If you do something that I disagree with, then it must be from the devil. Or, if I just plain don’t like you, then even the good that you do comes from the devil, too. That’s basically the reaction that the Pharisees have in verse 24 to Jesus’ healing (see this passage). The question that I’m asking myself is this: can I say that I have never done the same thing? Unfortunately, I can’t. The truth is, I’m reassessing my beliefs a lot lately and finding that I did a lot of dumb things in the name of Christ. I have:
- told a good friend that she was a sinner because she is a lesbian (and not in a loving way)
- condemned people for trying to cheer themselves up with (still untrue) mantras
- stopped talking to a life-long friend because she is a lesbian (incidentally, I am in contact with both of them now)
- told another good friend that she would never be happy without Jesus (let’s face it, being a Christian does not make life easier)
- condemned a good friend for using illegal substances
- tried to “reason” people into believing
- written a lot of unloving and stupid things on this blog
Actually, just checking out that blog will give you a good idea of how much of a jerk I could sometimes be (I don’t think I was a jerk in all of my posts, only some of them…so cocky, so sure I was right). As I said in my last post, if you try to add anything to Jesus, you are missing the point. And I was trying to add a lot of behaviors to Jesus. That’s what Pharisees do.
Anyway, back to the text. The argument against Jesus casting out demons in Satan’s power, it’s laughable. He argues it away pretty quickly (verses 25-29) and ends with this:
30He who is not with Me [definitely [d]on My side] is against Me, and he who does not [definitely] gather with Me and for [e]My side scatters.
If I’m not on Jesus’ side, that is, on the side of love, then I’m against Him. So, regardless of what I might have thought I was doing when I was calling people out in there sin, I wasn’t loving them, and therefore I was working against Jesus. Ouch.
Verses 31-32 make it hurt even more. If doing things in Jesus’ name that Jesus wouldn’t do Himself is a sin, then is it unforgivable sin? Yikes. Am I doomed because I thought I was doing things the way a “good Christian” would do them and I was wrong? I don’t think so, but the meaning of this passage has always alluded me.
Moving on. Verses 33-37 can be summed up in this: garbage in, garbage out. Okay, that’s kind of the opposite spin on the passage, but it’s fun to say. So, good fruit comes from good trees, inner good brings for good from the mouth, etc. And then here’s another scary verse that I’m just going to let speak for itself:
36But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every [k]idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.
Then, the Pharisees have the audacity in verse 38 to demand a sign! Jesus basically tells them, “No way,” and then proceeds to tell them that all those people that they like to look at as examples of sinners (Nineveh in verse 41) are going to stand and condemn them on Judgment Day. Yowza. I have already come to the conclusion that I need to get over myself and start loving people, have you?
There’s a lot more in this passage, but, once again, this is getting long. So, I’m just going to let you read the rest on your own (no, it isn’t homework). Let me know if there’s something God is saying to you in this or any other passage in the comments (just remember the rules).
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