreover, the fullness of Christ is the inheritance for all the saints. How shall we escape if we have been negligent of so great salvation and so excellent Christ? Can we continue to overlook or neglect Lord Himself and His precious words (the bible)? 

Let us again adjust our attitude towards our precious and grand Lord Jesus. First, we must honor, revere and hunger for God’s Son humbly. That is an important ground upon which the Holy Spirit could work. And then we need the revelation of the Holy Spirit to open our understanding by His words so that we could further know the infinite Christ (Ephesians 1:15-19; Philippians 1:9-11). For He is ever much bigger than our present and limited knowledge of Him (1 Corinthians 13:9-12). We need to press on and pursue after Him (Philippians 3:12; 1 Corinthians 9:24).      

The Antidotes To The Legalism And Earthly Religion

John 1:17: For the law was given by Moses: grace and truth subsists through Jesus Christ. (Darby’s Bible Version) Christians should live in the grace, mercy and truth of Christ, not hold fast the legalism of earthly Christianity (James 2:13). For the purpose of law is to expose the sinful, fallen and helpless state of our old natural man (Romans 3:20, 23; 7:7-9, 14-24). The more we want to keep the law, the more we sink into the depth of despair because of the failure of keeping them. However, blessed be our Lord! Christians are dead to the law (Romans 7:4-6) and live under another better law! What is the better law under which we live now? That is the law of the Spirit of “life” in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:2-4). And there is now no condemnation in this new law (the old Moses’ law is full of judgment, condemnation and death). Today as long as we follow after, rely on and walk according to the indwelling Holy Spirit, the Christ will be our supply to fulfill the demands of God’s righteousness (Matthew 5:17), and we would enjoy the peace, joy and rest of life without fear in Christ.

This new law is also the law of “love”. And Love should be our mark (Matthew 22:37-40; Mark 12:33; John 13:34-35, 15:12-13; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; 1 John 3:18, 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 1 Corinthians13:1, 13). Love! What a challenge to Christians! The testimony of love is costly but precious in God’s sight. May the Lord shed abroad God’s love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit!

In addition, let the words of the Christ dwell in us richly! God’s words are the foundation and root of our faith. We have to cherish and investigate the bible. And God’s words are also a living Person (Christ). The Word is toward Christ, and the Word is Christ. All the scriptures point toward the Son of God. Therefore whenever we read the bible, actually we are having a meeting with a glorious God. The bible is a living Christ, and He always wants to talk to us through His words. And Jesus demands us to have a stable relationship with Himself and His words. The bible is not only a book filled with doctrines but also the voices of Son of God. May God open our spiritual ears! He that has an ear, let him hear! John 6:63: the words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life. Christ is the Word. In Him is life. The life, words and Christ are inseparable. Do we desire to have life more abundantly? Work hard in reading bible because His words of life will quicken, enlighten, enrich and renew us (Psalm 119:107).   

Let us live for Christ’s glory and kingdom (1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Matthew 6:33), and seek His pleasure and praise alone, not the vanity and applause from men (Romans 2:29).

8. Meditation: Chapter 7. The Dead Religion And The Living Son Of God - Part 1

Chapter 7

The Dead Religion And 

The Living Son Of God - Part 1

John 5:1-17

The Jewish Religion Is A Warning 

To The Modern Assembly (Church)

  

In this chapter, God’s words reveal us the horrible spiritual condition of Jewish Religion. The assembly of God should learn the important lessons and be warned by the failures of Israelites. 

Let us approach the core of the matter directly. The modern Christianity is conforming to the earthly Jewish Religion recorded in this chapter. Many Christians are saved by grace, but wandering in the wilderness of earthly religion (1 Corinthians 10:1-6). Today there is a multitude of sick, blind, lame and withered lay in the porches of earthly Christianity. And the pitiful multitude are governed by the pool of notions of paganism blindly, and await the absurd falsehood to save them from their spiritual infirmity. The consequence of their waiting is the spiritual wandering and standstill for vacuous thirty and eight years (Deuteronomy2:14-15). They are locked by the dead and dark earthy Christianity without spiritual strength, sight and revelation to walk into the land which flowswith milk and honey (the heavenly fullness of Christ).   

Moreover, the complicated, organized and systemic development of modern Christianity is unhealthy and evil. Her testimony (!?) makes the unbelieving world misunderstand that the faith of Christians is the same as Buddhism, Islam and other religions. We all have to repent humbly and bitterly before our Lord! Let us bear in mind that our precious faith is not a religion (Christianity), but “a living true God”. The crucified Christ (1 Corinthians 2:2) and the bible is our only foundation and standard. Anything has nothing to do with the crucified Christ and His words are valueless in God’s sight.

A Calling Of Emancipation From 

The Earthly Christianity

Here is also a story of a man delivered from the dark, blind, closed, stubborn and ruthless religion. We need to recognize a significant fact that the salvation of the cross not only saved the sinners (us) from sin but also rescued “the believers” from the valueless, vain and empty religion. 

The revelation of cross drastically delivers the apostle Paul from his old religious traditions carried out by his blind and natural zeal. And the revelation of crucified Christ thoroughly breaks all his pride in religion (Philippians 3:4-9). If any sincere saint wants to follow the Lord, the inevitable and costly process is that all our old conceptions of earthly Christianity will be destroyed by the revelation from God through His words (just like the experience of the apostle Paul). 

Today God’s calling for His saints in the end-time is “arise and walk out of the earthly and mixed Christianity”. The last history of Israelitesrecorded in the book of Ezra and Nehemiah is full of spiritual instructions for us. In last days, the faith of many children of God is in a state of spiritual captivity at religious Babylonian world by blending with earthly system of Christianity. Today the God’s spirit is working in the small remnant (Ezra 1:1-5) who perceive the corruption of Christianity and have a earnest burden and concern about the Lord’s testimony among the saints toward the impious world with a sorrowful heart (Nehemiah 1:1-8) and clear vision (understanding) just like Ezra and Nehemiah. 

That is a call of returning back from the spiritual captivity, making a clear cut of religious chaos, meanwhile, and seeking to recover and build up the Lord’s testimony according to God’s mind by His grace in a contrite, humble and broken spirit. Dear children of God, do we ever thus listen to His call (Revelation 3:12-13)? Are we the pious remnant (overcomers)? We must make a choice and answer the God’s calling! Oh! dear Lord! Let us live in your sanctification and holy separation so that we could be Your honorable and serviceable vessels in the end-time (2 Timothy 2:20-22)!                          

The Perils Of Legalism In Modern Christianity

The sabbath is deemed by Jews as one important and inviolable day. And here the sabbath is the representative of law of Moses. The Jews want to establish their own righteousness by keeping their law (Roman 10:3-4). And therefore they would be very ruthless, cool, and cruel to anyone who violates their law. The law of Moses makes them without mercy, grace and sympathy toward the weak people. The Jewish law is full of heartless judgment and condemnation. 

Unfortunately today the spirit of law of Moses is still alive in modern Christianity. Many Christian traditions, fixed rules and various ceremonials become the merciless legalism. If any sincere believer questions, challenges and violates any point of the religious old frame endorsed by the unenlightened multitude, he will be unwelcomed, suspected, despised, condemned, criticized, reproached and judged mercilessly. The cool legalism does not allow the different voices and opinions from the bible’s light according to the Lord’s mind, and claim: “our doctrines are best, don’t inquire anything, just do them according to our custom, if you shall not do, you cannot…”. You can’t find the open, soft, flexible, meek and hungry heart (the essential condition for the Lord’s fullness) in legalism. The Christian legalism will be the great hindrance and obstacle for the Holy Spirit to lead the God’s assembly further into the unsearchable fullness of Christ.   

The Sabbath Is A Living Person (Christ)

In the four gospels, Jesus did many things on the sabbath, and His repeated violations of the sabbath provoke Jewish people to kill Him (Matthew 12:7-14; Mark 3:1-6). And again we could hear the basic tone of the gospel according to John: “I AM” the Sabbath. What does that mean? In the light of new testament, the sabbath is no longer a day! The sabbath is aliving Person (Christ)! For the matters and things of law of Moses in old testament are just the shadow, but the reality and body is that living Christ(Colossians 2:17). That is a tremendous transition accomplished by the salvation of cross.

Today Christians have no need to keep and hold fast any day or feast or other many religious rules because we are now already in the great Reality (living Christ) and under the law of the Spirit of life. But it is so important that we must continue to discover, understand, grasp, walk into and live in the “spiritual meaning” of the Jewish matters, days and feasts (five offering, Passover, Sabbath etc.) And we have to let go the shadow, and hold fast and draw upon the living Christ (Mark 2:27-28; Matthew12:8; Matthew 11:28). For the living Christ is end of law of Moses for righteousness to every one that believes.

Our precious faith is based on a living Person (Christ), and we need the revelation of the Holy Spirit by His words to unveil the spiritual meaning hidden behind the things of old testament in the bible. Galatians 4:10-11: Ye observe days and months and times and years. I am afraid of you, lest indeed I have laboured in vain as to you. The Galatian saints fail to recognize the great transition (from law to grace; from Moses to Christ) accomplished by the salvation of cross. There is a sense in which that they still live in epoch of old testament, and want to keep the whole law. 

God sent forth His Son, come of woman, come under law, that He might redeem us from the law, that we might receive sonship. Christ has set us free in freedom, and be not held again in the yoke of bondage of legalism! This is the question about the shadow and body. The Jews hold fast the shadow (law) against the body (Christ). They could keep every detail of whole law like the Saul of Tarsus, but entirely know nothing about the preciousness and sweetness of our Lord Jesus, and try to kill Him, and finally crucify Him on the cross. The Jews really missed a lot by keeping the legalism. How about us?