The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in John 7:45-49,
"Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, 'Why didn't you bring him in?' 'No one ever spoke the way this man does,' the guards replied. 'You mean he has deceived you also?' the Pharisees retorted. 'Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.'"
In Jerusalem, toward the end of the Festival of Tabernacles, Jesus made a very public appearance and began to teach the people at the temple courts. As the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering among themselves about the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah, they sent members of the temple guard to arrest him.
When the temple guards returned without Jesus in hand, the Pharisees demanded to know why they failed to bring him in. The guards had apparently been awestruck by what Jesus was saying publicly, "No one ever spoke the way this man does".
I find the reaction of the Pharisees instructive (in a negative way). In their response to the temple guards they pointed to what they obviously felt was persuasive - an end to the matter- that none of the experts believed in Jesus (which wasn't exactly accurate anyway). The consensus of the "experts" was that Jesus was not the Messiah. That should settle the matter, right? "Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No!"
Does that sound familiar in the news of our day? You hear things like "All the experts agree..." or "the consensus of scientists believe..." or whatever. For whatever reason, an appeal to numbers of "experts" thinking or believing one thing or another holds weight. Why?
Truth has never had its veracity established by numbers of experts thinking anything. Truth is objective and is not dependent on anything anyone has to think or say about it. This passage is a very revealing example of why listening to "experts" should never be the conclusion of settling any matter. These experts were all wrong!
I find a preponderance of people, including (or maybe even especially) the "experts" mistaken about all sorts of things, and I'll bet you do as well. It is a lazy and uncritical approach to arrive at the truth or conclusion of anything by resorting to the "consensus of experts." Counting noses is for half-wits. Of all the misadventures and horrible things mankind has ever pursued over the centuries, I'm confident that most all of them had their "experts" with their "consensus" right there in the mix.
Jesus taught, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14. Do you think that doesn't include all the "experts?"
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, 'Why didn't you bring him in?' 'No one ever spoke the way this man does,' the guards replied. 'You mean he has deceived you also?' the Pharisees retorted. 'Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.'"
In Jerusalem, toward the end of the Festival of Tabernacles, Jesus made a very public appearance and began to teach the people at the temple courts. As the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering among themselves about the possibility that Jesus was the Messiah, they sent members of the temple guard to arrest him.
When the temple guards returned without Jesus in hand, the Pharisees demanded to know why they failed to bring him in. The guards had apparently been awestruck by what Jesus was saying publicly, "No one ever spoke the way this man does".
I find the reaction of the Pharisees instructive (in a negative way). In their response to the temple guards they pointed to what they obviously felt was persuasive - an end to the matter- that none of the experts believed in Jesus (which wasn't exactly accurate anyway). The consensus of the "experts" was that Jesus was not the Messiah. That should settle the matter, right? "Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No!"
Does that sound familiar in the news of our day? You hear things like "All the experts agree..." or "the consensus of scientists believe..." or whatever. For whatever reason, an appeal to numbers of "experts" thinking or believing one thing or another holds weight. Why?
Truth has never had its veracity established by numbers of experts thinking anything. Truth is objective and is not dependent on anything anyone has to think or say about it. This passage is a very revealing example of why listening to "experts" should never be the conclusion of settling any matter. These experts were all wrong!
I find a preponderance of people, including (or maybe even especially) the "experts" mistaken about all sorts of things, and I'll bet you do as well. It is a lazy and uncritical approach to arrive at the truth or conclusion of anything by resorting to the "consensus of experts." Counting noses is for half-wits. Of all the misadventures and horrible things mankind has ever pursued over the centuries, I'm confident that most all of them had their "experts" with their "consensus" right there in the mix.
Jesus taught, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14. Do you think that doesn't include all the "experts?"
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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