Trap
Matthew 22:15 Then the
Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.
THE Pharisees had heard enough. They were tired of arguing
with Jesus. His teachings greatly threatened their authority over the temple
and the Jews. They would not win the battle of words with Jesus. They had to
remove Him from the scene. The Pharisees had to kill Jesus. It is a dangerous
thing to challenge men who are in power.
As we live today
with the truth of the Gospel in our homes and in our churches, we can be very
grateful for those who have challenged men in power. First o all, we are
grateful to our Lord. Obeying the Father’s will, Jesus stepped into the power
structures of a religion that kept God’s people from Him. Yes, the temple
authorities did kill Jesus, but, as we know, He won the war against death. And
we know He will overcome all earthly power structures one day to restore the
earth to His glory.
And as Jesus
fulfilled the Gospel, we can be thankful for the brave people who stood through
the centuries against power structures that kept Jesus’ people from Him in
Jesus’ church.
There is John
Wycliffe and his followers who first translated the Bible into more common
English in the 1300’s. One of his followers, Jan Hus, was burned at the stake in
the 1400’s for his bravery to bring Jesus’ teachings to everyone. A century
later, Martin Luther, John Zwingli, John Calvin and dozens of others put their
lives on the line to stand on the Word of God, not the reputations of men, as
the primary rule of authority in Jesus’ Church.
Today, Satan’s
evil puts the “authority” of complacency and small faith between us and Jesus’
teachings. We must stand for Jesus and be saved.
LIFE Link: Truth
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