Fulfilling the Law – The Kinsman-Redeemer
One of the statements that Jesus made was that He did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The truth is that this statement has a few applications but, in this particular context, it relates to His death on the cross.
As mentioned in the last lesson, there are many theologians who do not see Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as some sort of penal act. They are dead wrong. While it was a loving act of Jesus, it makes no sense for Him to have done this outside of fulfilling the Law. Consider how ridiculous it would look otherwise.
In their thinking, Jesus died on the cross to show His love for us. Good point, but why would He do this? What purpose is there for Him to die on the cross? Simply to show He loved us? That is completely circular reasoning. Jesus did not just die because it was loving. He died because it had a purpose. The purpose was in the requirements of the Law which demanded that a blood sacrifice was necessary for the removal and forgiveness of sin. What made His sacrifice different was that it was a one time offering that removed the sins of all of mankind once and for all.
Jesus – The Man
We are going to spend a little time diving into how Jesus fulfilled the Law because this is where the love of Jesus is truly shown. We are going to see how Jesus made the Law so that only He could be responsible for our sins. This meant He gave the Law to Moses so that He would be responsible and He would have to die for what we did wrong. That is downright amazing when you think about it.
As we examine how Jesus fulfilled the Law, we will also see how every requirement that the Law put in place was fulfilled. His death on the cross was not the only part of the Law that mattered. Every “small” detail was followed. In this way, He did not give Satan a loophole he could use to say the sacrifice was not an everlasting one.
It starts with Jesus’ birth. One of the titles that is often used in relation to Jesus is “Son of Man.” This is a title that is used in many instances in the Bible. In fact, it is used 207 times, most often in the Old Testament. For example, God called Ezekiel “son of man” on many occasions, including Ezekiel 2:1.
The use of this term is another way of simply saying man. However, there is a more revered sense to the word. For example, in Daniel 7:9-12, the prophet reveals that world systems will be conquered by the one who is “like a son of man.” In Psalm 8:4, David asks who the “son of man” is that God cares so much for him?
What is most important about this title is that it is a reference to the descendants of Adam. When David asks why God cares so much about the “son of man” he is using the Hebrew word אדם which is pronounced adam.
When Jesus is called the “Son of Man,” it is directly related to His humanity. For those who argue that He was not truly a man, but only God, the use of this term directly contradicts that and it is essential that He was a man to fulfill the requirements of the Law.
Who Is the Kinsman-Redeemer?
This may seem like some point of theological discussion, but the truth is that Jesus had to come as a man if He was going to be able to pay the price for our sins. This reality is rooted in the Law.
The portion of the Law is related to the kinsman-redeemer. If you have not heard this term before, then it is time for an important lesson.
In Leviticus 25:23-34, this relationship is established. In the Law, a person could sell their property, even sell themselves if they were unable to pay a debt. If that happened, they were required to do a certain amount of work until they were able to pay back what was owed.
If they could not pay this debt, a relative, a near kinsman, could redeem their debt and free them or their property by paying the debt themselves. One of the essential parts of this was that the person paying the debt had to be a near relative. It could not just be someone who was friends or who liked the person and wanted to do a nice thing. They had to be related to the person.
Jesus – The Kinsman-Redeemer
It is this Law that relates to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. He came to pay our debt. The important thing to understand about the Law is that all transgressions were reconciled as a debt. If you stole something from another, the Law required that you paid back twice, four times, even seven times what you stole dependent upon what you stole and the circumstances surrounding it. Our sin is a debt we owe as well. In this case, the debt we incurred from our sins is death. Romans 6:23 begins, “For the wages of sin is death.”
We earned a debt because of our sin and the only way we could pay that debt is through death. That is the only restitution that is permissible to pay off our debt.
This is where the title “Son of Man” matters. Romans 5:18 reads,
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
One man, Adam, brought condemnation to all who were born after him. We all gained a nature that is disobedient to God as a result of Adam’s sin. Since a man brought about this nature, we needed a man to redeem us from this nature and free us from the debt we owed because of our sin. Paul writes that one man redeemed us from our sins. That was the second Adam, Jesus.
This is why it is so essential that He is referred to as the “Son of Man” and that He came as a man. Only a man could redeem mankind because He had to come through Adam. Adam brought on sin. A man had to reverse and pay for what He had done, what all of us have now done. That is why the humanity of Jesus is so essential.
This is not some small theological point. This was a necessary piece that established Jesus’ right to pay our debt. It is also a necessary piece in fulfilling the Law. Jesus came as a man so that He could be our near kinsman so that He had the legal right to pay our debt.
Jesus’ death on the cross was clearly an act of love. He loved us so much that He wanted to free us from the debt we owed for our sins and give us everlasting life. However, it is ridiculous to conclude that this was not part of a penal remedy to pay off the debt that we owed. We will continue to look at this in our next lesson.
By Robert Pannier