Matthew 21:23-26 (Don’t Oppose the Lord)

V23-26 – The authority of Jesus is challenged by the leading priests and elders. Like many times in the Gospels, these Jewish leaders, teachers, elders etc., came to Jesus not really because they wanted the best for Him, their intentions were not good or rightly placed. They were challenging Him because Jesus was challenging their position and teachings, they did not like Him. And they never saw Him for who He is– the son of God and the messiah.

But Jesus, knowing their hearts, was always very wise in dealing with them. In this scenario, instead of answering their question, the Lord answers them with another question. The Lord Jesus asks them about the authority of John the Baptist and realizing that they were cornered, they said “we don’t know.”

I feel that this encounter really revealed the true conditions of their hearts. These leaders, pharisees, priests… had opposed John the Baptist and were now opposing Jesus. They had not believed that John came from God, and now they did not believe that Jesus is the son of God and the Messiah. The worst part is that they did not even want to consider that he might be the messiah. Their hearts were simply closed shut! They had their own agenda to fulfill; they were on a mission to put him down because He was challenging their religion.

You see, previously before John the Baptist and before Jesus, these leaders and teachers of the religion, were the ones followed by people and the people believed their teachings. But they were blind guides because they did not follow what they taught and on other times, taught people things that were not really Godly but mere traditions of men.

Matthew 15:12-15 NIV: Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides.[a] If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.

Matthew 23:1-7 NIV: Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra-long tassels.  6And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

Mark 7:5-8 NIV – So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

But now Jesus had come and the people were following him in many numbers and they were listening to his teaching. Even in the case of John the Baptist, the people believed that He was a prophet of God. So, Jesus was challenging their position in the society and the religion. And they did not like it. For this reason, they themselves did not believe in Jesus, even though they saw and heard all He taught BUT at the same time, they were not willing to let the people believe in Him. They pretended to be gatekeepers of the religion yet in real sense, their religion was corrupted. Instead of listening to God’s message, they were interested in their own misguided teachings and therefore, their attitude when coming before the Lord was wrong.

Matthew 23:13 NLT – What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.

And so, the question comes, dear friend, are you like these pharisees, leading priests, Sadducees etc.? Are you opposing or rejecting God’s word because of your own selfish interests? Are you coming to Jesus with an attitude of “fighting Him” and are you fighting his Word?

We must always be very careful about our attitude when coming before the Lord. God does not force himself on anyone. If we do not come before Him with an attitude of surrender, how do we expect to hear from Him? How do we expect him to tell us the right way if we already have our own ideas and decisions?? We cannot come before God with an attitude of getting his approval over our own ways and decisions which are not led of Him. If we come with this kind of attitude, what happens when He says that our way is wrong? Will we listen?

Dear friend, let us come before the Lord with the right attitude. We have to come with an attitude of reverence, submission and awe. We have to understand that He is sovereign, the ruler of all things and that His way is best. We have to know that He is good and will not lead us to a path of destruction, He leads us to eternal life.

As such, we must be ready to lay everything before Him. I must lay down my attitudes, my opinions, my decisions and my ways when I come before Him. I must come ready to believe in Him and must come ready to accept and obey what He says.

He is the shepherd.

Psalm 23:1a NASB1995– The Lord is my shepherd

John 10:11 NIV– “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

We are the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 100:3 AMP – Know and fully recognize with gratitude that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Psalm 95:7 NIV – for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

He leads his sheep in the paths of righteousness.

Psalm 23:3 NASB1995 – He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Proverbs 4:11 NIV: I instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.

And therefore, we cry:

Psalm 31:3 NIV – Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

Psalm 143:10 NIV – Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Psalm 25:5 NIV – Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

*Prayer:* Oh! Help me father. Save me from myself. Save me from having authority over my life. I desire to walk in your ways, to accept what you say. Because you are leading me to life.