Let’s amplify what Jesus thought about this egregious thinking and actions on the part of the spiritual leadership of Israel,
(Mt
15:7) Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah
prophesy about you, saying [emphasis mine]:
(Mt
15:8) THESE
PEOPLE DRAW NEAR TO ME WITH THEIR MOUTH, AND HONOR ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT
THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME [emphasis mine].
(Mt
15:9) AND IN
VAIN THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN [emphasis mine].
During
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was citing familiar texts being misinterpreted
by the Jewish spiritual leadership to the people, and then He would give them
the correct interpretation in the spirit of the Law as it was intended,
(Mt
5:21-22): You have heard that it was said [Ex 20:13; Deut 5:17] …. But I
say….
(Mt
5:27-28): You have heard that it was said [Ex 20:14; Deut 5:18] ….
But I say….
(Mt
5:31-32): …it has been said [Deut 24:1-4] …. But I
say….
(Mt
5:33-34): …you have heard that it
was said [Lev
19:12; Num 30:2; Deut 23:21, 23] …. But I say….
(Mt
5:38-39): You have heard that it was said [Ex 21;24; Lev 24:20;
Deu 19:21]
…. But I tell you….
(Mt
5:43-44): You have heard that it was said [Lev 19:18; Prov 25:21] ….
But I say….
What
was Jesus suggesting to the people gathered thereupon the Mount? He was
rejecting the traditions of the Pharisees and their practices by affirming the
true intent of the Mosaic Code. Jesus passionately disapproved of any traditional perversions of the Law,
but He also rejected the pagan idea that oral tradition or the tradition of the
elders was considered by the rulers of the Jews to be more authoritative than
the Word of God!
Had
you ever noticed that the Pharisees or their lackeys never countered or
corrected Jesus with the Word? They only attempted to leverage on Him with
their misinterpretations of the Law or with oral traditions that had no
foothold in the Law of Moses! Their MO is analogous to Jesus being tempted by
the devil (Mt 4:1-11; Mk 1:12-13; Lk 4:1-13).
I
loved it when Jesus told those self-righteous Jews in John 8:44, You are of your
father the devil …. Both the Jewish leadership and the devil approached Jesus
(the Logos, Jn 1:1, 14) by misrepresenting the truth of Scripture to fit their own
agenda. What am I suggesting here? That spiritually speaking, the Sanhedrin,
the civil and religious authority of Israel, and all of their footmen were of
the devil, perverting the straight ways of the Lord (cf. Mt 23:15, 27, 28; read
the resume of the scribes and Pharisees by Jesus in Mt 23)!
Jesus
rebuked them both by quoting Scripture accurately and authoritatively. Unlike
them, Jesus not only spoke with authority (cf. Mt 7:29; Mk 1:22; Lk 4:32; Jn
7:46; 12:49); He acted with authority (cf. Mk 1:27; Lk 4:36; 9:1; 10:19; Jn
5:27; 14:10; 17:2; note spoke and acted kind of blends together at times). He
is the Authority because He had all authority (Gk.,
exousia, absolute sovereign right or power, Mt 28:18).
If
we are not careful in how we handle the Word, we can be guilty of violating the
Scriptures as well as foolishly tacking on customs, teachings, and injunctions
that are not backed by the Word. This is characteristic of legalism! Departing
from the objective truth of Scripture leads to subjectivism, which results in
spiritual error and the ways of darkness. Reliance on a person or religious
body to be the sole arbiter of the truth without checks and balances (a Berean
mentality, for instance: cf. Acts 7:11) is a spiritually perilous path to
pursue (cf. Lk 6:39).
Yahweh
holds all of us who name the name of Christ solely responsible for what we
believe. You and I can never blame spiritual failure on someone else. This is
what Adam and Eve attempted to do (Gn 3:12-13; cf. Rom 15:4). Should we foolishly
break from the Word of God, there are serious consequences. Charles Stanley is
spot on when he said, “There is always a price to pay when you step out of the
will of God.” God’s Word is His will for the lives of all true believers. It is
our moral compass, our rule of life. Willfully departing from its authority is
a departure from the truth that serves as a gateway into the world of the lie. That entrance
is broad and leads to destruction.
One
of my professors shared a story about a religious man of another faith who
didn’t know the Lord and was being contentious about the need to be saved based
on the authority of the Word. He walked the man through the Roman Road tract (see
Rom 3:10, 23; 5:12; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-10, 13; 5:1; 8:1, 38-39).
This
fellow denied that he was under condemnation due to unbelief and told my
professor friend, “That’s your interpretation!” The professor replied, “My
interpretation, huh?” So, the professor turned to John 3:18, and before reading
it aloud, said to him, “You told me that you believed in the Bible; so, if you
will, allow me to read one more verse to you,”
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
“You tell me what is the correct interpretation of what Jesus was saying to Nicodemus in this verse then?” The professor asked. The man was silent. He could not deny the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews and a teacher of Israel, a religious man.
John 3:18 confirmed precisely what the good professor
was saying to this man about the need of being redeemed from his current state
of condemnation due to unbelief. Sadly, this bewildering religious sinner,
stripped of his defense, clung to his pride instead and declined the offer of
redemption. Here was a man who claimed to believe the Bible, but rejected its
authority in his life!
On a side note, we should never take rejection personally while witnessing to others. Remember that even Jesus Himself didn’t win everyone over either! Belief is a conscious choice (Jn 1:13). He is not going to save anyone against his/her will.
There is one more thing I want to point out is that the tradition of the Elders had it all
wrong concerning salvation. To the Judaizers, it was all about keeping the
Mosaic Law in order to be saved. Paul would argue that salvation was by grace
through faith and not of works (Eph 2:8-9; cf. Gal 2:16; Titus 3:5). Grace
alone through faith alone in Christ alone is essential in salvation; works are quintessential
in living out our faith for God.
Works
are a reflection of true and living faith (cf. Jas 2:18, 26). It is the fruits
of our repentance. If we claim to be an apple tree, we need to show the world our
apples! It is a byproduct of our love for the Lord: obedience to His commands. Good
works are always aligned with the will of God in accordance with the teaching
of Scripture. Works for the glory of God are a necessary part of healthy spiritual
growth into Christlikeness that includes our thoughts, words, and actions. All
that we think, say, or do is to bring glory to God! It’s a tall order but a
necessary one!
Just how serious is it to pervert the way of salvation? Read Paul’s warning in Gal 1:8-9,
(Gal
1:8) But
even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what
we have preached to you, let him be accursed (anathema, devoted to indissoluble
divine destruction).
(Gal
1:9) As we
have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to
you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
Kind
of speaks for itself, yes? Those who unwisely do this have no authority to
tamper with the Gospel of grace; nobody does. Doing so has severe consequences.
What
is your rule of life? Your own concoction, another human point of view, or
God’s Word? It is easy to spot a person’s authority by what comes out of their
mouth and their opinion or treatment of the Word: ignoring it, under its
authority but rarely in it, or transformed by it?
We
can spot a lie and denounce it only by knowing the truth. This is obvious but
necessary to say; we can never bring glory to God through hypocrisy, a cold heart,
and worthless worship. It indicates we are under an alien authority contrary to
the authority of the Word of God. It is critical for us who are in Christ to know
the Word, love the Word, and live the Word for the glory of God!
A
lie only enslaves; the truth will set us free! Whenever we replace the truth of
God’s Word with something else, we are living out a lie and replacing blessings
with unnecessary burdens! It is sensible to prefer blessings over needless burdens, yes?
Then why would we ever live out a lie as a believer? <><
