Letters to the Church

In John’s Gospel, Jesus is the true Tabernacle where the presence and glory of God dwell. Unlike the ancient structure with its inner sanctuary that only the high priest could enter, and only once each year on the Day of Atonement, His glory is manifested in Jesus Christ for all men to see forevermore. No longer is His presence limited by physical walls, geographic boundaries, or the calendar. In the Nazarene, the Father and Creator of all things is worshipped anywhere and anytime, only now “ in spirit and truth .”

The Law of Moses specified what foods the people of Israel could eat by distinguishing between the “clean” and the “unclean.” The consumption of the latter was strictly forbidden. Israel was summoned to be “holy” since Yahweh was holy. It was inappropriate, therefore, for members of the covenant people to eat anything that was ritually “unclean.”

Paul chided the Galatians over their desire “ to return to bondage under the weak and beggarly rudiments ” of the world, including calendrical observations and circumcision. Since they were no longer “minors” but full heirs who lived in the age of fulfillment and had the Gift of the Spirit, resorting to outmoded rituals was tantamount to returning to a state of slavery.