What Would Jesus Say?

So another semester drew to a close. Lots of fun and entertaining jiggers happened including hosting Faculty Feud, getting Mr. Congeniality in Mr. Beacon, and obtaining Mishpat Editor-In-Chief. (Next year's paper will rock) I also will be attempting to make Nationals here in about a day. I can do it; I just have to do it.


Anyway, this just recently popped into my mind. I just recently heard a sermon on Matthew 11:16-19.


16"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17" 'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge
and you did not mourn.' 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."



Chalk up another one to the Pharisees. They can't seem to get anything right. They reject John and Jesus. Why? Wesley (the pastor) put it perfectly. They had their own agenda and the God they saw didn't fit that agenda so they decided he wasn't God. Wesley made a comment about what Jesus would say about our generation and proceeded to list off some things that are definitely anti-God that distinguish our generation (e.g. hedonism, materialism, atheism/pantheism/polytheism). While he was talking, I wondered what Jesus would say about the various church disputes with the world (e.g. abortion, gay marriage, creation vs. evolution). This collection of verses popped into my head. Okay I lied. I had to look up exactly where they were later, but I knew the story.

15Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

18But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"

21"Caesar's," they replied.
Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

22When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

I always liked this story and read it sniggering "Heh, heh Jesus outthought the Pharisees. Good job Jesus." But I looked at it again with a new thought. The Pharisees were coming to Jesus with a dispute of the day to see what he said about it. They had their own agenda. Jesus wanted nothing to do with their agenda and his response almost seems to say "Why are you worrying about this?" I wonder if he would respond in like fashion to those things we get so worked up over. I mean I have my own opinions on the subjects I mentioned but I have heard of others killing people, injuring people, and maligning these people all in the name of Jesus. I just don't see it. The Sadducees came to Jesus with a question about the resurrection. (I feel sheepish because I couldn't find this verse for a bit and then noticed it was right after the one I just quoted)

23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24"Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. 25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27Finally, the woman died. 28Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?"

29Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'[a]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

33When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.


Jesus flat out says "You're wrong." He doesn't bother getting involved in the nitty gritty of the church doctrine but just speaks Scripture at them telling them they are in error. How many of our pet doctrines are in fact errors? Would Jesus tell us the church, "You care way too much about being right. You care way too much about how many people are in your church. You care way too much about what YOU can do for the kingdom of God." Would he tell us we are so swollen up on pride and all these side issues that we miss the great call of Jesus to spread his kingdom and word to everyone even if and especially if it calls upon to assume great risk?

Not really sure where I'm getting at with this, but some combination of these thoughts was fluttering through my head. I started to feel more righteous than the others in the church, because "I was looking at the church and the world, while they are just looking at the world." Then three words popped into my head. They were calm but harshly silent. No clue if that made sense.

WHO. ARE. YOU.

Those words were asking me who I was to judge these people because I had a self-perceived reason of righteousness. In fact, that's most of the basis behind judging. I'm judging you because I have the higher moral ground than you so I deserve to judge you. If there's one thing I'm learning more and more, it's that we have no rights to anything, life doesn't owe us anything (God definitely doesn't), and the only thing we deserve is to be separated from God forever.

So it's funny but pride seems to be something I struggle with a lot and it rears its ugly head again here. Pride is always looking down at the people below and not God above. As long as I focus on the people around me and not on the creator with whom I cannot compare with a sliver of I will always be prideful and finding some way to win the deadend game of "I'm better than you."

I'm not sure what I'm trying to say with this. Maybe what would Jesus say about you? It's a sobering thought as we (I know I am and I'm pretty sure everyone else is in the same leaky lifeboat) are practically never doing exactly what Jesus wants. So pray for me and pray for everyone else. We can't save ourselves. That's the whole point of Jesus.