Wednesday: Hard Hearts
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 2nd of October 2024
Signs, wonders, and miracles, in and of themselves, don’t prove that something is of God. But, on the other hand, when they are of God, it’s a dangerous thing to reject them.
Read John 5:10-16. What lessons can we take away from the amazing hardness of the religious leaders’ hearts in regard to Jesus and the miracle He had just performed?
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When Jesus revealed Himself to the man who had been healed, the man immediately told the religious leaders that it was Jesus. One would think this would be a time to praise God, but instead, the leaders “persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath” (John 5:16, NKJV).
Healings were allowed on the Sabbath only in an emergency. This man had been disabled for 38 years; thus, his healing was hardly an emergency. And then, too, what was the necessity of having him take up his bed? One would think that someone with the power from God to perform such a miracle would also know if it was permissible to carry a mat home on the Sabbath day. Clearly, Jesus was seeking to take them to deeper biblical truths beyond the man-made rules and regulations that had, in some cases, stifled true faith.
What do these other accounts teach about how spiritually hard people can become, regardless of the evidence? (Read John 9:1-16; Mark 3:22-23; Matthew 12:9-14).
How could these religious leaders be so blind? The likely answer is that it was because of their own corrupt hearts, their false belief that the Messiah would deliver them from Rome now, and their love of power and lack of surrender to God. All these helped cause them to reject the truth that stood right before them.
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Read John 5:38-42. What was Jesus’ warning? What can we learn from these words? That is, what could be in us that blinds us to the truths we need to know and apply to our own lives? |
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There is a profound lesson for Seventh-day Adventists in today's study; for some of us, it is hard to digest. We like to take a shot at the Pharisees and scholars of Jesus day because they did not accept him and easily dismissed his miracles as from the Devil. However, we need to remind ourselves that Jesus was interacting with the conservatives, who were well-versed in scripture and who were reacting to Jesus on the basis of their study.
We need to understand that if Jesus came into contact with Seventh-day Adventists today, we too would probably react in the same way. We have the Spirit of Prophecy to back us up and when that fails we have the Bible Research Institute (our Sanhedrin) to resolve our theological issues for us.
Now, I am not saying we are wrong, but it takes very little for us to rise in defence of our beliefs. My point is that the same attitude that the Pharisees exhibited in their interaction with Jesus lies incipient in our own hearts.
There is a real possibility that our tenacious grip on theology can sometimes blind our vision of the pastoral side of Christianity. Jesus spent most of his time ministering to needy people compassionately.
"By this shall all men know ..."
Wow, Maurice, so right on!
I've often thought of how Jesus would be received if He showed up among us as perhaps a street preacher ....
We are often strong on doctrine, but a bit weak on the "doing to others" part ...
The Bible is very clear that what we do to others, we do to Jesus:
Notice how in John 5:38 Christ says "But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe." and in the next verse He mentions the scripture; differentiating between the word and the scripture.
John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."
This made me ask, what then is the word? And it drew me back to John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This idea of Jesus as Logos, ever present from creation to salvation.
When Christ say's "you do not have His word abiding in you," He means more than just scripture, He means they have not invited Christ into their hearts and that is why their hearts are hardened.
We need to be doers of God's word and just heares. We must believe and do what he says.
2 CHRONICLE 20:20 says,..."Hear me O Judah and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem:believe the Lord your God and you shall be established;believe His prophets and you shall proper.
To have the Spirit of God, we must have the Love of God. God is Love. And He loves the world so much that He gives His own Son for us. The primary rule that never contradicts itself is Love.
This is an experience I had a few years ago 1st time I am shearing it.
As a child I was placed in foster care 3 times because my mum couldn't keep me, so I pass through 3 foster homes on my way to Christ. Life for me was very hard in all directions but I know from experience God promise to look after the father and mother less. God kept that promise to me brethren,
One Sabbath morning while getting ready for field work, (going into neighborhood meeting the people) my house phone rang. On the other end was a man, with no food to feed his family which included 2 children under the age of ten. It broke my heart, I know what it feels like to be hungry. I said to my wife I need to go to the supermarket to get some food stuff for a family. We did all of this. We got to the house with the food,the father started to cry! Why? He wasn't expecting to see us, he said, "SDA's don't do anything for any person on Saturday". We gave him the food an went off to church. Now this is where I become dumbfounded. I was asked where I went (field working), field work is very important to spreading the gospel. When the church collectively announced field work, all hands should be present. I didn't give an explanation for my absence, I just ask my self how do some of us Seventh-day Adventist think?
I was scolded by some members ,
On that Sabbath day I bought food to feed a family in need, with Christ words in my mind "I was hungry and you fed me not"
Hello Gerry! I was touched by your testimony, thank you for sharing it. It brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. Indeed, you did what we are called to do as Christians, and especially as Seventh-day Adventist Christians. You did as Jesus would have done. You kept the spirit of the law. Matthew 12:11-12. That day you not only fed that family, you fed Jesus. Matthew 25:40
I bet that felt good. Glory be to God Almighty!
In heaven alone will we know the full extent of our labor for Christ. You may have brought more than food to that family, you may have brought Salvation to that household. There's a lot of gospel in a shared loaf of bread. Well done good and faithful servant.
It was one of the most joyous experiences in my Christian life, yes and to this day it still feels so good to know Christ promised you that whenever you do it to one of least these my brethren (any human being which Christ has died for)you do it unto me!! O praises to the Lord!!!
The opening paragraph of the lesson for today says, "Signs, wonders, and miracles, in and of themselves, don’t prove that something is of God. But, on the other hand, when they are of God, it’s a dangerous thing to reject them." This is 100% correct. The words from Jesus's mouth says that he would give power to his followers to preach and to work miracles as we spread the gospel throughout the world.
I recall being an 8-year old boy when my sister, who was 10 years old, had a spinal cyst. During one of our family worship sessions my parents read James 5:14, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of Lord." In response to this, my parents asked the pastor of our church to anoint my sister and pray for her healing. When my sister was subsequently taken to the doctor, the cyst was gone. This experience has had a significant effect on my belief in God's words. This was my personal experience and I also learned of another healing that the same pastor performed on a man that had a brain tumor and was healed.
I also recall being in church one sabbath morning when a recently baptized teenager brought his mentally sick brother to church and asked for a prayer of healing. While the church service was in progress, the elders, including myself, prayed over the boy and God healed him, as God said that he would in the Bible. This is my personal testimony of the power of God's word. I am not claiming any glory for myself, the elders or pastor, but only testifying of what I personally witnessed. I believe that God can and will do what he has said in the bible.
Today's study reveals to me how easily we can "miss the forest for the trees". Here stood the Creator of all things and yet their spiritual eyes were so blind that they couldn't see. We all have what I call "spiritual blind spots" that we cannot see.
Jesus was justified in rebuking the Pharisees for their legalism. He is justified in rebuking us in ours. We are Seventh-day Adventists, not Seventh-day Legalists. We should be seven days Adventists, not just on the Sabbath day.
Our church has a monthly "service Sabbath", where the members are encouraged to help with a need in the community. It's a great opportunity for us to show that we aren't "Seventh-day Pharisees ."
Lord, help me to see the Pharisee in me, and set me free from the Pharisee in me. Help me to live in the spirit of the law, and not just it cold letters. Help me to be what you want me to be. Help me to see humanity through your eyes of love. Amen!
My comment attempts to respond to the question posed at the end of the lesson -
Would it be fair to say that the religious leader's response was ‘uninspired’? The writer states that they could have ‘praised’ Him. Yes, they could have been curious about the healing event itself. Instead, they focused their attention on that which they had power over to judge man by and regulate his ‘faith’ - using the Law to find him guilty for carrying his bed.
This very same ‘spiritual blindness’ which judges rather than loves one’s fellow man - lording man’s authority over other believers -, has grown exponential in scope and influence in the church in the last 2000 years.
The Gospel’s pure, altruistic ‘religion’ became more and more regulated and eventually institutionalized. Now it requires ‘overseers’ which take upon themselves to ‘interpret and regulate’ Jesus’ on Grace and pure faith based ‘religion’.
I do not lay this shortcoming on any particular event, person, or denomination’s doorstep, but hold this ‘spiritual blindness’ to be a grave danger to furthering the Gospel should it be present in organized religion's leadership.
How can ‘the blind lead the blind’ and expect them to mature in the Spirit of Grace by Faith if they lack His presence in their own life? Matt.15:13-14. I believe that, in many instances, the influence of organized religious institutions have usurped the place/power/influence of the Holy Spirit in directing the work of the church.
In my opinion, it is high time to make sure that every believer understands the great need to form a personal, by/through the Holy Spirit established relationship with our Lord and Savior. In addition to being educated through religious studies, everyone's faith is in need to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to withstand troubling times – Matt.24:24.
Well stated Brigitte! Is our relationship with Christ through faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, or is it through the Church? If the Church is seen as our "ticket for heaven" then we aren't connected to Christ at all. The Church is to "function" much like a travel agency does, in facilitating and preparing the "traveler" for the journey. The Church can and should be the vehicle that leads people to understand spiritual things and into a relationship with Christ. The Holy Spirit is the engine that should power and empower both the Church as well as the individual believer. Faith is the key that "turns on" or activates the power of the Holy Spirit, in both the Church and the individual. No faith, no Holy Spirit, no transformational power.
The testimonies are amazing.I believe God will always do what He has promised to do.
The writer of the lesson posed the query, 'How could these religious leaders be so blind?'. The response given was that it was due to a combination of factors, including their own corrupt hearts, misconceptions about the Messiah's role in delivering them from Roman rule, love of power, lack of surrender to God, and pride. It is also possible that if Jesus had been born into a wealthier or more influential family, more religious leaders would have accepted Him. However, they did not see Jesus as being on their level or in their social class.