Six Million Jews Slaughtered in the greatest evil perpetrated by any government in history. Why?
Pharisees Looking to Catch Jesus in a Gotcha Moment
Last time, we finished the final of four sections of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (See Building Our Foundation Upon the Word of Christ).
If you think about it, the Pharisees have been trying to catch Jesus in a ‘gotcha moment’ for quite a while. You know, trying to get Him to blaspheme Himself so that they might have Christ executed.
Jesus certainly has kept them in a constant kerfuffle. For example, He declared that He had the power on earth to forgive sins when He healed the paralytic in Peter’s house.
Christ also spoke a parable to them which demonstrated their spiritual corruption. Finally, He healed a man in their synagogue, on the Sabbath. Certainly, the Pharisees got their headdresses in a twist. But they have yet to come upon a ‘killing blow’ to usurp His authority and build a case for blasphemy – leading to death.
Previously, we left off with Jesus teaching the Gospel in a town near Capernaum. When He finished, a Pharisee, named Simon, immediately approached Him and invited Jesus to share a meal with him in his home.
Christ assented, surely looking for any opportunity to declare His Kingdom message.
When they arrived at the Pharisee’s home, a woman (whom the Bible identifies as a ‘sinner’ inferring that she was a prostitute), approaches Jesus, washed His feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, and anointed them with fragrant oil.
The Pharisee is watching this scenario with disgust, thinking that if Jesus was the God-ordained prophet that He claimed, surely, He would know she was a sinner and send her away.
Jesus perceives Simon’s thoughts and verbally answers him with a pertinent parable. It described a creditor who forgave two men their debts to him. One of them owed the creditor ten times as much as the other.
Christ asks Simon which man loved the creditor more. Simon rightly answers that it was the one that had owed him the most.[1]
Our Savior turns to the woman, while He speaks conviction over Simon:
Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house [but you failed to extend to Me the usual courtesies shown to a guest]; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair [demonstrating her love]. You gave Me no [welcoming] kiss, but from the moment I came in, she has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not [even] anoint My head with [ordinary] oil, but she has anointed My feet with [costly and rare] perfume. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”
Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith [in Me] has saved you; go in peace [free from the distress experienced because of sin].” Lk. 7:44 – 50. AMP
The woman loved much because of the great expanse of Christ’s forgiveness, available to her because of her faith in Him and in His grace. This is the same kind of loving grace Jesus is always willing to bestow upon repentant sinners.
Afterwards, Jesus, the apostles, and other disciples traveled from town to town, preaching the Gospel. While doing so, He healed a demon-possessed man that was freed from demonic blindness and a likewise induced inability to speak.
Crowds that were following Him went wild and were beginning to think that Jesus just might be the Messiah. However, there were some persnickety Pharisees within the crowd that accused Him of using the power of the devil to exorcise the man. Christ takes a huge umbrage against their accusation:
Knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom that is divided against itself is being laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will [continue to] stand. If Satan casts out Satan [that is, his demons], he has become divided against himself and disunited; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out the demons by [the help of] Beelzebub (Satan), by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you [before you expected it]. Or how can anyone go into a strong man’s house and steal his property unless he first overpowers and ties up the strong man? Then he will ransack and rob his house.” Mt. 12:25 – 29. AMP
Jesus is stating that it makes no sense for the devil to attack himself. He’s also letting the Pharisees know that He is first whipping Satan’s butt, and then exorcising his demonic minions.
But wait! He’s not done. He clearly describes His God-given earthly mandate:
“He who is not with Me [once and for all on My side] is against Me; and he who does not [unequivocally] gather with Me scatters.
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy [every evil, abusive, injurious speaking, or indignity against sacred things] will be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” Mt. 12:30 – 32. AMP[2]
Blasphemy results, in this case, by denying the miracles of the Holy Spirit, which is fed by rejecting the deity of Christ.
This is commonly referred to as the ‘unpardonable sin’. Thus, we must elucidate the characteristics of the Holy Spirit, because heretofore, He was only briefly introduced to Nicodemus regarding His role in baptism.[3]
Approximately 2 years from this moment with the Pharisees, Jesus would offer further elucidation to the apostles:
But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. Jn. 14:26 AMP
“But when the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify and bear witness about Me.” Jn. 15:26 AMP
So, the primary purpose of the presence of the Holy Spirit is to bring greater revelation of the Gospel and of Christ and His deity.
‘Blaspheme’ comes from the Greek blasphemo, which means ‘to speak evil, defame, or to speak irreverently.’ It is denying the Holy Spirit’s very purpose, which is to glorify the Father through the Son, and to herald the truth of Jesus Christ.
Thus, to deny the Holy Spirit is to deny Christ and His salvation continually and unrepentantly. Then forgiveness is forfeit.
If you did repent before you died, even this would be forgiven. But if you stay the course in your blasphemy, your outcome is eternal:
[For if we go on willfully and deliberately sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice [to atone] for our sins [that is, no further offering to anticipate], but a kind of awful and terrifying expectation of [divine] judgment and the fury of a fire and burning wrath which will consume the adversaries [those who put themselves in opposition to God].] Hb. 10:26, 27. AMP
Jesus is done dealing with these lying Pharisees. Now, He begins to upbraid them for trying to lead God’s children astray:
“You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.” Mt. 12:34, 35. NLT
“But I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give an accounting for every careless or useless word they speak. For by your words [reflecting your spiritual condition] you will be justified and acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by your words [rejecting Me] you will be condemned and sentenced.” Mt. 12:36, 37. AMP
The Pharisees balk, demanding a miracle from Jesus (how many do they need?). Christ refuses to perform like a trained animal. He rebukes them again:
“Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” Mt. 12:39, 40. NLT
Jesus was referring to His impending death and resurrection. Yet it sails right over their heads. Instead, He clarifies their demon possession:
“When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any. Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first. That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.” Mt. 12:43 – 45. CSB
The ‘house’ is the soul of the rebellious, one swept clean of the Gospel or any other knowledge of Jesus. In this state, the unbeliever carries his or her own ‘hell’.
Let’s conclude on a higher note. At the end of this encounter with the Pharisees, someone tells Jesus that His family was nearby and would like to speak with Him. Christ never lets a teaching moment go by. He answers for the whole crowd to hear – defining who belongs to the family of God:
“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven [by believing in Me, and following Me] is My brother, sister and mother” Mt. 12:50 AMP
Amen
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] Lk. 7:40 – 43.
[2] Mk. 3:29
[3] Jn. 3:1 – 8.
Building Better Americans 176
Just as Greta Thunberg is a joke, so is most of the manufactured data that supports a non-existent climate change.
Building Our Foundation Upon the Word of Christ
Due to the length of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, I have carved it into 4 parts. (See the previous 3: Jesus’ Most Famous Public Address; We are called to be the Light and the Salt of the Earth; and Pleasing God in and out of Prayer.)
We will complete the Sermon today, beginning with Christ’s admonition against judgment. (Note that earlier in this sermon (Mt. 5:22), Jesus warned us against holding onto anger against anyone. Why? For you to be angry, you must have first judged the target of your anger.)
Jesus begins:
“Do not judge and criticize and condemn [others unfairly with an attitude of self-righteous superiority as though assuming the office of a judge], so that you will not be judged [unfairly]. For just as you [hypocritically] judge others [when you are sinful and unrepentant], so will you be judged; and in accordance with your standard of measure [used to pass out judgment], judgment will be measured to you.
Why do you look at the [insignificant] speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice and acknowledge the [egregious] log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me get the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite (play-actor, pretender), first get the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Mt. 7:1 – 5. AMP
To ‘judge’ means to ‘form an opinion’, ‘guess’, ‘offer conjecture’ or ‘see as you believe it’. It is totally your opinion. Very often, those who judge, are guilty of the same or similar trespass (sin).
There are only two righteous judges: God and His living Word, Jesus Christ. If you are unrighteously judging anyone, you will have set the standard by which They will judge you.
(This is not to stay your hand from judgment following a stringent exercise of godly discernment of what is truly right or wrong in His eyes, making sure that you are blameless with regards to having had exercised the same offense yourself, and that you only judge the sin, not the sinner.)
Jesus puts it another way to increase understanding:
“Do not judge [others self-righteously], and you will not be judged; do not condemn [others when you are guilty and unrepentant], and you will not be condemned [for your hypocrisy]; pardon [others when they truly repent and change], and you will be pardoned [when you truly repent and change]. Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.”
He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man guide [another] blind man? Will they not both fall into a hole in the ground?” Lk. 6:37 – 39. AMP
(When anger and judgment manifests, we need to pause and consider the roots of our emotions, because many times they reflect something inside of us that we don’t like about ourselves, and trying to shift the blame. In that moment, stop and ask God for His mercy, and let it flow through you.)
Christ shifts His address to speak of God’s plan to have His children live with a foundation of His word inside of their hearts and reach out to others with His Gospel, to advance His Kingdom. Why? To fill it with living souls…
Some will willingly accept it; others won’t. Others will aggressively rebuke you because they feel the inner conviction in their hearts for their stubborn attempt to cling to ungodly ways.
You are only responsible to deliver Jehovah’s message of salvation, and to be able to expound upon it if they are willing to listen:
(Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. 2 Tim. 4:2 CSB)
If they do not receive your kingdom message, it will not bode well for them. Jesus tells us to move on:
Whoever does not welcome you, nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or city, [shake the dust [of it] off your feet [in contempt, breaking all ties]. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city [since it rejected the Messiah’s messenger]. Mt. 10:14, 15. AMP
Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces. Mt. 7:6 CSB
Jesus returns to making the word of God our foundation, this time, looking at the heavenly rewards we gain by doing so:
“Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.” Mt. 7:7, 8. AMP
Being blessed for our persistence, it is our duty to reveal this blessing to our brothers and sisters as well:
Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. Eph. 6:18 CSB
“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” Mt. 7:12 NLT (The ‘Golden Rule’)
This concludes the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus then adds (in warnings) how they / we must embed His sermon on their / our hearts to enter and remain in His Kingdom:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.” Mt. 7:13, 14. AMP
So, reaching a holy, eternal outcome requires an intentional drive to seek the kingdom. The world, under the devil’s sway, presents you instead with countless paths to your destruction:
(Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Cor. 4:4 NLT)
We can’t forget about Satan’s followers either, whose imperative is to deny you salvation as well. Jesus clarifies this with His second warning:
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” Mt. 7:15 – 20. NLT
Indeed, the apostle Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, revealed that the world’s situation will only worsen as we approach the time of Christ’s second advent:
(I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. 2 Tm. 4:1 – 5. NLT)
Jesus knows who His true followers are, versus those who are only going through the motions to puff themselves up with their piety. And He will sift them apart (third warning):
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’” Mt. 7:21 – 23.AMP
Christ then delivers His last impassioned admonition, ever working, to save everyone who comes to Him:
“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.” Mt. 7:24 – 27. CSB
After Jesus ascended to heaven, His brother James became a prominent leader of the church of Christ. And under the influence of the Holy Spirit, he corroborated what Jesus said:
(For if anyone only listens to the word without obeying it, he is like a man who looks very carefully at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately forgets what he looked like. But he who looks carefully into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and faithfully abides by it, not having become a [careless] listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he will be blessed and favored by God in what he does [in his life of obedience]. Jas 1:23 – 25. AMP)
Alright! We know who we are in Christ, and we have our marching orders. Amen!
Stay tuned. We have a lot more Jesus in store…
Goodnight and God Bless.