Missing the Point

Do we use Jesus as a division within the church?  Do we let our differences distract us from the point of Jesus’ Message?

John 7:40-43

40 Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.” 41 Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him.

As we discussed in Spirit and Fire, a great majority of Jews at the time thought there was a difference between the prophesied Prophet and Christ.  It seems that based on today’s Judaic beliefs (I don’t claim to be an expert, just what I have witnessed and heard) that they believe Jesus was The Prophet, but not the Christ or Messiah.

I keyed in on the last verse today because it makes me stop and pause to ponder how often we create a division and put Jesus in the middle.  As we continue to battle our own self righteousness, we tend to create our own division of belief about Jesus and completely ignore His teachings.  What is our problem?  Why is it in the field of religion we fight about who is right and wrong instead of focusing on the One who is always right?

I wonder what Jesus was thinking at this very moment.  Did He stand there and shake His head?  Did He just slip out the back door and move on because His breath and time was obviously being wasted?  The book of John does not give more detail about this occurrence, it carries onto the next part of the story (after the continued arguments which we will finish tomorrow).

I also think about the stir that Jesus causes in our everyday lives.  He confronts us with our iniquities and pushes us to become better.  He gives us a means to improve our lives and enrich the lives of others.  He reveals to us that as much as we think we have it figured out, we certainly don’t.  This challenges our own godliness.  This pushes us to face the fact that we could be and most probably are wrong (about something).  How does it make you feel to be wrong?  I don’t think anyone enjoys being proven wrong or even being told they are wrong.

What is God revealing to you today that you need to change?  Is He telling you that you need to work on quitting a habit?  Is he showing you that you need to start a new habit?  Have you piously judged others for their beliefs, using Jesus as a shield whenever it is convenient?  Maybe you use something else as a justification for your actions towards others.

If we are creating a division as a reaction to Jesus, we are missing the point.

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