When Jesus came to earth 2,000 or so years ago, the Jewish religious leaders of the day refused to accept him as the Messiah. They had what they thought were good reasons for this but they all boiled down to one thing -- Jesus did not validate their belief system. The Pharisees and Sadducees had, over the years, come up with a complex set of rules and interpretations that they imposed on their followers. Jesus came and turned all of that upside down. He started with the Sermon on the Mount. "You have heard that it is said... but I tell you..." Who were the people doing the saying that Jesus referred to? The religious leaders. Jesus was trying to get the church back to the fundamental truths. This was too much for the leaders of the day.
We tend to think we are different from the leaders of Jesus' time. They were small-minded, selfish, stubborn. Jesus himself had some colorful descriptions and choice words for them. We would be different if Jesus came back today. We would welcome him and fellowship with him and accept him as our Savior. Or would we?
I recently attended a Lutheran church where the service started with a processional to bring a cross on a pole to the front of the church. We all had to turn to face the cross and reverently watch its progress as it was carried to the alter and put in its place. That whole affair felt uncomfortable to me (and my wife), but was not necessarily sinful or blasphemous.
However, let's just say, hypothetically, that Jesus showed up in that church and reprimanded them for their practice similar to the way he overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple. Would the members of the congregation willingly and immediately change their tradition or would they push back? Would people accept Jesus as the true Messiah after he publicly denounced their beliefs? I hope so, but I can also see how people could have strong opinions in the opposite direction. Who is this guy who is questioning our traditions? How dare he?
What if Jesus came to a meeting of the leaders of the Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church and told them that their doctrine about the role of women in the church was wrong or the doctrine of fellowship was wrong? Again, this is hypothetical, but think about it. These teachings of the WELS are not accepted by other Christian denominations. They are interpretations that some men made hundreds of years ago that have been passed down to each generation. If Jesus came to the meeting and proved from the scriptures that some of the doctrinal beliefs were wrong, would he be accepted? Again, I hope so.
Here is a personal example. Say Jesus came back to earth, found me, introduced himself as the Son of God, and invited me out to lunch. On the way to lunch and while waiting for the meal, we had great conversations about spiritual things and I agreed with everything the man said. Then, the food came and we started eating. I was horrified to see that this guy, who called himself Jesus, chewed with his mouth open--not just a little bit, but in that lip-smacking, mouth wide open, completely disgusting way. That would be it for me. "You cannot be the Son of God. There is no way God chews with his mouth open."
I am only half-kidding. While I hope I would get over it, I admit, it would not be easy. I might have to avoid breaking bread with Jesus.
Where am I going with this? Obviously, the Pharisees and other religious leaders of the day were wrong. The Bible clearly condemns them for their way of thinking. We cannot give them a pass because we might do the same thing.
Maybe the lesson is that we need to evaluate our beliefs and traditions, not in the light of history or experience, but in the light of the Bible. We should be willing to give up traditions and interpretations that do not square with the truth. Whose truth do we accept? The "truth" that comes from our intelligence and wisdom? The "truth" that comes from our local religious leader or the organization we grew up in and identify with? The "truth" that aligns with our current culture? The "truth" that is similar to the way we feel?
I pray that God would not give we wisdom from any of these sources. I pray for the truth and wisdom of God's word, regardless of what this means for my current beliefs. Maybe my thinking about something is wrong, even though my friends and neighbors agree with me, and society agrees with me. I am still wrong. I want to know the truth, even if it contradicts what I have been taught; even if it offends those around me; even if I must give up things I now hold dear.
May the Holy Spirit open my eyes, grant me wisdom, and draw me closer to Christ. "Lord I believe. Help, thou my unbelief."
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