THE CHRISTIAN’S NEVER-ENDING ADVENTURE
Jesus Corrects Errors of Interpretation By Informing the Misinformed
Mark 7:5-15 . . . Psalm 19:12-14 . . . I John 4:6 . . . James 5:20
As another year got under way, if you made resolutions, let me ask: Have you kept them so far . . . or, maybe you subscribe to the notion that “resolutions are made to be broken”? I suggest:
Resolutions made by Disciples of Christ should reflect a continuing desire to be what He wants us to be, to go where He wants us to go, do what He wants us to do. When we surrendered our all to Christ, whether at the time of conversion or baptism or rededication, we resolved in effect to be His disciples in the true sense of the word – to learn from Him and to live for Him.
A simple answer to the question, “What is the goal of the Christian life?, is: “The goal is to be God’s (possessive tense) and to do God’s Will.”
At the age of twelve, I committed my life to Christ, and have been seeking to keep that goal in front of me ever since (as if it were a carrot on a stick), and automatic renewal of that goal is an annual occurrence with me.
So I make no new resolutions per se, just simply resolve “no longer to linger, charmed by the world’s delight; things that are nobler, things that are higher, these have allured my sight”!
However, the longer I live physically, and seek to live for Jesus spiritually, the greater becomes my awareness of just how much I still need to learn from Him.
No one has arrived at a place where anyone can say, “Well, now, that’s that. There is nothing else for me to improve on.”
Granted, I know a lot of mature adults who, like myself and the apostle Paul, can indeed say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (insofar as my career is concerned)”, but I know of no one who has arrived at a state of perfection.
Now, there were those when our Lord walked this earth, as there are today, who live under the spell of a misguided notion that they have achieved perfection.
These religious legalists point to their self-perceived superiority, and they point the finger of accusation at others.
Jesus despised religious hypocrisy and sought to correct false notions about what it means to be God’s and to do God’s Will.
An example of how Jesus dealt with Pharisaical hypocrites occurred on one occasion when a few self-proclaimed “know-it-alls” came down from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus concerning His teachings, to do everything they could to destroy His credibility, to elevate themselves in the eyes of the people – Mark 7:5-15 . . .
We relate to questions raised by the encounter Jesus had with legal experts: In what way does a person become God’s? By what measure(s) does God define a godly person? Does God’s defining measure of righteousness originate from within or without the person? Is that defining measure God-ordained or man-concocted?
Jesus’ followers were beginning to understand what you and I have understood since Jesus came into our hearts: The Way to become God’s is by repentance toward God plus faith in His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to whom we made a commitment to do God’s Will, that is, to be like Jesus through obedience to God’s Word.
Back then there were religious sects – Pharisees being the most prominent – who insisted that only they were God’s because of their strict adherence not only to God’s Law but also elder-prescribed laws – minute rules and regulations governing every aspect of everyday life . . .
The rub came at the point where these Pharisees insisted that everyone must observe traditions that only the most highly educated Jews would be familiar with.
Insistence on such a system obviously had an ulterior motive – religious and political power. Common folks would have no choice but to look to self-anointed elitists (“knowing ones”) who, by virtue of their self-acclaimed superiority, “knew” what was best for everyone else.
Narcissism was as pronounced in the first century as it is in the 21st century. Powerful people could not stand the thought that anyone outside their established order would come along to challenge their way of doing things but, more importantly, threaten their power over the people by preaching, teaching, advocating a kingdom that is not of this world.
So, what we have in this account by Mark is a confrontation between elitists and an itinerant rabbi from Nazareth - which had nothing to do with their concern about the behavior of one or two disciples of Jesus, but yet another attempt to catch Jesus in a legal and religious breach that could be used against him - to discredit him in the eyes of people who had become so enthralled by him.
Jesus was the target of their question and the implications behind it . . . Jesus is always the target of unbelieving, immoral people who question you, or me, or question public words or actions that call attention to Jesus Christ.
A world lost in sin does not want the name of Jesus to be spoken on national television or in connection with any televised event. Do so, but expect to be muted, mocked, or ridiculed. We live in a world that makes up its own standards of what’s right in their own sight, not God’s. Do not be surprised when critics challenge your all-out commitment to Christ.
A word of caution to the wise Christian disciple: Don’t be surprised when you are criticized, but try not to overdo your admonitions - to the extent that the criticism you receive is deserved.
Someone observed: “Conscientious persons sometimes may be tempted to overemphasize the letter and ignore the spirit of Scripture.”
Whatever you do, be sure that Scripture you quote is accurate, and that what you quote Scripture as saying is true, but try not to be like Pharisees who twist the Word of God to mean what they want it to mean, to make it “fit” their own views.
Since the beginning of this year, I have heard three prominent persons say, or imply, on national television, that they subscribe to “their truth”; but I can tell you as a matter of research that what two of them stated was not biblical truth, and that one of them twisted biblical truth to suit a certain political view. It’s what you might call a “manufactured set of talking points to suit a political agenda.”
Nor should we twist God’s Word to escape from acting in accordance with God’s commandments, or to justify our own desires, like the scam artists in Jesus’ day who used loopholes in the laws of men to justify breaking the Law of God.
As an example, Jesus brought up the issue of “Corban” which, in Jewish governing terminology, was a claim that could be injected into a financial obligation situation to make it possible for a person to avoid responsibility to a family member, the inevitable result being to enrich the Jewish hierarchy and oneself.
“Sorry, mother, but our family funds have now been earmarked for a charitable cause. You’ll have to make do the best you can without my help.”
To allow this kind of escape from responsibility was a “scam” that rendered one of God’s Commandments meaningless. “Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother.”
God’s Word as revealed is to be honored by God’s people. God said it; that settles it; believe it. There’s no getting around the commandments of God as fulfilled by Jesus. He told His disciples that He came not to destroy the Law of God but to fulfill it.
Our Lord took issue with anyone who sought to impose personal opinions upon people as if those opinions constituted a new kind of truth. One’s opinion may be that society ought to recognize multiple genders, but that opinion does not change the fact that there were only two genders created by the LORD God – “male and female created He them”.
Jesus corrects our errors of interpretation and application of God’s Word by informing the misinformed. Stick to the truth as Jesus taught it!
You may have “heard it said”, BUT, what did Jesus say? Don’t take offense at being corrected from time to time, if indeed you need to be corrected . . . Instead of thinking you “stand corrected”, think of it this way: you “stand informed”.
Who better to inform you, and thereby correct you, than the Master Teacher! Amen.
