John 7:32

Christ was grabbing the attention of the crowds and these guardians of the Jewish traditions were red flagged over the whisperings they heard. Ready to shred our Lord’s approval ratings to pieces by arresting Him, these Pharisees were desirous of ridding Him from their presence. He was a thorn in their flesh and they wanted that thorn on Him rather than in them. It all makes perfect sense - they anxiously wanted Him out of the picture because He shed light on their dark ways which they simply were unwilling to change. He was a kink in their plans, an annoyance – He made them look bad to others and they were not going to have any part of it. Isn’t that the way human nature often responds when presented with the Truth particularly when it sheds light on our bad actions or character? If something or someone makes us feel uncomfortable or feel worse about ourselves or look bad, then we want leave of it or of them rather than deal with the issue at hand in our own hearts. Why that’s the American way – we are so high on self-esteem even when it is unwarranted yet all the while Jesus speaks clearly that His way is not about self at all rather to die to self. While these Pharisees were big on espousing God’s Truth, they were not living anything like it – practicing what they preached was obviously not in their lengthy set of rules. We find the following Words of Jesus in Mark attesting to this fact:

6 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." 9 And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! Mark 7:6-9 (NIV)

Exactly what is the appropriate response when confronted by the Truth of our actions that need addressing? For starters, Proverbs gives us the following Truth:

6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Prov 27:6 (NIV)

One may appear to be a friend by their flattering tongue but the Bible states that the one who loves us enough to be willing to confront us with Truth when our lives are askew is the one that can be trusted. I am thankful in my own life for those who loved me enough to point me in a different direction through their frank and clear presentation of Truth regarding my behavior. It is never easy to change one’s behavior particularly if the bent is ingrained and has been a part of one’s life for many years yet if it is contrary to God’s Word or inhibits our growth in Christ Jesus; it must go when brought to light. We are not left powerless to do this great feat – it is the relinquishment of our will which God’s seeks, it is He who provides the power of the Holy Spirit always giving strength sufficient for the obedience of the task required. Paul tells us in Philippians:

13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13 (NIV)

I am reminded of King David when God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him over his sins in the Bathsheba escapade. In a fairly brief period of time, King David had committed quite of list of transgressions not the least of which being lust, adultery, deception, and murder. Bravely Nathan begins by telling David a story eventually bringing David to the realization of his sin. The entire story is a great read and is found in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 but for today our attention is drawn to David’s response to Nathan’s confrontation found below:

13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." 2 Sam 12:13 (NIV)

David expressed genuine and contrite repentance and while his sin of adultery and murder were sufficient cause to execute even a king, God’s grace was more than sufficient to forgive and restore him. One must note though that while David was forgiven and restored the impact and consequences for his sins remained and continued to work sorrow and death for the rest of his life. God is serious about sin. He neither winks at it nor overlooks it if you are His child. It always carries with it a death sentence – death to trust, death to relationship, death to freedom, etc. That is why He is so fiercely opposed to sin in His children’s life – it always delivers ruin rather than restoration. Hebrews tells us that God disciplines those He loves and punishes everyone He accepts as a son. If we are not disciplined when we are entangled and in the midst of sin then Scripture states we must question if we are indeed true sons.

5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Heb 12:5-8 (NIV)