Few
people take time to study the US Internal Revenue Service income tax
regulations—and for good reason. According to Forbes magazine, in 2013 tax
codes surpassed the four million-word mark. In fact, the tax laws have become
so complex that even the experts have a hard time processing all the
regulations. It’s burdensome in its complexity.
The
religious leaders in ancient Israel did the same thing in their relationship
with God. They made it too complex with laws. The growing burden of religious
regulations had increased to the point where even an expert in Moses’ law
struggled to understand its core. When one such leader asked Jesus what
mattered most in the Commandments, Jesus responded, “‘You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with
all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is
this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment
greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31).
The law of Moses was burdensome, but faith in Christ is simple and His “burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). It’s light because God was willing to forgive us and love us. Now He enables us to love Him and our neighbor.
