Tag Archives: My teachings

JESUS, THE GOD-MAN – 8

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THE GOD MAN, THE WAY OF TRUTH

Mark 6:34 NLT
[34] “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

Why were these “sheep” running after Jesus? Why did He see them as “sheep without a shepherd”? How did He show them compassion?

These questions are all answered in Jesus Himself.

Tied to the leadership of the Pharisees, God’s people were in perpetual bondage, becoming more entangled and more enslaved as time went on by laws and rituals that could never set them free. The more their “shepherds” enforced the law and all their additions, the more helpless the sheep became. Their own shepherds were lost in bondage to their own sin and, in turn, by lies and deception, they led their sheep into deeper confusion and fear.

There was only one way to set them free…truth…and only one person who had the power to set them free, Jesus, the one who is truth.

The sheep, it seems, saw something in Jesus, heard something from Him, that drew them to Him. As even the temple guards testified, when sent to arrest Him, “No one speaks like this man!” Great crowds trailed after Him, from towns, villages, and countryside, to hear His words. They recognised, in His teaching, truths their souls yearned to hear.

So, Jesus gave them His weapon to destroy lies and His tool to set them free, His truth! He did not choose to battle their sin, or to fight their family issues or their marital conflcts, or even their issues with Rome or their religious overlords. He saw their pain. He felt their despair. He heard their soundless cries…their undefined and unspoken longings.

They were a mixed bunch. Some hung on every word, others examined, criticised, judged His words. Some were delighted, others enraged by His teachings. Some attacked Him, only to be confronted with the truth they hated to hear. Jesus warned…

John 12:47-49 NIV
[47] “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. [48] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. [49] For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”

To those who listened with earnest hearts, He said,

John 8:31-36 NLT
[31]…“You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Still others, incensed by His implication, argued…

[33] “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?”

With the insight of a skilled physician, Jesus diagnosed…

[34]…“I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. [35] A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

Though the people were not aware of it, their dilemma was neither bondage to Rome nor enslavement to their false shepherds. Their bondage was much deeper, within themselves…to sin that enslaved their hearts as surely as prison doors locked wrongdoers into prison cells. The freedom they craved was not freedom from external forces like Roman overlords or religious slave-drivers, but freedom from their own self-destructive lives. As much as they tried, no amount of rule-keeping could ever or had ever achieved real freedom.

Only one thing could ever set them free – truth! Truth frees heart and conscience, regardless of earthly circumstances. When the heart is free, there is nothing of consequence in daily lives that can mar the inward peace of true freedom.

Jesus knew that what the shepherdless people needed was not another shepherd, not another equally lost person to lead them, or more lies to confuse them or more laws to enslave them.

They needed truth to enlighten them, the Good Shepherd of truth to guide them, to show them the way…to freedom from guilt, shame, and fear…to the Father, the only place of perfect peace.

The wisdom of His compassion amazes me. Jesus could have shown His compassion by engaging in great healing and deliverance campaigns. He could have sent His disciples across the land, calling people to “Come and get your miracle!”

Oh, He healed, but not primarily to relieve His people of suffering. He cast out demons, but not specifically to free them from demonic oppression. His works were always bound to His identity and His mission. He came as king to usher in the rule of God and to show His people, by fulfilling every prophetic fingerprint in the Old Covenant, that He was the legally appointed king of God’s kingdom. His works were done to confirm His identity and to build trust in His words so that they would believe in Him and experience the truth that would set them free.

John 14:11 NIV
[11] “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.”

God’s nation, for centuries since Abraham, their founder, had been led astray by a lying, deceiving usurper and his minions. The devil had convinced them, despite God’s intimate involvement with them, that they could sidestep God’s rule and set up their own laws and standards. In fact, the less they were obliged to live righteously, the better, so they thought.

Together with the surrounding nations and under the influence of their kings and rulers, they threw off God’s protective yoke, worshipped the gods of their imagination, and sank into the worst of depravity. The results were catastrophic.

Instead of reflecting God’s nature to the surrounding godless nations by obedience to His covenant, they reflected the wickedness of the gods they worshipped. Depraved, enslaved, and condemned, they came under the same wrath as those who were not in covenant with God.

The descendants of these same people dragged behind them, like a ball and chain, the terrible legacy of their ancestors. Then, to add to their enslavement, they were ruled by religious bullies who enforced on them more rules than they had ever tried to escape in their past.

Yes, Jesus had chosen His fight, not to confront every issue but to give His people the keys that would open their own prison doors. The prophet Isaiah predicted that He open prison doors and set them free.

Isaiah 61:1 NIV
[1] “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners… “

It’s no wonder, then, that Jesus’ heart was broken for His people because of their suffering. To them, the God they were supposed to worship had become, under the influence of their” shepherds”, nothing but the head “bully” of the bullies they feared, a strict disciplinarian who waited to catch them out at every turn for breaking His laws.

There was only one thing that could rescue them from this load of lies they had come to believe. Truth! No amount of healing, deliverance or even feeding at Jesus’ expense could save them from their plight.

So, Jesus “taught them many things”, the epitome of His compassion.

To be continued…

WHO TRAPPED WHOM?

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Jesus’ public ministry was littered with conflicts with His opponents. In fact, many of His profoundest teachings came from these heated debates. John’s gospel, in particular, records many immortal words of Jesus spoken to His adversaries, that steady and guide us through the various mazes of our lives.

Some of the people who claimed to believe in Jesus, fell foul of His insights. Claiming to be “free” and never enslaved to anyone, they
received a severe tongue-lashing from Jesus for their hypocrisy.

John 8:30-32 NLT
[30] Then many who heard him say these things believed in him. [31] Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Their retort revealed their true heart condition.

John 8:33-34 NLT
[33] “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” [34] Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.”

First, Jesus gave them the condition for true discipleship. Their “faith” must be translated into obedience to His teaching. Only this walk of obedience would contribute to a life of inner freedom.

They claimed descent from Abraham as their passport to God. Jesus saw right through them.

John 8:37, 44 NLT
[37] Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message….
[44] For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

However, it was not only Jesus’ words that revealed His impeccable character but also the attitudes and the principles He displayed that give us glimpses of the Jesus we know and love.

The wily Pharisees and religious boffins tried hard to trap Him, both in His words and actions, but Jesus was never fooled by their trickery.

Let’s look at some of the ways in which these men were caught in their own traps.

The story of the woman caught in adultery is a familiar one. The entire scenario was a setup designed to lure Jesus in making a judgment against the law of Moses. They knew that Jesus’ bent was, always towards mercy. How would He react to someone so undeniably guilty of adultery? Would He release her when stoning was the required penalty for her sin?

Without hesitation, Jesus’ response was both clever and effective. He could not deny her guilt because there were more than “two or three witnesses” to testify against her. He could, however, get rid of the witnesses by shining the light on their guilt.

Jesus was steeped in the Word. After all, He WAS the Word. Using Jeremiah’s words, He showed them His intimate knowledge of their names and, by implication, their darkest secrets. He bent down and wrote their names in the dust!

Jeremiah 17:13 NIV
[13] “Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

In the discomfort of His exposure, they melted away, witnesses gone, leaving Jesus to show the woman mercy, forgiveness, and the freedom to live a new life.

Jesus…one, Pharisees … nought!

Jesus showed these scheming hypocrites that they could never trap Him. He knew the law of Moses AND the mercy of God. He caught them in their own guilt.

On another occasion, they tried to lure Him into overturning the demands of their Roman oppressors by ruling against paying taxes.

Matthew 22:16-17 NIV
[16] “They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. [17] Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

Jesus saw through their ploy and turned the tables on them. (Have you noticed how often Jesus answered a question with a question?)

Matthew 22:18-20 NIV
[18] “But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?
[19] Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, [20] and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

How smart was that! They had to admit that the coins they used belonged to Caesar. It was obligitary to give to Caesar what belonged to him. Much as they hated paying tax, it was the right thing to do and this they could not deny.

Matthew 22:21 NIV
[21] “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Jesus added a bit that caught them unawares.

“…and to God what is God’s.”

What were they doing with what belonged to God? They were spending their very lives in doing what God hated, defrauding and deceiving His people by masquerading as His representatives and milking them of their money.

Jesus…two, Pharisees…nought!

A third trap, this time testing Jesus’ allegiance to their revered rabbis, Hillel or Shammai. Hillel was the liberal, Shammai the strict interpreter of Torah, the Law of Moses. “Which one do you support, Jesus?”

Matthew 19:3 NIV
[3] Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

Again, Jesus was smarter than they! Ignoring the opinion and teaching of the rabbis “with authority”, Jesus, went straight to the heart of the matter. “What does the Word say?”

Matthew 19:4-6 NIV

[4] “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” [5] And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ [6] Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

Case closed! What Moses had to say was irrelevant. What God said in the beginning was what mattered.

But no, they persisted. Moses again! Their revered authority above the Scriptures.

Matthew 19:7 NLT
[7] “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked.”

Again, Jesus, went straight to the heart of the matter, the matter of the heart. God, not Moses, had the final say.

Matthew 19:8 NLT
[8]” Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.”

Who could argue with that!

Case closed.

Jesus…three, Pharisees… still nought.

The final trap… arrest, trial, conviction, and death. Not even Jesus could wriggle out of their clutches this time…or could He?

Acts of the Apostles 2:23-24 NLT
[23…”With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. [24] But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip..”

Jesus…complete and utter victory forever, Pharisees (and every other opponent for all time)…complete and utter loss!

No one can ever take Jesus on and win.