Moses in the Hood

January 23, 2009


T.J. (the Happy Sinner), Joe (Moses in the Hood), and me.

Yesterday during the second hour I recruited two students to help me explain the difference between the law and the promise in Galatians 3:17-18 because it’s not the easiest concept to understand.

What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. 

Most of us read these verses and wonder exactly what they mean because they depend on a knowledge of the Old Testament. So I recruited two students to help make it all clear. First, I asked Joe to come down and play the part of Moses and the law. He was a natural. First, he sang a little “Go Down, Moses,” and then he went back to his seat, got his sunglasses and his jacket and turned into “Moses in the Hood.” Then I got T.J. to portray a “happy sinner” trying to live under the law. Both guys were good on their feet and shortly thereafter Moses was telling T.J., “You’re goin’ down. You’re gonna die,” and a few lines from “The Dark Knight” hat brought down the house. T.J. just played along until “Moses” told him, “Thou shalt not,” which he ignored, and then the class shouted, “Sinner!” and on the count of three, we “stoned” him, whereupon he fell to the ground as a few enterprising students tossed Bic pens at him. It was a good thing he got down fast. Meanwhile “Moses” stood triumphant, arms folded, the law having claimed another victim.

Meanwhile the students were clapping and cheering during this bit of inspired improv. I (who had sort of moderated the goings-on) represented Abraham and the promise of salvation by faith. So I stood a few feet away from “Moses,” representing the 430 years separating us, I walked up to Moses, we walked together representing the period from Moses to Christ, roughly 1450 years. When we got to the point where Christ died, “Moses” dramatically fell to the ground, symbolizing the end of law. I walked on to show that the promise of God started before the law and continues after the law. 

Needless to say, the class loved this little bit of drama, Joe was a very believable Moses (talking smack all the time) and T.J. did a fine job of playing the nice guy who ends up dying because the law can’t save you.

As you can tell from the picture, everyone stayed in character. The happy sinner is about to meet an unhappy fate.  But of course that’s the whole point of Galatians. The law condemns but it can never save. 

Do you have any thoughts or questions about this post?