THE JABS

“If we can just get Jesus to say something we can bring up against the Romans we’ll have grounds for execution.” The priest sat back.

A Sadducee stood. “How about taxes to Rome?”

A Pharisee clapped. “I’ll take some Herodians to trip Him up there.”

The priest nodded. “Do it.”

****

The Pharisees and Herodians approached Jesus. “Rabbi, we know You don’t care about what others think of Your teachings because You’re convinced they come from God. What do You say about paying taxes to Rome? Must we?”

Jesus shook His head slowly. “Show me a denarius.”

They brought a coin to Him.

Jesus pointed at it. “Who is on it?”

“Caesar.”

“Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”

The group walked away looking at the ground.

Some Sadducees walked up to Jesus. “Teacher, suppose a man marries a woman and they have no children. According to the law his brother must raise children for him. Let’s say seven brothers marry one woman with none of them conceiving. Who will marry this woman in the resurrection after she also dies?”

Jesus sat down. “You are mistaken about many things. In the resurrection nobody will marry. They’ll be as the angels in heaven. As far as the resurrection goes haven’t you read about what God said to Moses? He said He’s the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He’s the God of the living not the dead.”

A Scribe stayed back after the Sadducees left. “Rabbi, which is the greatest commandment of all?”

Jesus nodded. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Scribe nodded. “Well said, Rabbi. That is true.”

Jesus stared at the Scribe. “You declare the Messiah to be a son of David. Why then does David call Him Lord when led by the Holy Spirit he wrote: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand til I make your enemies your footstool.”‘ If David calls him Lord how is He his son?”

The Scribe shrugged, then walked away.

********

If this were a boxing match all these attempts to get Jesus to say something against Rome to use against Him would be considered jabs–quick hits that don’t do much damage.

The religious leaders were working to find anything they could use to end Jesus’s life. They failed because they never admitted His divine authority.

The tax issue would have been the most likely anti-Roman incitement. Jesus put that to rest without breathing hard.

The marriage in heaven issue could have made Him appear against God’s laws. Jesus corrected them since He did know what goes on in heaven.

The question of the greatest commandment came after these failed attempts left an admiration. Jesus answered that question and raised the bar by asking His own.

Not only did they not trap Him, but Jesus left them searching for deeper reflection into the scriptures.

That’s what you get when you criticize the author of the Book.

How have you treated Jesus?

Are you questioning His authority in your life?

Do you deny His superior right to reign?

Are you convinced He must be wrong about something?

Perhaps you haven’t given Him the respect He deserves because you haven’t searched the scriptures deeply enough.

Who is this man who walked on water?

How did He calm the storm so easily?

He healed the sick and raised dead people back to life, why didn’t He save himself from death on the cross?

Maybe these are some questions you need to ask before you question Jesus any further.

The Bible is the only place you need to look for answers.

I don’t need to defend Jesus to you. You must dig for truth in the book He wrote.

If you get your arguments from others who tell you they’re right you’re misled. It’s not that they’re right, they’re just looking to build a following. Search for the truth on your own.

Jesus has nothing to hide. That’s why the Bible is available today. It hasn’t changed because God hasn’t changed.

There are many good books out there written by people who have searched the Bible to discover who Jesus really is. The best one I can suggest is MORE THAN A CARPENTER by Josh McDowell.

Josh went from someone who ridiculed Christians to a defender of Jesus after he searched the Bible for answers.

 He isn’t the first person to have that change of heart and he won’t be the last.

There are three basic responses people give when you mention Jesus Christ.

  1. They admire Him as God’s Son and Savior of their life. These people have accepted Jesus’s death on the cross as the necessary step to build the bridge that fills the gap sin has made between us and God. They recognize Jesus’s resurrection from the dead as proof He has power over every enemy we face.
  2. They see Him as just another person, perhaps a great teacher of truths. These people accept Jesus lived and walked and taught. They likely rank Him up there with Mohammed, Confucius, Gandhi and a few other great spiritual leaders throughout history. They fall short of seeing Jesus as equal to God in any way.
  3. They hate Jesus with a passion. These people see Jesus as a threat to society. Many Jews don’t accept Him as the promised Messiah. Non-Jews see this Jew as a menace who indeed needed to be stopped. Attempts are made to remove any mention of Him or His influence throughout history.

If you’re a seeker you’re curious about Jesus.

You may be reading this to learn more about Him.

Please keep searching for Him, but don’t put off making a decision much longer.

Nobody knows when their time to die will come.

At that point it will be too late for you to come into His kingdom for eternity.

I’ll see you later.   Wade

By wadewebster

I'm a truck driver turned writer. My writing drives people to Jesus. I love sunsets/sunrises, dark chocolate, coffee, cats and dogs (as long as their owners pick up after them) and solitude. My relationship with God through Jesus Christ is most important to me, not a religion. This writing gig is all God's idea. I only wish to bring more attention to Jesus with it.

2 comments

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.