Good Friday? (Part 2)
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin Overfield
Date: Sun, 13 May 2001
Good Friday? (Part 2)
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground
and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
(John 12:24)
In part one we dealt with the fact that Christ's mission was mistaken.
Now let us consider the last four points of the outline given at that time.
II. HIS MOTIVES WERE MALIGNED
"And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath
Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils."
(Mark 3:22). Jesus was accused of being under the power of Satan
and even of being demon possessed.
When Jesus ate with publicans and sinners it was assumed that something
was wrong with Him. How easy it is to judge the motives of others to be
less than holy when they do not agree with our preferences nor practice our
procedures.
III. HIS MIRACLES WERE MISAPPROPRIATED
"Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me,
not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and
were filled." (John 6:26)
Some today seem to think that we should only do good if that good will
be properly received; but Jesus, having all knowledge even worked miracles
for the good of people that would not seek and follow Him for Who He was
but rather for the selfish motive of trying to get something for nothing.
If
Jesus would have established a perpetual social welfare program, powered
by His infinite resources, He may never have been crucified.
If we want to be popular with people we must pander to what they want
and the way they want things done, but we should do as Christ did and make
the purpose of God our primary goal.
IV. HIS MESSAGE WAS MISREPRESENTED
When Jesus cast the moneychangers out of the temple, the Jews asked
Him to give them a sign to prove that He had the authority to do such a
thing. Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
it up... But he spake of the temple of his body." (John 2:19, 21). When
accusing Him before His crucifixion, some said that He had said He would
destroy THE Temple, the center of Jewish worship.
I find it both amusing and very sad that people with pure motives can
say things that are later repeated, given different voice inflections and
certain interpretations that tend to put them in a bad light. I have a
little twist on the words often quoted by police officers: "You have the
right to remain silent. Anything you say CAN AND WILL be held
against you!"
V. HIS MANHOOD WAS MUTILATED AND MURDERED
Isaiah 52:14 says of Christ that "his visage was so marred more than
any man, and his form more than the sons of men". Certainly this is
understandable when one considers the barbaric method of scourging
used by the Romans, which often killed the candidate for crucifixion.
Finally, Jesus was crucified, because he was hated. This is called
murder!
Oh, what damage is done when people are motivated by sinful hearts!
Ripping, tearing, gossiping, slandering, slaughtering of reputations,
punishing the innocent, excusing the guilty, killing the unborn, perverting
any and all of God's unchanging principles, and etc. -- these are the things
working death and damnation upon the hearts and lives of people.
BUT, the good, the innocent, the holy, the true, the pure ... "the corn
of wheat", when it dies, or suffers at the hands of evil "bringeth forth
much fruit."! Christ arose from the tomb! All your hopes in the will of
God, good motives, and good works, though they seem to be killed in an
untimely manner, WILL bring forth much fruit IF committed to God for a
miraculous resurrection.
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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