August 7 - Stubborn Fury Against Jesus

“And some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘This fellow blasphemes’” (Matthew 9:3).

To charge someone with blasphemy was truly a serious statement for one to make in the religious culture in which Jesus ministered. But that was the outlandish accusation against Him brought by the scribes because they rejected His claim to forgive sins (Luke 5:21; cf. Mark 2:7). They knew that forgiveness comes only from God (Isa. 43:25; Mic. 7:18–19), but because they didn’t believe Jesus was God’s Son, they had to conclude He was blaspheming.

Unlike the paralytic and his friends, the scribes felt no need for forgiveness—they considered themselves already righteous. They rejected Jesus’ authority to forgive and further believed it wrong for someone simply to ask in faith that he or she be forgiven. For the Jewish leaders, real forgiveness came only by self-righteous and legalistic efforts to earn it.

The scribes’ furious opposition to Jesus was part of a growing pattern of persecution of Him by the establishment—a situation that led to His death. The Jews themselves, ironically, were guilty of blaspheming their Messiah when they accused Him of being satanic: “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons” (Matt. 9:34).

Every miracle that proved who Jesus was served only to harden the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees and drive them further from belief and repentance. We can thank God that His Spirit spared us from such a condition, and pray always that our hearts remain soft toward Him.

Has anything occurred in your life lately to cause you to doubt God’s goodness or feel unsure about His faithfulness? Why is such a conclusion always incorrect? How can you guard yourself against being subject to this kind of spiritual confusion?

To charge someone with blasphemy was truly a serious statement for one to make in the religious culture in which Jesus ministered. But that was the outlandish accusation against Him brought by the scribes because they rejected His claim to forgive sins (Luke 5:21; cf. Mark 2:7). They knew that forgiveness comes only from God (Isa. 43:25; Mic. 7:18–19), but because they didn’t believe Jesus was God’s Son, they had to conclude He was blaspheming.

The religious experts erroneously concluded that he was claiming to be God because he told people to be of good cheer, that their sins were forgiven. Of course, "everybody knew" that only God could forgive sins, therefore this fellow was "obviously" claiming to be God Himself.

At least the serious blasphemy charge was consistent with that mistaken belief, whereas today the experts have really gone off the rails, using the accounts of Jesus' forgiving sins as deity proof texts.

So while scholars continue to rely on expertise from the gotcha-game playing keepers of established wisdom...

Matthew 9
1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.
4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
7 And he arose, and departed to his house.
8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

He did the harder thing to say (because a claim of healing is immediately outed as fraudulent if there's no healing), so that people could believe the easier thing for him to say (as there's no on-the-spot tangible proof of forgiving sins... he could have been making it up, who would know).

The locked down tight settled doctrine mindset is the worst demon to cast out of them all. It keeps people blind, deaf, and paralyzed so that they don't have to get up and walk. Instead they can bob their heads up and down in unison when the wolves dressed as sheep tell them how hopeless and depraved they are every minute of the day, then kindly offer the "solution" to the problem that the demons created (hello, same pattern as big government)... keeps all the demons in the bondage business. It's quite the cottage industry.

The real Jesus of the Bible -- not the fake establishment man-god wheelchair-pushing Jesus -- said that your sins are forgiven so you can get up now.

Nooooo, not that! Disability would be cut off. The horrors. There's no excuse for believing in a Disability Jesus because people already know and understand what big nanny government does to motivation, productivity, freedom, and basic human dignity. But it somehow it's okay when the religious establishment rules it and enables it and provides a ready solution. Like the War on Poverty, evidence of its failure is everywhere. People were much less impoverished before the War on Poverty promised to end poverty.

The real Jesus forgave sins so people wouldn't be chained down by the heavy weight of guilt about past deeds that are past. Instead, here's a good word and a hand up... it's okay buddy, come on let's go do this together! It's the Can-Do spirit of learning from past mistakes and moving forward. Wisdom learned the hard way is still wisdom learned. Compare Apollo 1.

It's the Spirit of Discovery, the Spirit of Revelation. It's the Spirit of Elohim because like Joseph, you can't keep a good man down.

Therefore,

The established "tenets of faith" demons have people brainwashed into thinking that anyone coming along with an actual life-giving "get up and go" message is out to destroy the faith. Same as when the usual politicians start wailing about the opposition wanting to take food and medical care from old people, deprive the needy, and dirty the air and water. Any attempt to restrain and reduce big government is met with the usual howls of protest. The "low info believers" make the "low info voters" look like fonts of knowledge and wisdom by comparison.

A huge "Go" signal was recently projected onto the Washington Monument. It overflowed with Biblical symbols, signs, and concepts, yet... crickets. When people are caught completely off-guard it will be because Daniel 5 was a history lesson that repeats because people don't learn from history.

The real Jesus is the Can-Do Jesus. The false teachers want everyone to remain in the dark, in the sin swamp. They are big on reminding everyone of every type of sin, and for thinking up new ones as they keep moving the goalposts. It's *man's* definition of perfect that no one can hope to attain, and man projects it onto God. There's the real blasphemy.

The literal crucifixion on a Roman cross was a physical parable, an analog to the greater character assassination that has been ongoing for a couple thousand years. Crucified by the press and majority opinion, his visage so marred that he doesn't even resemble a man.

The same parables that open up the mysteries of the kingdom also serve to lock others out. Even that is a very simple parable:

Two men are given identical keys to unlock a door of opportunity. The giver of the key is truthful when he says that the key unlocks the door.

The first man puts in the key in the way he expects it to go but the door doesn't open. He believes the man, so he knows that the key opens the door, therefore he understands that he's the one doing something wrong. So he keeps turning it a different direction. His faith, diligence and willingness to try a new way pays off, and the door opens.

The second man puts in the key in the way he "knows" it should go, but the door doesn't open. So he keeps putting the key in the same way because he "knows" that is the way a key always goes. It isn't working. Eventually he'll log into his Facebook account in order to curse the man who gave him the useless key, and to warn others not to trust him.

"Studying God's Word."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.