Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 4
The group discusses when the Mosaic Law “died” (John the Baptist, Jesus’ ministry, the cross, AD 70), and the teacher calls it a “transition”; what do these proposed “end points” imply about God’s patience, the pace of covenant change, and how He deals with people who don’t fully grasp His new work yet?
Another way to ask: People suggest different times the Mosaic Law “ended” (John the Baptist, Jesus’ ministry, the cross, AD 70), and the teacher calls it a transition. What do these options teach us about God’s patience and how He slowly brings in a new covenant while some people still don’t understand it?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript presents the law’s ending as a staged transition—announced around John/Jesus, made decisive at the cross, and made undeniable by AD 70—implying God patiently leads people into covenant change even when they are slow to understand.
- The teacher allows “room for more than one answer” and says “you almost have sort of a transition period there.”
- He cites Luke 16:16: “The law and the prophets were until John… since that time, the kingdom of God has been preached.”
- He says it “would seem like it was final… when Jesus died on the cross,” yet “the Christians didn't grasp that at the time… still living under the law.”
- He points to Peter/Cornelius as evidence of slow understanding: Jewish Christians were “shocked” that Gentiles were accepted.
- He says God “didn't just stop it coldly… but he let it continue on,” then notes AD 70 as a decisive end.