HOST: Ron House
SPONSOR: Start2Finish
The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.
Isn’t it interesting how we will so often rest on our own understandings and preconceived ideas and wholly reject something (or someone) without examining the evidence? The Jewish leaders had already made up their minds. Jesus was a blasphemer! He was a man who claimed to be God, and He was worthy of death. That was their belief. There would be no changing their minds. In His defense, Jesus simply tells them to look at His works. “If I am not doing the works of My Father, then do not believe Me; but if I do them...[then] believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” It was a simple and straightforward argument. But there would be no convincing them. Their minds were made up. We are often much more like the Jewish leaders than we would like to think. We rest on our traditions and opinions and turn a blind eye to the evidence of Scripture. How much different would the religious world be today if we would all lay aside our preconceived ideas and simply allow the Bible to guide our thoughts and actions? May God help us all to be open to and accepting of His word.
Why do you think we tend to hold so tightly to our traditions and preconceived ideas?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!
