Angry about who God Uses?

It is amazing how angry religious people people get when God uses people who they do not agree with - people who do not measure up! - just as angry as the Pharisees got about Jesus - in fact they got so angry that their thoughts turned to murder and with little regret it ultimately led them to say 'Let His blood be on us, and on our children.'

They were so sure that the God that they served would never send a man like this and they were so convinced that they chose to accept blame for his death - that is quite bit of anger!! The same anger that was unleashed against our Jesus as he was whipped to an inch of his life with a demonic frenzy.

He was so wrong - he did not fit their theology - he was so human - he was so flawed (or so they thought) How could the wonderful majestic God that they studied in their scriptures ever use a carpenter!! - someone from Nazareth - this is SO NOT God - this man is such a deceiver - we must protect our faith from this deceiver!! Surely his miracles and the healings must be from the devil - surely it is the devil who casts out the devil. And as far as those who were raised from the dead - well we are sure that they were not even dead!

No this man is a deceiver alright - he isn't one of us and he preaches against US - and we are the defenders of our precious faith!! Did you hear that even eats with unwashed hands!! Yes and he actually healed someone on the Sabbath - this man is deserving of death!!

One of the names of the devil is ‘ the accuser of the brethren’ He so hates us and so wants to malign and distort the image of a God who is Love, a God who always loves and always reaches out. And always chooses to forgive.

Hatred is the most blinding force on earth. I John tells us (I John 2:11) the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

And again in 1 John 3:15 he shows us the outcome of hatred - Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

I am so sure that the Pharisees who were so trying to please God and so trying to protect the ways of God would never have thought that they could become murderers – This would have been so far from their thinking – but hatred blinds us, and we walk around in darkness - thinking we are in the light!

I am sure as many of them walked away from the cross that day and saw Jesus hanging there, they had very mixed feelings – perhaps trying to convince themselves that this would have been God’s way to rid this deceiver. Perhaps as he died they were surprised in their heart at the joy they felt. But as they walked home that day and thought about what they had just done I imagine that the darkness that had comforted them for the last few days didn’t seem so comforting any more.

Judas followed his heart when he handed Jesus up but then such sorrow overwhelmed him as he realised what he done.

So much so that the tormentor convinced him to take his life.

Sure does make you think!