Day Nineteen--Jesus defends His identity: Jesus has healed the lame man on the Sabbath and the Jewish leaders are apoplectic about it and then Jesus does something that makes it even more confrontational. Let’s read: 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” 18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. Jesus so angered the Jewish leaders that they begin plotting to kill Him. Jesus isn’t playing the rules that the Jewish leaders have laid down. Jesus doesn’t back down though. He has identified Himself as the Son of God. Think about this—It’s been 400 years since the last prophet lived and the heavens have been shut. 400 years for the religious leaders to develop their own way of doing things. They developed their own rules and expected all those professing Judaism to obey those rules. They weren’t part of the Law God gave but man-made rules. I read last night this description that I though really identified this problem of LEGALISM—“The destructive effects of legalism, which I define as externally imposed religion, specifically, rules without relationship, standards without a savior and laws without love.” From Michael Brown’s book ‘HYPERGRACE’. After 400 years of silence, here comes this weird guy out of the desert clothed in animal skin and eating locusts and honey proclaiming that the Messiah was about to make a showing. He’s going around the country baptizing with water those Jews who will follow him, all the while proclaiming that the ONE is coming. Then this man, this Nazarene steps into the scene and John baptizes Him and the heavens open up (for the first time in 400 years) and God proclaims Jesus His Son but the religious leaders are in the temple and can’t be bothered. They’re living up to the standards they’ve laid out and can’t be interrupted to listen to God’s voice proclaiming that Jesus is His Son. So, Jesus makes the declaration Himself-- 19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Talk about a smack in the face of the religious leaders—The only people Jesus could NOT stomach or get along with were the hypocritical legalistic religious leaders who had abducted the religion established to bring the Savior/Messiah and made it something of their own. Raising their own significance above the power of God’s Law to bring the people closer to Him. Jesus could not tolerate them so He’s just in their face about it. Have you ever been in a similar religion? One that has been abducted by some religious leaders own rules and regulations that have nothing to do with the Love of Jesus but are about elevating themselves. Does the name Westboro ring a bell? If you find yourself in one of those religions, run, run from it as fast as you can to one that proclaims the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord! Jesus get’s even more ‘in your face’ to the religious leaders tomorrow!
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 11:39:42 +0000
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