What Made Jesus Mad?Sample
This story always makes me wonder what was going through Jesus’ mind. We don’t have any record of it. But think about this: Jesus grew up in a town where they thought his mother had committed the same sin, because they didn’t believe the miraculous virgin birth story. In at least one instance, the people accused him of being an illegitimate child (John 8:41).
What could Jesus say? If he had set her free, he’d be violating the law of Moses. If he had said to stone her, well, that’s just not who Jesus was. He came to connect people to his Father; he was there to help this woman connect to her Father. Instead, he bent down and wrote on the ground.
Jesus took a lose-lose proposition and turned it into a win-win. He upheld God’s law, while throwing the accusation they had placed on this woman directly back on them. I’m certain the Pharisees brought this situation to Jesus knowing that he would love this woman. His greatest crime in their eyes was his love for the unworthy of society. They thought they had him in checkmate, but instead he forced them to quit the game.
Which is, by the way, what we all need to do when we start getting judgmental. We need to take our eyes of “them” and drop our rocks.
Because in the end, he says to the woman “You are a woman who is loved by both me and your Father in heaven. Leave this life and go live like that woman, the dignified, forgiven, new woman. Go and live that life.”
What emotional reactions do you have when reading this story? How is God correcting the way you view people who have done something against the designs and desires He has in mind for all of us?
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About this Plan
For years Christians have asked, "What would Jesus do?" But what if we asked a better, more illuminating question: "What Made Jesus Mad?" Jesus didn't cringe at the sinners; rather, he cringed at the religious phonies, arrogant judges, and hypocrites. What if, by coming to understand God’s holy anger, we come to know a savior we never knew before? Take the first step in this 10 day plan.
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