They Want Him Dead!

Why did Israel’s religious leaders want Jesus dead? Of all the people in the world, they should have recognized him as the Messiah. They should have been anxious to learn from him.

But he kept breaking their rules by healing people on the Sabbath. Their rules started with the very laws God had given them through Moses. But somewhere through the generations, their laws had grown and been twisted until they were no longer helping people see God and understand his best for them, but the people were ‘worshipping’ the laws rather than the Giver of the laws. In fact, they had become so blinded by their own version of the laws that they couldn’t see the Giver of the laws when he came in person.

“Jesus said to them, ‘My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.’ For this reason the [religious leaders] tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” John 5:17-18

By this time, Jesus was making it very clear in his conversations and teachings that he was indeed the Messiah, that he was God’s Son, that God was his Father. That was blasphemy from the religious leader’s point of view. Jesus needed to be killed – done away with before he led all the people astray! The problem was that they did not believe that he was the Son of God. They did not believe that he was the Messiah.

So why do I believe that he was the Messiah? Why do I believe that what he said about himself is true? Why do I believe the writings of his followers?

Because as I read the stories of the people through the Old Testament writings, I believe that God is a God of love, that he is a Holy God, that he is the Creator of all, that he has the authority and power to do whatever he pleases and it pleases him to love us, to discipline us, and to save us. When I read about the life of Jesus, I see that same God working. No one could do what Jesus did unless he was God in human flesh.

And more than any of that, I believe that he is the Christ because he has made a difference in my life. When I submit to his authority in my daily living, I experience inner peace. When I follow his teachings of loving others as I love myself and of loving God more than anything, other things in my life fall into place. I am drawn to his love for me. I am drawn to his teachings. I am filled with a sense of completeness and purpose when I allow him to be my guide. I don’t feel like I need to keep searching for answers in my life. I am content. My heart is at rest.

I am grateful that his followers took the time to record their interactions with him and his teachings along the way. They have given me a leg up in understanding who God is and how he interacts with me. But nothing can take the place of personally meeting with God and hearing his voice speaking into situations throughout the day. “You know I love that person too and I’d really like you to love that person for me. Can you do that today?”