PODCAST
Shadow or Reality?
June 16th, 2011
Matthew 5:17-30
In Bongani’s village they did not have a chief for many years because the heir was too young to assume the duties of leadership. His uncle was appointed as the interim leader. He acted on behalf of the young chief, and served the village so well that many people forgot he was only a temporary solution. When the time came to hand over power to the rightful chief it took time for the villagers to accept the new order.
A system of laws was in place on an interim basis before Jesus, the fulfiller, assumed his rightful place. In Swaziland they say, “there is no shadow without a real image” and the law and prophets were a shadow of the real thing: Jesus Christ, the long awaited Messiah.
Like the Jews in Christ’s day, and the people in Bongani’s village, we can become accustomed to the shadow and resist the change that fulfillment brings. If we continue to hold on to that which is fleeting, we can miss the joy of embracing that which is permanent.
