Words from Jesus
What does Jesus say? I wrote some words about Jesus in the first blog, but I will not venture to speak for Jesus Christ about the abortion controversy. Nonetheless, I will say that Jesus had something to say to religious people who point the finger at what they consider the sins of others while ignoring their own. The writers of the New Testament included His words in their accounts about His life and work. He found Himself the target of criticism from religions people. There were many occasions and accusations, but I cite here Luke 16:14-18 (NIV).
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
What did love of money, self-justification, human values, divorce, and adultery have to do with each other? Let’s understand this passage in context and entirety. The Pharisees were a religious sect of Judaism. Those who spoke for them were leaders in the group – often rabbis. They opposed John the Baptizer and Jesus Christ. They were present with Jesus, His disciples, and the crowd when Jesus taught His followers some important lessons about money. Shortly beforehand, they had criticized Jesus for associating with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1). Jesus patiently spoke three parables to them to explain the love of God for such people and desire for them to turn to Him. Afterward, Jesus spoke to His disciples about their erroneous ideas about wealth, urging them to be generous toward the needy and that you cannot serve God and money (Luke 16:13). It was then that these religious critics tried to belittle Jesus for what they considered his naïve views about money.
Jesus’ answer was to point out to them that they were living out hypocrisy, proclaiming and believing in their own righteousness but failing to understand that God sees through them. They were respectable in the eyes of the public but were secretly involved in reprehensible conduct. That conduct was to twist the Law of Moses to justify abusive sexual practices. Divorce was their ticket.
Can we connect the dots?
• Religious leaders who put down “sinners” and opposed the Truth of Jesus
• Excessive wealth and oppression of the needy
• Secret sexual pursuits that used the divorce loophole to justify marital infidelity
These religious people wanted to make the conversation center around people who were not as righteous as they, but Jesus turned the conversation to the truth, exposing what they really were about.
So come on American Christians! While our conversation centers on abortion, our divorce practices are the same as those who do not share our belief in Jesus Christ. As if that were not enough, our churches are riddled with sex scandals that leaders have sought to cover up. In our pursuit to make ourselves look upstanding, we go so far as to align ourselves with political approaches that are contradictory and hypocritical! If we were to consult with the Lord Jesus Christ, what would He want to talk to us about?