"You got change for a $15 bill?" they asked. Without batting an eyelash, the storekeeper inquired, "How do you want it, Sonny? Five three's or a seven and an eight?" Being full of pride, they thought they had it all figured out—an easy mark! But Proverbs 16:18 tells us, "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." We often think we have everything all figured out—even in uncertain times—and then God does something we don't expect—five three's or a seven and an eight—more than we can handle. Oh, the danger of "more!"
Lately, I have been noticing this in what is called the Intertestamental Period—the 400 year time span between the Old and New Testaments. If it had been up to me, I wouldn't have let that transitional time be there—the Old Testament foretold of Jesus' coming, why not just send Him right away? Praise God—I'm not in control, and He is—He knows what He is doing and He has a purpose, and what a powerful purpose it is! Throughout this time of uncertainty, several world powers ruled over, and even oppressed, the Jewish people. Now, that doesn't seem like a very good thing for God to do to His people, but watch—when all were under Greek domination, the whole world came to know the Greek language. And what was the original language of the New Testament? That's right—Greek—God does know what He is doing! Later, under Roman rule, the roads of the world had become amazingly safe to travel, in large part due to the "Pax Romana"—Roman Peace. Oddly enough, this was just in time for Mary and Joseph to make the grueling 90 mile trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
Yes, God is indeed in control. And look at this—it was at this time that the entire religious landscape changed dramatically, as well. The largest group developing during this time was the Pharisees, "the separated ones." They probably had their roots in the Hasidim, the ultra-orthodox freedom fighters in the days of the Maccabean revolt. They developed many oral traditions, and proclaimed the way to God as being through obedience to the law—only it was their own made-up version! Yes, they taught the existence of angels and demons, and even had a very firm belief in a resurrection of the body; they believed that God did care about how people lived their lives—but, they added many more legalistic rules. Jesus plus anything is very dangerous. Yes, they believed and preached some truth, but they added something more—their own interpretations, and that is what put them in opposition to Jesus. Yes, "more" can be dangerous!
The Sadducees was another group that developed between the Testaments. They were the aristocrats, and claimed to be direct descendants of Solomon's godly High Priest, Zadok. They were the social conservatives, in charge of the temple, its services, and its ungodly concessions. They were, in many ways, the opposite of the Pharisees—denying angels and demons, as well as the resurrection. They opposed the oral law, claiming that the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Old Testament—were the only authority. They were materialistic in their outlook, not believing that it really mattered just how people lived each day. They tolerated no threats to their position and wealth, so they strongly opposed this new upshot Messiah. The Herodians was yet another faction. Though they are only mentioned three times in the Bible, their impact was great. They were the Jews who supported Herod Antipas, and sought to have a descendant of Herod the Great as the authority over Palestine for many years to come. And, in fact, this is exactly what happened—he and his descendants, however, left a murderous wake that included John the Baptist and James the disciple.
It would seem that this whole thing was nothing but a recipe for disaster! One day, after Jesus healed the withered hand of a man in the synagogue, …"the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him." (Mark 3:6) In Matthew 22, the Pharisees and the Herodians ganged up on Him again, asking Him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Rome. Jesus turned it around, and asked them who's picture and name was on the money, and when they said it was Caesar's, He boldly declared, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (vs. 21) In other words, the government can have your possessions; God wants to possess you—heart, soul, mind, spirit, and life! The New Testament Scriptures are absolutely chock-full of such illustrations of Pharisees, scribes, Sadducees, and even elders and Chief Priests, joining forces to defeat God's plan, even though they had such diverse beliefs and agendas. It is not only politics—but also false religion—that make for strange bedfellows!
Do you see the purpose of my original question—why in the world would God allow for such an ungodly transitional time, which would produce this abundance of self-oriented interpretations of God and His word? I believe, simply put, it was for the sake of contrast. There could not have been a clearer distinction between the falseness of these religious groups and the purity and truth of the holy Son of God. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 11:19, "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." And so it is today—so many churches and their pastors have drifted away from the truth of the Biblical Jesus and His gospel. Many today, like the Pharisees, hold to some Biblical precepts, but add much more to them—yet Jesus made clear that they have "…made the commandment of God none effect by…tradition…This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth 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.""Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are really free."
(Matthew 15:6-9) Many others take it in the direction of a prosperity gospel, falling into the same trap as the Sadducees did—I can live as I want! A.W. Tozer once wrote,
The problem is pride! Claiming to be honest about where we are spiritually, and not surrendering to the truth, is actually the height of dishonesty. We think it is humility, but it is really nothing but pride and self—the contrast couldn't be more stark! If we let our personal time with the Lord go—the prayer, the Bible reading—in favor of our own busyness, down we will go! Paul said clearly in 2 Timothy 3, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves…lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly womenladen with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (vss. 1-7)
Another form this danger takes is when many insist on only having Jesus as their Savior, since He did come "to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10) He is that, of course, but He also came to "baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." (Matt. 3:11) True Christianity isn't just about staying out of Hell and getting into Heaven; it is primarily an ever-deepening relationship with the Lord of lords and the King of kings—and all through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Churches and professing Christians that run from this Biblical reality, and thereby, deny it, are in a very dangerous place, for they deny the very power of God. It is not in wanting more of God, or in wanting Him to have more of us, wherein lies the danger. The true danger of "more" is in adding all of our own interpretations, and proudly assuming God doesn't care. Yes, the mixtures and additions do make the truth even more obvious, but they are still against God, and therefore, as counterfeit as a $15 bill. And taking five three's or a seven and an eight instead, will not make it right! Oswald Chambers once said, "Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. You can not think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey." Remember—God is in control, and He doesn’t want you to just "profess" Jesus; He calls you to possess Him! Now, how much of you will you let the Lord of Glory possess? All, I hope and pray!
