Faith Journey on Paul

Meanwhile in Jerusalem... Chapter 5, Part 1 of 2
In Chapter 5 of To Live As Christ, Beth Moore moves from how the Jewish traditions and law strangled to where we see what was actually occurring in Jerusalem while Christ was there. Remember Saul, perhaps, had returned to Tarsus while Jesus was engaging with the religious zealots. Specifically, she looks at three groups: Herodians, Sadducees, and Pharisees.

The Herodians were said to have been influential, supported Herod, and endorsed his interest in Greek life. The Sadducees were a small group of wealthy Jews who didn't believe in angels and later didn't believe in the Resurrection. And, then the Pharisees were the largest of the groups, who led in the synagogues, and were extremely religiously conservative.

John the Baptist was the first to begin shaking up the world of these zealots. For, he was the one who was out preaching and paving the way for the Messiah. Who was this guy that was distracting their followers and professing 11"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Matthew 3:11

In their hearts they were not listening to John's heed, perhaps too caught up in themselves and their "calling" that they missed out on the Messiah whom they had studied. Instead of their hearts, it had all stopped in their heads. According to verse 30 it says"But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John." Luke 7:30
Oh, Lord how convicting we get so caught up in our "calling" that we don't see You and the sheep you've called us to feed.

And, then Jesus came. If John didn't rock their boat enough, the Son of God steps into history. Their hard, proud, self-righteous hearts did not see Him. In the flesh, yes. But, their hearts would not receive Him. Granted, he did not gloss things over. He said it like it was. And they weren't willing to listen, let the Great Physician step in, and undergo the heart surgery necessary that would determine their destiny. Could He be standing before you and me today, reaching out to draw us to the altar?

Nicodemus represented those Pharisees who secretly believed. John 3:2 says, "He came to Jesus at night and said, 'Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." And, we see that others too, along with Nicodemus, were cautious in their faith. In John 12:42 it says,"Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue." And because of their fear of man they silently witnessed "the biggest miscarriage of justice ever known to man." So, here we see within this group of Pharisees that Paul had studied amongst, some who were controlled by fear and others who were controlled by jealousy and pride.