Pharisees and Jesus
Let's jump into Mark chapter two and four instances between the Pharisees who had showed up to monitor and pass judgment on Jesus and the Son of God.
Season 5, Episode 11 · Pharisees and Jesus
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The story behind the idea
If you're more interested in 40 minutes than 20 minutes, or I guess more valuably, a lot more scriptural work, then you can go to the YouTube channel for Lindale Church of Christ and you can check it out there. Let's jump into Mark chapter two and four instances between the Pharisees who had showed up to monitor and pass judgment on Jesus and the Son of God himself. Jesus is teaching in Capernaum, and there's this paralytic who can't get to him, and they cut the hole out of the roof and lower him down, and Jesus saw his faith and said, Son, your sins are forgiven.
What stands out
Everyone needs to repent of the sins of their past because Jesus said it on like day one of his ministry. Everyone needs to be baptized as an appeal of faith to God because Jesus taught it and did it and sent his apostles out to proclaim it. Don't forget that he's a heart reader and he knows everything.
Why it matters
The idea of everyone else coming to us, respecting who we are, changing everything to see things just like we do, and then we let them in is exactly the way the Pharisees would have operated. In this way, for this second question, we do need to be less like them and more like Jesus. From there it goes into a third interesting section in Mark 2, where both John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and they come to Jesus and they say, Why are our people fasting? The Pharisees are fasting, but your disciples do not fast.
A faithful way forward
The government, the state of things, the way that people aren't following their rules like they should, some false joy and simple message that Jesus is bringing that isn't going through us. While they probably believed they were going to heaven, they sure wouldn't have sounded like it. I don't know, do I even need to get to the application portion of this, or can we just move on to the fourth question?
Put it into practice
I have championed my decisions on things over the mercy that God has abundantly showed me that He demands that I show to others. I have pushed things in preaching as the law of God that are not the explicitly stated law of God or the words of Jesus. While, just like you, I'm still teaching the truth, reading the word, and especially directing people towards Jesus, I think in years past my biggest fear was standing with someone that Jesus was standing against, but that has changed. My largest fear now is standing against someone that Jesus is standing with.
Take the idea with you.
- 01What idea from this study most needs my attention right now?
- 02Where does this challenge the way I am currently thinking or living?
- 03What is one faithful step I can take this week?
Prefer listening?
The original episode player is available near the top of this article, so you can listen without leaving the page.