Thursday, September 30, 2010

"Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him." John 10:31


The Jews, the religious leaders, and some of the people, hated Jesus. This is one of the most incredible truths in life. Humans hate God; a God who is full of grace and love; a righteous and kind God; and a compassionate and forgiving God.

JC Ryle says this:

"It is not his faults, but his graces, which call forth the enmity of men. The world hates to see anything of God's image. The children of the world are vexed and pricked in conscience when they see others better than themselves. ...Why did the Jews hate Christ? Because He exposed their sins and false doctrines; and they knew in their own hearts that He was right and they were wrong. "The world," said our Lord, "hateth Me, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil." (John vii. 7.) Let Christians make up their minds to drink the same cup, and let them drink it patiently and without surprise."

I'm way too timid, and whatever else emotion it is, to not shrink from being hated, though I have been I believe a few times for my faith. There was a King James Only guy who really looked down upon me with disdain, as I argued the Scriptures with him. Of course the many devils in this world hate me, and all of God's elect children.
But for the most part in America, we are basically tolerated as religious wackos, when we preach the truth in love, that Christ is the way, the life, and the truth, and no one can come to the Father, who is God, unless they come to Christ first, and trust in Him, and repent of their worldly ways.

And those worldly ways can be their own religion, as was the way with the Jews in Jesus' day. Jesus equated the Jews with the world, and even said to the Jews that their father was not God, but the devil. No wonder they hated Him, huh.

You know, Jesus' disciples told Him that He was offending the Jewish leaders with His words.
Jesus answered them with these words:

“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 15:13

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