No prophet arises from Galilee
John 7:53
The officers of the temple police were deployed to arrest Jesus. They returned empty-handed. Their only excuse to their angry senders was that 'No one ever spoke like this man.' Jesus was still at large. They just had not been able to do it. However, instead of wanting to know more, the Sanhedrin's response was to accuse their officers of being deceived. They secured this accusation by asking if any of the Pharisees had been taken in by Jesus? Apparently, they were the measure of whether someone was speaking God's word.
Obviously, the point that John is making is that it was not the temple police officers that were deceived at all. They refused to lay a hand on Jesus after hearing him. They had responded to him. It was the Sanhedrin that were deceived. They were determined to end Jesus life at all costs. They were continually hardening their hearts to Jesus. Nicodemus gets a slapped wrist for suggesting that they should play fair, and it is pointed out to him that prophets do not come from Galilee. Well that is true, with the exceptions of Jonah and possibly Elijah and Nahum too. Clearly the Sanhedrin is being a tad biased and deliberately blind here. But don't cast a stone just yet.
Search you heart. Have you ever been deliberately blind to the truth? Have you ever been part of a group that has a developed a collective will that is ungodly? Groups can be dangerous things. How many times has a group of people been persuaded to come to a decision that the individual members would never have agreed to on their own? Have you ever told a Nicodemus to be quiet or mocked someone for daring to speak against the prevailing spirit of the group? I probably have and evil actions can grow from such meetings.
Pray with me…. Father, I am sorry for the times that I have allowed myself to be drawn into a wrong decision by not guarding myself properly in a group. I am sorry for the times when I have blindly gone with the flow. Please guard my mind in moments of danger and enable me to speak for you boldly even when it means going against the will of my friends.
In Jesus' name. Amen
John Martin-Jones
Read the Bible in a year: Psalm60:1-14, Judges16:1-17:13, John7:45-8:11
No comments:
Post a Comment