Truth vs. Turf

 

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” (John 11:47-48)

Did you think I was done with Lazarus yet? I’m not.

We’ve talked at length already about the significant influence Jesus was having amongst the people. Since He raised Lazarus from the dead, people were trusting Jesus in droves.

We’ve also talked about how there seemed to be no real dispute as to whether Jesus was in fact doing all the amazing and miraculous things that were being reported about Him. Even the Pharisees and chief priests seemed convinced He was doing this stuff: “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs.” No indication they thought He was a faker. They believed at least that much.

But where these two came together — the reality of His influence and the reality of His power — it all kind of fell apart for the Pharisees because He was mounting a significant threat to their position with the people and with the Roman authorities.

By this time, of course, Jesus’ public ministry was in full swing. He’d been very visible and He’d been very up front about His purpose in coming to fulfill the law. He’d been very aggressive in blowing up the Pharisee’s happy world order and in challenging their teaching at nearly every turn. And since it was the very nature of a Pharisee to expect everything of others and nothing of oneself, it was not surprising that with very few exceptions the Pharisees were not among those who were rushing to put their faith in Jesus. 

No, rather, the Pharisees found themselves in the very unexpected position of resisting the call of One Who came to heal and free and restore. He Who came to fulfill the very law they had given their lives to uphold and preserve and enforce. The Messiah they had long awaited and themselves had taught would come to redeem the people they were charged to lead. 

Yet when He came, despite what they could see before their very eyes, they rejected Him. They sought to destroy Him. They aggressively worked to prevent others from following Him. 

They became blinded by their own power and failed to recognize His.

They sought to protect their turf in the face of undeniable truth.

They became afraid of losing their position if they allowed Jesus to continue to draw all men to Himself.

Their turf became infinitely more important than the truth.

They knew Jesus spoke the truth. They knew His power was real. I believe this to be evident throughout the gospels. They didn’t deny His miraculous power, though they attempted to discredit it by claiming it was from Satan. When they sought  to accuse Him, they had to line up false witnesses who were wiling to lie about Him.

They knew what was true. 

But they had to protect their turf.

Their turf had become so much more important to them that they did not permit themselves the luxury of believing in the One sent to redeem them.

They missed their Redeemer because they sought only to protect their position.

When my position (or my anything) becomes more important than my Redeemer, we have a problem.

::

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” (John 11:47-48)

Did you think I was done with Lazarus yet? I’m not.

We’ve talked at length already about the significant influence Jesus was having amongst the people. Since He raised Lazarus from the dead, people were trusting Jesus in droves.

We’ve also talked about how there seemed to be no real dispute as to whether Jesus was in fact doing all the amazing and miraculous things that were being reported about Him. Even the Pharisees and chief priests seemed convinced He was doing this stuff: “Here is this man performing many miraculous signs.” No indication they thought He was a faker. They believed at least that much.

But where these two came together — the reality of His influence and the reality of His power — it all kind of fell apart for the Pharisees because He was mounting a significant threat to their position with the people and with the Roman authorities.

::

By this time, of course, Jesus’ public ministry was in full swing. He’d been very visible and He’d been very up front about His purpose in coming to fulfill the law. He’d been very aggressive in blowing up the Pharisee’s happy world order and in challenging their teaching at nearly every turn. And since it was the very nature of a Pharisee to expect everything of others and nothing of oneself, it was not surprising that with very few exceptions the Pharisees were not among those who were rushing to put their faith in Jesus. 

No, rather, the Pharisees found themselves in the very unexpected position of resisting the call of One Who came to heal and free and restore. He Who came to fulfill the very law they had given their lives to uphold and preserve and enforce. The Messiah they had long awaited and themselves had taught would come to redeem the people they were charged to lead. 

Yet when He came, despite what they could see before their very eyes, they rejected Him. They sought to destroy Him. They aggressively worked to prevent others from following Him. 

They became blinded by their own power and failed to recognize His.

They sought to protect their turf in the face of undeniable truth.

They became afraid of losing their position if they allowed Jesus to continue to draw all men to Himself.

Their turf became infinitely more important than the truth.

They knew Jesus spoke the truth. They knew His power was real. I believe this to be evident throughout the gospels. They didn’t deny His miraculous power, though they attempted to discredit it by claiming it was from Satan. When they sought  to accuse Him, they had to line up false witnesses who were wiling to lie about Him.

They knew what was true. 

But they had to protect their turf.

Their turf had become so much more important to them that they did not permit themselves the luxury of believing in the One sent to redeem them.

They missed their Redeemer because they sought only to protect their position.

When my position (or my anything) becomes more important than my Redeemer, we have a problem.

::