Anti-Establishment
For some years the little country of Israel had been buzzing with Messiah talk. Stories had been circulating for twenty to thirty years about a miracle child King Herod had tried to kill, but who had escaped unharmed.
This kind of Messiah talk always made the Roman forces edgy, even with their overwhelming military superiority.
I’m sure the Jewish leadership of the time saw this newcomer Jesus as youthful. They probably did not appreciate His criticism of their traditional values. In fact, over the months and years, the young Jesus became increasingly dangerous in the minds of the establishment.
But they couldn’t articulate an alternative vision that captured the fancy of the people. Yes, they had a power, of sorts, but there was no longer any magic in their words. They knew they were no match for Christ, especially when He demonstrated supernatural powers.
For the Sanhedrin to affirm His message would require changes few in their ranks were willing to make. Here was a glass ceiling they had no intention of breaking. Their bottom line, wealth, seemed to have little meaning to Jesus. What mattered to Him was love—love for God and love for others. Treating people the way you wanted them to treat you was what He advocated.
In a way, Jesus was a bit of a comic figure to the leaders of His day. He seemed so naive, so idealistic, so ignorant of politics and power. “Treat others the way you want them to treat you.” Anybody with the least amount of sense could figure out in an instant how to take advantage of that philosophy. This was especially true of the Romans.
There are eras when nothing changes, no matter what. Then there are times when change is in the air. You can sense it coming; it appears inevitable. This was one of those times.
What would happen? Obviously the Jewish religious system wasn’t working well, except for the pious few.
Good or bad, it wasn’t long before the Jewish Council members knew that Jesus was walking a different path than they were.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?
David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.
We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
