For November 3, 2026
The Weight Of Law by Greg Holmes, D.MIN – Director of Missions serving 17 churches
THE JEWISH LEGAL SYSTEM of Jesus’ time was a sophisticated system founded and developed over more than a millennium. It was unique in its cultural perception of the covenantal God-man relationship, and firmly rooted in the rabbis’ convoluted written interpretations, especially so beginning during the Babylonian times of exile. When James writes his thoughts about the law, the court system of his time has three levels. The highest court was the Great Sanhedrin, which has seventy-one judges, and deals with the most refined aspects of theological law interpretation. Lesser courts with twenty-three judges deal with death penalty cases. Lower courts with three judges handle most civil and criminal matters. And lawsuits then, as they are now, were common. There is a striking similarity to most western law, not coincidentally, for Jews took their understanding of laws with them wherever they were scattered as first Rome and then all of Europe and finally America began the collective rise of the west to world dominance and influence over the laws of nations.