“What would Jesus See?”...the Wayfarer 5/20/14

“What would Jesus See?”
5/20/14

“Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem saying,

Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, it is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightiest be profited by me;

And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of god of none effect by your tradition.

Ye hypocrites, well did Esias prophesy of you, saying,

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

(Matthew 15:1-9)

Today’s title taken as a paraphrase of a popular expression of the day, “What would Jesus do”, is perhaps better expressed as what DOES Jesus see?

The quick and easy answer that will be given rapidly by most is “everything”.

This is true! This does need a bit of elaboration; if not to be twisted by the same thought processes used by those to whom he spoke these few words.

More important than seeing the physical, He sees the soul, the heart, the actual being, that he looks at, unlike too many viewing the world though eyes of men, jaundiced and blinded to the things they should be looking at.

Far too many continue to look at what they wish to find in others that do not quite fit into their definition of what is right, what is real, what is TRUTH.

Just as those old scribes and Pharisees looked through the eyes of dogma, long established by their own unique twists of the law, and ignored the important points of the law given them, when it was more comfortable to do so, so too do far too many hold to those practices yet and still today.

The 5^th commandment referenced here by Christ, as given Moses by God, found in Exodus, 20:12 was the basis for the Mother’s Day sermon this year, and portions of that sermon still worm their way into my mind as I set out to complete this one.

Honoring your father and mother does not extend solely to placing flowers on gravesites once or twice a year, in an obligatory manner, without giving thought to what was taught by them through their lives, and by extension what is lived through the lives of the children they teach through those lives.

These old scribes and Pharisees were happy to give excuse for violating this commandment to any willing to contribute greatly to their coffers, making them richer for having done so, so long as they met the requirements set forth by their own societal organizations that had nothing to do with the TRUTH of the law.

They looked through the eyes of the physical body, seeing only what they wished to see, expounding constantly their twists and perversions of a pure and TRUE law that constituted a covenant given for guidance and protection of God’s chosen people.

It was through the teachings and guidance of these same “righteous”, that the prophets were killed when prophesying about the need to return to that purity of God’s law, and the intent of that law.

It was through the additions and subtractions of their perversity that those very teachings were used to crucify the Son of God, simply because He came to fulfill the TRUTH of that law and its intent, which they feared, and fought so hard against, when understanding that the profits made by their perversions of that intent, for their own purposes, would fade surely away if accepted as the TRUTH that was being given.

Profits drive far too many, “prophets”, still today who cling to the same things those old scribes and Pharisees clung to so voraciously, that they eventually demanded the crucifixion, that forever denied the need of their very existence.

Jesus referenced Isaiah when stating that these worshipped in vain with their lips, but that the hearts were far from God. (Isaiah 29:13)

This vanity, this perversion was nothing new, but well established, and deeply rooted in people who searched with the physical eyes for the sacrifices that were required, the gifts that were required, the popularity and respect demanded by them for their own perception of being better than those they supposedly served and guided.

The hearts that were far from God, were, indeed, very near to the additions and subtractions they made to the law, that gave them profit, while robbing God of the obedience to the intent of the given laws, to purify and cleanse hearts, seen by Him, instead of hands and feet seen by men.

“Then came his disciples, and said unto him, knowest thou that that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this?”

(Matthew 15:12)

Jesus’ disciples, no doubt, understood the dangers of angering those in control of so much power within their society. This question indicated their own lack of comprehension of what had been said, and the importance of what had just been given.

“But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up.

Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

(Matthew 15:13-15)

Jesus had no fear of the power wielded by these paragons of their society, knowing full well that once the TRUTH was given, the ones in search of that TRUTH would in fact find it, but those who denied that TRUTH would continue in denial giving excuse and perception of reason for denial by any who followed them, trusting the eyes of those still focused on the physical instead of the spiritual, focused on earthly gain and acceptance instead of acceptance by God instead.

All the isms, all the ologies, all the thropies, all the teachings of all those who place their own interpretation of what is important to God, above the teachings taught by Christ as being important, continue to create a blindness that allows only the shades and shadows of their teachings to suffice to the people, but fail to suffice to God.

During Jesus’ short ministry; three years; by most accepted accounts, He left the TRUTH for all who were willing to comprehend it. He left a promise of eternal life in exchange for the acceptance of the simple fact that He was the Son of God, sent not to condemn a world, but to save it from those who chose the perversions and twists and denied the very intent of what had been given by His Father.

Throughout that ministry, He held the knowledge that to truly have the intent of the law fulfilled, He would, himself, have to undergo a physical death… would be chased and persecuted…ignored, upbraided and chastened by men because of their teachings, in the process of delivering the message He had been given by God that promised redemption through repentance.

Throughout His ministry, he both taught and exhibited the commandment that superseded, and, fulfilled if followed, all others, to love each other as He loved us.

Both the message given by Him and the promise given by Him were then, and still are, perverted and twisted to give cause to honor men instead of God, and to profit men instead of God.

That simple message did not change one whit, from the beginning of that ministry, until today, and will never change, until He returns to honor the promise made along with it.

No matter how loudly all those isms, ologies, othaphies, and other science or “religious” teachings are proclaimed, The TRUTH still stands.

The Way is still available to any who actually seeks, finds and accepts that Truth, to attain the promised Life as given only through that Truth.

 The commandment left, by Him, and commission given, by HIM, to teach that commandment, cannot and will not, be denied.

That love, that has been given already by Him, though not accepted by so many, is established both in historic fact for any using the physical eyes alone, but established in the hearts of those who choose to accept that love, and the stipulation that if it is not shown and shared, all claims of any other way is falsehood, as the blind continue to lead the blind to a ditch far deeper than any found by the side of the road they choose to travel as opposed that chosen for them by Christ.

The statement made, to his disciples, that if they were his disciples, this would be known by their actions is as valid today as it was when made to them… and to us.

The totality of the teachings left us by Him are contained in the Gospels, the books of the Old testament, that guided those teachings, and in the writings that comprise the remainder of the New Testament by those who found that Truth, that Way and that Life through Him, and, also left a bit of the necessary warnings of the rot, perversion, addition and subtraction that continue to constantly seek to deny that very TRUTH.

What does Jesus see? The Truth! What does he find acceptable? That same Truth, that leads to the WAY for those accepting that Life!

Yes, Jesus sees everything, particularly the hearts of men and the Truth of what lies within those hearts.

If that heart is so jaded as to fail to accept the Truth, is so corrupted as to proclaim any way other than the WAY that was given, that heart will never find that promised life, but will continue in the acceptance of men’s teachings, men’s doctrines, men’s dogma, instead of instead of accepting that simple, yet complex, easy to honor, yet difficult to practice TRUTH.

Great cathedrals will continue to be built. Great congregations will continue to be built. Great wealth will continue to be gleaned, all by those who intentionally forget that simple Truth, or intentionally deny it because it enriches God, and not man.

To those, I call attention to the statement made in that 13^th verse of the scripture used this day, a statement made by that very TRUTH.

I remain, that same simple sinner saved by the grace of God through having found that Truth, and having faith in the promise made by that Truth that may be denied me by no man.

I remain also the soldier required to proclaim that same Truth, that same availability of redemption through repentance, that same commandment to love one another, and to SHOW that love, in recrimination of none, but in deep sorrow for any who choose to see themselves through their own eyes, to see others through only those same eyes, and fail to ask themselves the simple question contained in the title.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer