Why They Hated Jesus - What We Should Learn
May 6, 2008
Dear Friends,
What can we learn from examining the people that hated Jesus?
1. We should exercise caution against reliance on traditions within the body of Christ. We are given the liberty to add to our local customs for the sake of convenience, order and uniformity in our worship. However, we need to be very careful that these extras are enhancing our worship of our heavenly Father and not detracting from that purpose. When our traditions cause harm, they need to be challenged as Jesus did with the corban laws. Those brethren who challenge us to reexamine our traditions are not necessarily our enemies.
2. We need to examine our motivations on our interactions with brethren. Are our actions motivated by love or some other misplaced emotion such as anger, hatred or envy? When we find ourselves acting like the Pharisees, should we expect to be judged any less severely by Christ when he comes than his judgment of his enemies in the first century? Remember, when we treat the least of Christ’s brethren in an inappropriate manner, we are treating Christ the same way. (Matt. 25:40)
3. We need to be careful of being respecters of persons. If we find ourselves treating the prominent speaking brother with greater care than the elderly widow, we need to adjust our thinking. If we pick and choose who should and should not receive the Gospel message, we will have to account for our selectivity. The Pharisees rejected Jesus because he preached to the “sinners.” God is willing that none should perish? How about us?
4. We need to put our faith into action. The Pharisees had a tendency to talk about the importance of good works without actually doing them. Jesus said of the Pharisees concerning good works “Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” (Matt. 23:3 NIV) We need to shine our light before men, love our neighbors, preach and serve. As important, we need to do the right things for the right reasons. When the Pharisees did good works, it was for show. If we do our works of service for self- aggrandizement, we have our reward.
5. We need to get our facts straight. In assuming that Jesus was the illegitimate, law of Moses-breaking son of Joseph from Nazareth, they framed an opinion that was the basis for their ultimate condemnation. The Pharisees superficial judgment of Jesus cost many of them their salvation.
6. We need to be very careful about how we judge others. Jesus taught “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24) The Pharisees judged Jesus based on false accusations, bad information, prejudice and a healthy dose of self-righteousness. Righteous judgment is, by definition, how God would judge things. Do we judge as God judges or do we base our judgment on our own feelings, misinformation or a misapplication of God’s word?
7. We need to overcome our fear of change. The Pharisees could not accept anything even slightly different than their way of doing things. Jesus brought in wholesale changes to their world. Not all change is good, but not all change is bad either. We need to examine change in light of God’s word. We need to strive not to be stagnant but instead have a living faith. If we are not constantly changing for the better, we are probably spiritually stagnant.
I sometimes muse what it will be like at the Judgment when the Pharisees stand before the man they murdered. Will their heart’s break for their misdeeds or will they continue to be self-righteously unrepentant? Will they be among those of whom it is said “they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him” or will they repeat their false accusation of their Judge, “Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” One thing is for sure, their judgment is set. They are still in the grave until Christ calls them forth to give account. Nothing can be done to change their lot. We, on the other hand, still have the possibility and privilege of changing. We can, in one sense, make good come from the life the Pharisees - we can learn from it.
Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:20)
Have a great week,
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