Despite, I'm sure, being tired after a busy day, Jesus met privately at night with a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews. (John 3:1ff) It's pretty easy for me to imagine Nicodemus having previously opposed Jesus in public. Yet, Jesus took time aside to come alongside this man and to answer his questions. It's noteworthy that the most quoted verse on God's love for us comes in the midst of Jesus's dialogue with a Pharisee.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
In the next verse that we would do well to remember. Jesus told a Pharisee, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (vs. 17). I can almost hear Jesus's calm tone of reassurance to Nicodemus. "I didn't come to condemn you, Pharisee. Despite you resisting me, despite you being so embarrassed to talk with me that you came to me in the secrecy of night, my goal isn't to condemn you. I came that you might be saved. I came because God loves you."
Unfortunately, I fear we don't always echo the same sentiment towards those we deem as Pharisees.
In our passionate preaching to love the sinner and the poor, I hope we don't forget the okay and the rich. In our haste to teach from the gospels such accounts as the Samaritan woman, I hope we don't forget the accounts of Jesus praising those with power and wealth. After all, is our God not Lord over both the rich and poor? The popular and the rejected?
It wasn't a poor man but a slave-owning centurion with command over others that was said to have greater faith than any other in all Israel (Matt. 8:5-13). Jesus desired to stay in the home of a rich man (Luke 19:1-10). After Jesus suffered a humiliating death on the cross, it wasn't a prostitute and a poor man that pulled the nails from His hands, cleaned the dirt and blood from His mangled flesh, clothed His naked body, and gave Him a dignified burial. It was a rich man and a Pharisee (John 19:39-40).
Yes, God loves the addict, the homeless, the prostitute, and the impoverished. But, He also loves the successful, the professional, the prudish, and the privileged. I hope the emphasis in our conversations about the church does not center around our disdain for those we deem as self-righteous. In addition, I hope we've not convinced ourselves that in order to increase the effectiveness of the church we should purge those we deem as Pharisees, lest we become prejudiced towards those we perceive as prejudiced.
To give a biblical example of what I'm talking about... "And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple..." (Acts 9:26). This would never happen in today's church by we who aim to be so inclusive. Right?
To give a biblical example of what I'm talking about... "And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple..." (Acts 9:26). This would never happen in today's church by we who aim to be so inclusive. Right?
We can't let ourselves get distracted by a witch hunt. We need to be like Barnabas (Acts 9:27). God's mission for His church does not consist of purging Pharisees from our assemblies. It actually consists of graciously reserving a seat for them beside the adulterer they tried to stone.
May we not cast the first stone at those we think are casting the first stone.
- Nathaniel
May we not cast the first stone at those we think are casting the first stone.
- Nathaniel
Thanks for the thoughts, bro. I needed this reminder and remember discussing this with you.
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