--- Christ's Greatest Obstacle! ---

If you have learned even a little bit about Jesus Christ, you know he came to save us from our sins. (1 Tim 1:15a) How though? Well, first, he came to teach us the truth. (John 18:37b) He further said our taking in knowledge of him and of his Father meant our very lives. (John 17:3) Finally, based on our acquired knowledge and understanding of what Jesus taught, it requires our expression of the wisdom of faith. (Luke 17:5-6; Mat 17:19-20; Mat 8:13; Mat 9:20-22; Mat 9:28-29) That all seems pretty straightforward, really, doesn't it? We listen to Jesus to gain knowledge, so we can then express faith in what we have learned.

What, then, do you think was Jesus's greatest obstacle in accomplishing his teaching task; the assignment given him by his Father? (John 12:49; John 5:19-24)

Most probably think his greatest obstacle was apathy and indifference: People were just too busy to listen to his message. That was a problem, and he said that problem would persist down to our day in time. (Mat 24:37-39) Those were probably not, however, his greatest problems in reaching the hearts of men. His biggest problem seemed religious zeal. Doesn't that at first seem strange? One would think religious people would be first to listen to the son of God. Not so... Religious people often have their own agenda and doctrinal teachings, along with motives which are not connected to God at all. (Mark 7:7-8)

We need to begin with understanding the process by which Jesus helps us. You see, it doesn't really start with Jesus at all. The Bible explains our help starts with his Father. God is looking all through the earth to find all those individuals who are righteously inclined (2 Chron 16:9a) (God is searching out those who are looking for him). (Eze 9:4) Once God identifies a person He wants to help, He directs them to his son. (John 6:44a) God explained in the Bible we should listen to his son. (Mat 17:5) Finally, then, Jesus tells us what his father told him to teach. (John 7:16)

In harmony with that scriptural knowledge, then, one problem Jesus faced was that some people couldn't really hear what he said to them. (John 8:43) They heard his words, of course, but they made no sense to them. Jesus explained the problem was with them, because they had not been called by his Father. The reason God was not calling them to hear his son was they had chosen another father for themselves. (John 8:42-47) So... Maybe it's not appropriate to think of their religious hatred as a problem for Christ at all. It was a problem for them and if they didn't repent, it cost them their lives. It happened exactly like it was supposed to happen based on what God they had chosen to worship. They were not really looking for the one true God. Because they claimed to worship the true God did not make it so! Jesus message was life to those being drawn to him by his Father, and that same message was a judgment against those having chosen Satan as their father. (John 12:48-50; John 15:17-25)

Why would these men and women put themselves at odds with the son of God? Because they were Religionists rather than Christians. They wouldn't relent from trying to defend their wicked choice to follow Satan (from trying to defend their religion), so they hated the truth and they hated Jesus for telling them the truth (his words exposed them). (John 8:37-44) Jesus was, however, saving every single person being drawn to him by his Father. (John 18:9) What about you? Are you religious or are you a Christian? Have you heard and taken to heart God's command to listen to his son? (Mark 9:7) Do you understand the single only way you can do that? It's not by listening to what I say, or to what any other person says Jesus said. (Acts 20:29-30) It is only by sitting around at the feet of Jesus and listening to him. (Mark 3:31-35) The one and only way we can do that today is by reading the Gospel accounts of his teachings. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and )

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