An Unholy Alliance: Pharisees and Herodians

Posted on June 17, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

An Unholy Alliance

We are moving toward a presidential election year in the United States. As a result, the political pundits are ramping up their efforts to develop a market for their predictions. With this backdrop, when I read Mark this morning, Mark 3:6 grabbed my attention. In this verse there is a simple statement that the Herodians and the Pharisees formed an alliance to see if they could get rid of a common problem. That problem was Jesus.

The Pharisees and the Herodians each sought to partner with and use the other for their own ends. To the Herodians Jesus was a political nuisance; to the Pharisees he was a religious one. To both, he was a threat to their power and influence.

The Politicos

The Herodians were the pragmatic politicos of the day. They were for anything that would allow their patron, Herod, to remain in power. Sound familiar? We have hundreds of modern day Herodians in office today. Purporting to be public servants, they protect their political power often at the expense of the truth and the people they represent.

The Religious Elite

The Pharisees were the religious leaders. Not all of them had wrong motives, but their zeal to appear holy often put them at odds with Jesus. Their legalistic mindset caused them to misunderstand God’s program. They did not recognize Jesus because they were certain of their own understanding of God and Scripture. There is a sense that many of the Pharisees were also more concerned about their power and position than the truth. One doesn’t have to look very hard in Christendom to find such as these today.

The True Church

We know that governments exist because God has granted them authority (Romans 13:1). Yet it is through the Church and not through governments that God chooses to work out his plan for humanity. The church should be very wary of seeking or using political power to advance its agenda.

The church is the chosen instrument of God to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to a world which desperately needs it. It is through the preaching of the gospel that men can be brought into relationship with Jesus Christ. A person who is brought into relationship with Jesus Christ will be changed in the way he lives and ultimately in the way he votes. The church should have this type of indirect influence on the political landscape. She should not seek to have a direct influence by organizing a political pressure group or any other such efforts.

Why? The temptation to use political power for seemingly good ends is a dangerous proposition for the church. Every time the organized church has gained political power, it has gone badly for the church and society. I have written about his before in Thinking out loud – The Church and Political Process.

I am not saying that the church should be silent on the issues facing society today. We should be speaking clearly on what the Bible says on these issues. What I am saying is that as these issues are discussed, the focus should be on commending individuals to submit to the truth of God’s word.

We need to keep in mind that the problem in our society is not a political one, it is a spiritual one. To address the political process without first addressing the core issue of sin is to treat the symptom instead of the cause of the disease.

What do you think?

Absent From the Great Banquet

Posted on June 13, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

The Banquet Table is Set

Luke 14:16-24 records the parable of the Great Banquet. The main point of the story is that the invited guests gave lame excuses as to why they could not attend. In the place of the original invitees, the dregs of society are then persuaded to enter into the feast. Jesus concludes the parable by saying that “none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.”

The banquet is illustrative of a personal relationship. To sit down and have a meal with someone implies a bond of fellowship. Those invited were to dine with the house master and be in relationship.

The Pharisees clearly understood that the parable was intended to present the Pharisees as the ones with the lame excuses. It’s very hard to miss this point. I understood this even as a child when I read or heard this parable taught. The Pharisees missed out on relationship with God because of their limited understanding and hard hearts. They presented lame excuses as to why they would not enter into this relationship.

The connection that I didn’t make until recently is that not only were the Pharisees to enter into this relationship, they were to bring others in also. Isaiah 42:6 shows us that God intended Israel to be a light to the Gentiles. In Exodus 19:6, God tells the Israelites that they were to be a “kingdom of priests” to the world. The nation was to be an example of how and why one should be in relationship with the Creator God. They failed to accomplish this mission and were punished as a result.

Perfect Theology and a Hard Heart

It is very easy to heap condemnation on the Pharisees without making the effort to understand the root of their problem and take steps to avoid following their example.

This past weekend, I attended a block party in Philadelphia which was sponsored by a local church. The crowd was ethnically diverse and the social issues that challenge cities in America were on display. I found myself walking the length of the block party praying for the needs of the people. Interaction with some of the people was an encouragement to me. Some others clearly showed needs that I found overwhelming. Yet, how many years have these problems been going on and the church (myself included) has been largely absent, leaving the needs unmet.

The danger I see in the church is that like the Pharisees, we can dot every theological “i” and cross every doctrinal “t” and ignore the needs of the people in society around us. We can be so caught up in determining the correctness of the teaching that we miss opportunities to minister to those who are most open to the gospel. I know that I can get so caught up in being right that I miss the needs of the people around me.

I’m not saying that doctrine and correct theology are not important; they are. I am saying that we can use our quest for doctrinal integrity as an excuse to avoid the messy business of reaching out to those who most need the gospel. It is possible to have a perfect understanding of theology and have a hard heart. Our theology should drive us to the cross as we understand our own need of a savior. This should result in a passionate drive to bring others into relationship with Jesus. Correct theology should soften our hearts and make us, like Jesus, aware of the needs that God is calling us to meet.

You Have to Have It to Give It Away

Jesus, in Matthew 7:21-23 warns us that it is all about relationship and not about what we know and do. Yet having that relationship will drive us to be willing to be used by God to minister to all kinds of people. I’m reminded of a Muddy Waters lyric that says “you can’t spend what you ain’t got, you can’t loose what you ain’t never had.” In other words, you can’t bring people into relationship with someone you don’t even know.

The emphasis needs to be on relationship first and then on meeting the needs of the people. If we don’t deepen our own relationship with Jesus, we will struggle to give people what they most need. Yet, absence of the drive to minister to people may be an indication of problems with our own relationship with God. I am more like the Pharisees than I would like to acknowledge.

Discussion Question

What do you do to maintain awareness of the needs around you and sharpen the focus on bringing people into relationship with Jesus Christ?

The Illusion of Security Apart from Christ

Posted on June 3, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Security is Elusive

It is in the best interest of politicians and merchants to maintain the illusion of security. They tell us that if we elect the right person or party into office, if we invest properly, if we follow the prescribed diet, if, if, if . . . then we will experience security.

The problem is that those activities never provide the peace of mind that they promise.

We are heading into a presidential election year, promises will abound. Watch to see how much of the campaign rhetoric is geared toward promises of security. We have governmental departments and programs with “security” in their titles. The entire government purportedly exists to enhance our security as individuals and as a nation. We long for that security and will vote for the people we think best qualified to give it to us.

Since Genesis 3, mankind has been trying to establish his control over his own destiny. Yet, most of a man’s circumstances remain beyond his control. In spite of great scientific advances, we are at the mercy of our environment and other people. Where then can security be found? Is there a source?

Security can be Found

If you take the New Testament documents to be reliable (I do), they show us a good place to start our search for security. In a physical sense, death is the ultimate enemy. If a man proved that he could conquer death, that person might be a good resource in the quest for security.

Death has been conquered by Jesus Christ. His resurrection from death displays his power over death. He promises to provide this power for those who are willing to believe in him an surrender to him.

It is the death and resurrection of Jesus which provides the means whereby death can be robbed of its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus also promises to be with us forever (Matthew 28:20). Paul asks the question, “if God is for us who then can be against us?” (Romans 8:31), the implication being that no-one can be against us if we are in Christ.

Why then do I often respond in insecurity? Why does much of the rhetoric of Christendom resound with fear and insecurity? It is because we fail to believe and appropriate the promises that God has given us.

May we go into this weekend believing the promises and living them out. The world needs us to do this.

Choose To Be A Servant: Example of Nebuchadnezzar

Posted on June 1, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Unwilling Servant

In Jeremiah 27:6, Nebuchadnezzar is referred to as a servant of Jehovah. There is a sense that every world leader is a servant of the God who allows that leader to rise to power. Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” There was nothing that Nebuchadnezzar could do to thwart God’s plan for history.

Willing Servant

There is another sense in which Nebuchadnezzar became the servant of Jehovah. In Daniel 4:28-37 we see the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s fall and restoration.

Nebuchadnezzar had been an eyewitness to several miracles, yet he remained proud and self-reliant. In this section of Daniel 4 we see that God reduced him from his throne to eating grass in the field like a wild animal. Nebuchadnezzar was taken from being arguably the most powerful man in the world to a homeless madman. This transition is like going from the White House to living in a cardboard box under a bridge. He went from top to bottom in an instant.

In God’s sovereignty and grace, this was not the end of the story for Nebuchadnezzar. When the former king blessed “the Most High” his reason returned to him and he was restored to the throne, but with a new heart and a new attitude. Nebuchadnezzar proclaims this about the God who lives forever in Daniel 4:34-35:

for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

We are not told much more about Nebuchadnezzar’s reign from that point on, but my guess is that it was very different than before his humiliation.

Willingly or Unwillingly All Will Bow

We are told in Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10 – Every knee shall eventually bow before the throne of God. The only choice in the matter is if we will do it willingly or unwillingly.

In his sovereignty, God allows circumstances into our lives which overwhelm us. Life does not always treat us fairly; things do not always turn out the way we would like. This often is perceived as bad news, but when we respond properly, it can be transformed into good news.

The circumstances become good news when God uses them in our lives to remind us that we are not in control and that we do not have all the answers. God give us the opportunity to turn to him, bow our knees and submit.

God, in his grace, humbled Nebuchadnezzar in his lifetime so that he would choose to bend the knee before it was too late. Nebuchadnezzar chose well at the end. May we do the same when faced with difficulties.

An Unholy Alliance: Pharisees and Herodians