Jesus came to this earth as the light of the world. “… “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have light which gives life.”” (John 8:12)
“But now, quite apart from Torah, God’s way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear…and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Yeshua the Messiah, to all who continue trusting.” (Romans 3:21-22)
Jesus described the spiritual condition of that generation. “A wicked and adulterous generation is asking for a sign?…” (Matthew 16:4)
“Do everything without kvetching [complaining] or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure children of God, without defect in the midst of a twisted and perverted generation,…” (Philippians 2:14-15) Wicked. Adulterous. Twisted. Perverted.
The appearance of Yeshua shook up the religious community. The religious leaders of that time imposed their own rules on the people and became upset when Jesus didn’t follow their man-made rules (Matthew 15:2). In another instance the leaders followed the law ‘religiously’ and Jesus pointed out their hypocrisy.
“A woman came up who had a spirit which had crippled her for eighteen years; she was bent double and unable to stand erect at all. On seeing her, Yeshua called her and said to her, “Lady, you have been set free from your weakness!” He put his hands on her, and at once she stood upright and began to glorify God.
“But the president of the synagogue, indignant that Yeshua had healed on Shabbat, spoke up and said to the congregation, “There are six days in the week for working; so come during those days to be healed, not on Shabbat!” However, the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Each one of you on Shabbat – don’t you unloose your ox or your donkey from the stall and lead him off to drink? This woman is a daughter of Abraham, and the Adversary kept her tied up for eighteen years! Shouldn’t she be freed from this bondage on Shabbat?” By these words, Yeshua put to shame the people who opposed him; but the rest of the crowd were happy about all the wonderful things that were taking place through him.” (Luke 13:11-17)
There are two extremely different reactions recorded in this narrative. The synagogue president was indignant (annoyed, angry) that Jesus healed on the Sabbath while the ‘crowd’ was happy. The religious leaders also tried to use their position to prohibit worship of those who put their trust in Yeshua by banning them from the synagogue. This was recorded when Jesus healed the man who was blind from birth (John 9:19-22).
After speaking with the man’s parents, they again spoke to the man born blind who was healed by Jesus. “So a second time they called the man who had been blind; and they said to him, “Swear to God that you will tell the truth! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether he’s a sinner or not I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, now I see.” So they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” “I already told you,” he answered, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Maybe you too want to become his talmidim [disciple]?” Then they railed at him. “You may be his talmid,” they said, “but we are talmidim of Moses! We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this fellow – we don’t know where he’s from!” “What a strange thing,” the man answered, “that you don’t know where he’s from – considering that he opened my eyes! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners; but if anyone fears God and does his will, God does listen to him. In all history no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing!” “Why, you mamzer [bastard, a strong insult]!” they retorted, “Are you lecturing us?” And they threw him out.” (John 9:24-34)
The religious leaders didn’t like the answer of the formerly blind man, so they “railed at him”, exerting their power and influence as religious leaders, denigrating anyone who disagreed with them and refused to follow their teaching. It is also worth noting that during Moses’ time, the people didn’t believe him either (Exodus 1:14, 6:9, Numbers 14:1-4, 14:36-44).
At another time the religious leaders sent guards to arrest Jesus and they returned without him. “You mean you’ve been taken in as well?” the Pharisees retorted. “Has any of the authorities trusted him? Or any of the Pharisees? No! True, these ‘am-ha’aretz [unlearned people] do, but they know nothing about the Torah, they are under a curse!”” (John 7:47-49) The religious leaders again used their position to make the point that Jews should not put their trust in Jesus, insinuating that only those without wisdom and knowledge would follow him.
The religious leaders also challenged Jesus. “So the Judeans surrounded him and said to him, “How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us publicly!” Yeshua answered them, “I have already told you, and you don’t trust me. The works I do in my Father’s name testify on my behalf, but the reason you don’t trust is that you are not included among my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice, I recognize them, they follow me, and I give them eternal life. They will absolutely never be destroyed, and no one will snatch them from my hands. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch from the Father’s hands. I and the Father are one.” Once again the Judeans picked up rocks in order to stone him.” (John 10:24-31) Jesus is not being vague, but clearly states that he is the good shepherd, coming at the behest of his Father, yet the religious leaders still wanted to stone him.
Jesus warns of false prophets and how they present themselves, contrasting that description with who he is. “Beware of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath they are hungry wolves!” (Matthew 7:15)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” “I am the good shepherd; I know my own, and my own know me – just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father – and I lay down my life on behalf of the sheep.” (John 10:11, 14)
We are at the threshold of another significant time in history – the Tribulation – and we too are living in the midst of a “twisted and perverted generation.” As was the case during the time of Jesus, this will also be a time of shaking up the religious community. There is currently a wide range of beliefs within the religious community, each group (denomination) hoping God will affirm their beliefs. There will again be contrasting reactions.
There are those who will not repent and trust God…“People were burned by the intense heat; yet they cursed the name of God, who had the authority over these plagues, instead of turning from their sins to give him glory. The fifth [angel] poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom grew dark. People gnawed on their tongues from the pain, yet they cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and did not turn from their sinful deeds.” (Revelation 16:9-11)
…and there are those who will. “…I looked; and there before me was a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language. They were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands; and they shouted,
“Victory to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb!””
“One of the elders asked me, “These people dressed in white robes – who are they, and where are they from?” “Sir,” I answered, “you know.” Then he told me, “These are the people who have come out of the Great Persecution [Tribulation]. They have washed their robes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10, 13-14)
God is an amazing and wonderful God who sent his Son to demonstrate to the world his love for mankind. The Son of God, Yeshua the Messiah, gave his life for ours.
What will be your reaction?
*All scripture is from the Complete Jewish Bible. Some names in the Complete Jewish Bible have been translated to English.