Friday, March 12th, 2010 | Author: Chris
One thing we’ll see Jesus doing over and over is challenging the man-made religious practices of the culture. Why do you think Jesus challenges them so blatantly? Think about the fact that the Roman empire was doing all kinds of unthinkable things, yet Jesus chose to focus His rebuke against His chosen people’s love of religious culture.
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Friday, 12. March 2010
The things of this earth are not nearly as important as the Kingdom of God. Jesus needed to focus on the religious because they were actively leading people away from truth and they didn’t even see it. I think that’s why both Jesus and Paul went to the Synagogues. People there were at least looking for God.
What really struck me was how passionately the Pharisees opposed Jesus. They hated Him. When someone suggested that He could be the Messiah (Son of David) they freaked right out. They accused Jesus of being an agent of the Devil. They were constantly trying to lead people as far from Jesus as they could. They were the religious authority at that time and Jesus shook their world.
The Pharisees were fighting for position and Jesus was fighting for souls. He was not willing that any should perish!
Thank you Jesus. In His passion for souls He even dised His own family. Wow.
Saturday, 13. March 2010
1) The text of Matthew itself gives us one of the reasons itself in Chapter 10. So, whatever philosophical reason we may want to give in addition, I think our first concern should be with an exegesis of the text itself. Jesus told His disciples “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Jesus also said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” in Matthew 15. His pre-cross ministry was focused mainly on Jews.
2) God had a Covenant of Law with the Jews. The Gentiles were not in on this arrangement (Ephesians 2:11-12). Considering this, it wouldn’t make sense to be angry with them as He was with the Jews. They were the ones who received the Law and broke it. And, as Paul said in Romans 4:14-15, “but where there is no law, there also is no violation.” Why would Jesus go around rebuking people for sin if they didn’t know about the Law?
3) Now the Philosophical point. Religion and Law-keeping tend to make people think that they are righteous. Because the Jews were very religious, they were very self righteous. If you’re a blatant sinner, you pretty much don’t have any phony appearance of self righteousness to hide behind. That’s one reason why I think the Gentiles accepted Paul’s Gospel more. They knew they were sinners, whereas the Jews wanted to take pride in their own conduct. Consider Romans 9:30-10:3
What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.