Heretic! Demon possessed! Liar!
A roar of countless voices hurls insults at Jesus. Hands grasping stones, prepared to throw. You’d maybe expect this kind of treatment for a cold-blooded criminal. But not for Jesus, the Son of God. Nevertheless, this is the kind of treatment he received when he went out to do the work of God. Most of us know that Jesus was not well-received during the time he was alive. But do you know who was to blame for Jesus’ treatment?
The very people who claimed to be closest to God. The leaders of the Jewish people at the time–the Pharisees, Sadducees, teachers of the law–among others–were the ones pointing fingers and inciting the crowds to attack Jesus. However, the Jews trusted and respected them, because they were the leaders. They were holy–at least they seemed so from the outside.
He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.
John 8:47
Jesus clearly exposes the Pharisees and other leaders of not belonging to God. But if the Bible is the story of God and His people, how did the supposed leaders of God’s chosen people end up becoming the bad guys?
How Do You Become One of God’s Leaders?
God has had a specific will and purpose throughout time. To accomplish that purpose, He works through people because God Himself is a Spirit (John 4:24). If you had an extremely important task that you had to entrust to someone else, wouldn’t you hand-pick someone you knew would get the job done correctly?
So, let’s look at some of the leaders who spoke and worked on God’s behalf within the Bible. Maybe you’ve heard of some of them–Moses, King David, the prophets, Jesus Christ. What made these people so special?
God chose and appointed them.
God is the One Who Chooses Leaders, Not Us
While the idea of being chosen by God might sound exciting and glorious, most of the time, that wasn’t the case. If you read the Bible closely, being God’s appointed leader is not an enviable task. In regard to leading and speaking to God’s people, Moses rejected it five times (Exodus 4). After God chose Ezekiel, he sat by a riverside, completely overwhelmed, for a whole week (Ezekiel 3:15). Even Jesus himself prayed with tears of blood to be spared from his task of bearing the cross (Matthew 26).
But in the end, all relented of their own wills and obeyed God’s command. They allowed God to use them to lead His people and accomplish His work. However, we must clearly understand that God’s tasks and leadership positions are things that God appoints Himself. They are not something we, as mere people, can choose to do on our own.
The Pharisees and Teachers of the Law Appointed Themselves, Not God
So where did the Pharisees and Sadducees come from? Did God also promise and choose them?
Throughout the Old Testament, we see hundreds of prophecies about Jesus coming. But the same cannot be said of the Pharisees or their organization. They are nowhere to be found within God’s prophecies, and therefore, were never promised by God to lead His people. Yet, there they were, during Jesus’ ministry, men who had appointed themselves to be the leaders of God’s chosen people. They persecuted and slandered the one who was actually chosen and sent by God.
In that situation, who should the Jews follow? Who would you have followed? The leaders you’ve always known? Or the new person who testifies that his coming was promised by God? Between the two choices, it should be clear that the only spiritual leader we should follow is the one that God promised, chose, and appointed.
The Crimes of the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law
The Pharisees had long-held traditions, authority, and respect from their followers. So, how do you think they felt when Jesus came and claimed that he alone was the way to the Father (John 14:6)? Wouldn’t they be protective over what they had built and established? Jesus challenged their authority and positions. He exposed that they were not the rightful leaders of God’s people. So they did everything they could to get rid of the man who claimed to be God’s promised Messiah. They tried to keep the Jews from the very person they should’ve been leading their congregations to. Nevertheless, with slander, lies, and threats against those who chose to follow him, the religious leaders persecuted Jesus with zeal.
Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor.
Luke 20:20
When this was unsuccessful, their jealousy and hate led to a plot to kill Jesus, and later, to kill his followers as well (Matthew 27:18). They looked for false evidence and used false witnesses to charge Jesus (Matthew 26:59). They paid Judas, one of Jesus’s close disciples, to learn his location (Matthew 27:1-3). Through the culmination of all their efforts, Jesus was arrested, tried, and sentenced to be crucified. Even all of that wasn’t enough. As Jesus, the Son of God, hung on the cross, the religious leaders mocked him.
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.”
Matthew 27:41-42
Who Did the Pharisees Actually Belong To?
Do you think these kinds of actions come from people who belong to God? Would people of God persecute Jesus, the one sent by God? If they belonged to God, they would’ve guided their congregations to Jesus, so that everyone could receive life in accordance with the Scripture they all claimed to believe in. However, in the end, they themselves didn’t go to Jesus, and used fear to stop countless others from going too (Matthew 23:13). This is how they proved that they did not belong to God. Those with God’s spirit within them would not persecute another who was chosen and sent by God. But if it wasn’t the spirit of God, then what kind of spirit was working through them?
If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me…You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
John 8:42, 44
Like father, like son, the Pharisee and teachers of the law spoke the language of lies. Satan’s native language. For us today, we have to consider, where is Satan’s spirit working now?
Who is Leading God’s People Today?
As it usually is with history, hindsight is 20-20. These days, it’s easy for us to see and say that the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders were the bad guys, and that Jesus really was the Son of God. But what if we had been alive at that time? If we had grown up in the synagogue, trusting our priests and leaders. Suddenly, a homeless-looking man from Nazareth, with no formal education, starts performing miracles and giving cryptic teachings about the kingdom of heaven. Our leaders tell us to stay away from him. What would you do? It would be easy and only natural to ignore Jesus and stay with what you know, right?
After all, what’s the worst that’s going to happen by staying with and listening to your priest?
How Would People Treat Jesus if He Came During Our Time?
The events of Jesus’s first coming are a warning and a mirror for us today. Doesn’t the above scenario look like the Christian world today? We have spiritual leaders appointed by themselves or other people and countless denominations.
How would these leaders react if God appointed one person to lead all of His people today? Would they roll out the red carpet for this person? It would make sense for a child of God to do that, but I can’t imagine it being that easy. Wouldn’t a pastor today get defensive? Are you saying I wasn’t appointed by God to lead his people? But this person is?
I imagine pastors would rally their congregation to persecute. Slanderous accusations, protests, comments hidden behind the mask of the internet.
Don’t Repeat the Mistakes of the Pharisees and Jews
We don’t want to play that part in God’s story.
To make sure we don’t, we can’t make the same mistakes as the people at Jesus’s first coming. We need to know and consider: was my pastor appointed by God or by men? How can you know if your pastor was promised by God? The Bible would have a prophecy or a promise about them. So, let’s seek the Bible for answers. We need to know what God and Jesus have promised, especially since Jesus has promised to return. Do you know what Jesus promised to do when He returned? Do you know who Jesus promised to send in his name?
We don’t want to end up being the bad guys like the Pharisees and teachers of the law, as well as the Jews who persecuted Jesus. Let’s make sure that if we have the opportunity, we will recognize and welcome Jesus back as the King and Savior he is by verifying what he says and does with the promises in the Bible.
Written by Samantha
If you would like to read more about the reality of Jesus’s first coming, you can also check out these posts!
Expectation vs Reality: Jesus, the Man of Sorrows
A Prophet Without Honor: Why Jesus’ Hometown Didn’t Believe in Him
It Is Finished: What Jesus Actually Completed
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