Jesus' enemies: “He’s too dangerous to live”
Daily Scripture
Mark 3:1-6, 14:60-65
Mark 3
1 Jesus returned to the synagogue. A man with a withered hand was there. 2 Wanting to bring charges against Jesus, they were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Step up where people can see you.” 4 Then he said to them, “Is it legal on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they said nothing. 5 Looking around at them with anger, deeply grieved at their unyielding hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he did, and his hand was made healthy. 6 At that, the Pharisees got together with the supporters of Herod to plan how to destroy Jesus.
Mark 14
60 Then the high priest stood up in the middle of the gathering and examined Jesus. “Aren’t you going to respond to the testimony these people have brought against you?” 61 But Jesus was silent and didn’t answer. Again, the high priest asked, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed one?”
62 Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Human One [or Son of Man] sitting on the right side of the Almighty [or the Power] and coming on the heavenly clouds.”
63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we need any more witnesses? 64 You’ve heard his insult against God. What do you think?”
They all condemned him. “He deserves to die!”
65 Some began to spit on him. Some covered his face and hit him, saying, “Prophesy!” Then the guards took him and beat him.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
By Jesus’ day, rules about the Sabbath (it was in the Ten Commandments, after all—cf. Exodus 20:8-11) formed a complex tangle of rabbinic decrees about what was and wasn’t work. Jesus more often defied those rules than obeyed them. His persistent healing on the Sabbath led “the righteous” to work with the corrupt Herodians to destroy Jesus. At his trial, “the Jewish authorities sought to kill Jesus not because he was a good man but because Jesus was perceived as a very serious political threat.” *
- Jesus’ disciples were puzzled by his words about his death. But his enemies, from the early days of his public ministry, saw clearly that, from their perspective, he needed to die. Of course, they did not see Jesus’ death as bringing about a positive result. Believing God favored their rigid, hard-hearted approach to faith, they found Jesus’ consistent grace toward people intolerable. Do you believe Jesus’ grace to everyone (even those you struggle to accept) is essential or intolerable?
- The “Sanhedrin” (the 71-member ruling Hebrew religious court) should have been the most fair-minded group Jesus could have faced. Verse 65 is sad: “Some began to spit on him. Some covered his face and hit him, saying, ‘Prophesy!’” These weren’t Roman soldiers, but religious leaders. Have you ever wanted to hurt someone in the name of a cause you believe is holy? How can you stand up for good without resorting to evil actions (see Romans 12:17-21)?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, your enemies believed you had to die to silence you forever. I, and millions of my fellow believers, worship and praise you for being brave enough to show that love and life truly are stronger than hatred and death. Amen.
GPS Insights
Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at Leawood's modern worship services, as well as at the West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
I didn’t grow up in the Methodist tradition. Instead, I grew up in a very Evangelical church that resembled the Pharisees more than I would have admitted. In the name of personal holiness, the Pharisees sought to crack the code on sin so that we could somehow beat it and live sin-free lives. With enough thought and discipline, we wouldn’t be sinful creatures at all! We’d still need God in case we had a momentary lapse of judgment, but he’d have most days off because we’d be so good. It sounds ridiculous to describe it like this, but this mindset defined much of my religious thought in high school.
The point Jesus had to make again and again was it was never enough to just abstain from evil. If there was a chance to do good, he always took it—even if it meant breaking some of those laws that were supposed to keep us righteous. It was a radical simplicity that defied the meticulous thought the Pharisees had put into righteousness, but it made all the difference for the people Jesus helped.
But systems of righteousness, real or perceived, aren’t easy to influence and change. We don’t just draw our morals from the religious and social laws we follow; we also draw our identity and ego from them. If my identity and honor are on the line, it’s a much harder decision than changing a few lines in my list of rules. If I believe I’m doing well—in fact, better than most—and my identity is caught up in that perception, a challenge to my morals and religious laws is an attack on me personally.
I wish I had some grand story where I was like Jesus and defied judgmental religious teachers to help ostracized people, but that’s not the point here. Seeing how spectacularly the Pharisees failed in their search for morality reveals my own hypocrisy and inner conflict when my morals are challenged. This is one of the rare passages where I actually learn more from the Pharisees than I do from Jesus, because there are times when my reaction to change or challenge isn’t much different than theirs.
As the old saying goes, we live in interesting times. My beliefs and perceptions are being challenged. Sometimes, I need to challenge right back and stand firm in my beliefs. Sometimes, I need to reassess my position and rethink what I’m doing. If I’m so attached to my beliefs and morality that my reaction to opposition becomes violent, I may never learn the difference. Being humble enough to accept that I may be wrong about how I practice my faith is a vital tool in becoming a better believer.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Craig A. Evans and N. T. Wright, Jesus, the Final Days: What Really Happened, edited by Troy A. Miller. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009, p. 9.
