Most Powerful Words
The Bible has intrigued many throughout centuries, and one thing cannot be denied: that it is not some set of words that have no real impact. Words are powerful, and we can use them to build or destroy. People have acted both in meaningful and destructive ways because of what they read because words carry strong convictions. So, if the words of other human beings carry such power, what of the words of the creator? The truly astounding thing is that God has spoken to us, not in a way that we cannot understand, but through words and in a language that is spoken by a people who preserved it for us. The truth is that God’s Word confronts us, that is, our true nature, and many are not happy about that. The Tuesday of the Holy Week reveals Jesus using the Scriptures to confront the established religious authority of the day, that is, those who were custodians of the Word. If that is not shocking, I do not know what is. We can have the Scripture with us, but it remains to be normal literature to us, and that is a true pity.
Against Ignorant of the Scriptures
On the Tuesday after Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem, He exposed the hardened hearts of the religious leaders. We are told that the religious leaders sent some parties to corner Jesus, and they sought to corner Him with questions on taxes, the resurrection, and the commandments (Mark 12:13-34). In all, He showed them a superior understanding of the Scriptures even though they claimed to know the Scriptures by heart. You see, it is as if Jesus is telling us that you can be learned in the matters of the Scripture but know nothing of the God whom it reveals. I am afraid that many would fit this category in our Churches.
Jesus points the religious leaders to the truth of the Scriptures, not that which they perceived to be true, by imposing their own interpretation. In their first question concerning taxes, Christ shows these religious leaders that they are expected to submit to earthly authority that God has ordained, whether good or evil, but in greater submission to the God who created them in His likeness and image. The Pharisees expected that He would compel the people not to pay taxes to which the Herodians would have revolted as treasonous. Submitting to the state as long as the state does not ask us to rebel against God or lead us towards the same is a show of submitting to God’s authority. In the question of the resurrection, a peculiar comment of Christ is of most importance, for He says that the Sadducees do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God. The Sadducees claimed only to regard the Torah, that is, the five books of the Old Testament, but Christ claimed that they use Scriptures ordained by God to deny doctrines expressed in the very Scriptures they affirm. The question of the resurrection is upheld even in the Old Testament as expressed by Christ because of the use of a certain tense, “I am.” The point is that they could understand the truth of God’s Word even when they read the Scriptures daily.
Submission to Scripture is Submission to God
Many go about reading the Scriptures and do not pay great detail to what is written but are always quick to impose on the Scripture a meaning away from its true meaning. It is a dangerous path to tread. It is then not a wonder that even issues like same-sex marriage, abortion, drug abuse, and many others find their defense in the very Scriptures, where God commands against such kinds of acts. Having some theological knowledge and religious authority or influence does shield someone from resisting God’s truth. Submitting to Scriptural authority is a matter of the heart. Therefore, we should be reminded that the Scriptures are to be used rightly and sought to be understood prayerfully. In the final question, Christ highlights the fact that love summarizes the whole law, for it also moves us to obedience. Love, according to Christ, does not abolish the law of God but shows its great depth that moves us to submission to God through our acts of righteousness in Christ. We cannot obey unless we have submitted to the truth of the Scriptures as the Word of God.
The Apostle John, in John 1:14, tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among men. Scriptures found their fulfillment in Jesus Christ, and that is why He moves to assert His authority as the fulfillment of the Scriptures (Mark 12:35-37). Jesus stresses the fact that because the religious leaders affirm that Christ is the Son of David, they have to explain why David calls Him Lord. Christ reveals the fact that for them to suggest that the Messiah was a mere human descended from David was wrong. By quoting Psalm 110, Christ was declaring to them that the Messiah was the ultimate King greater than David. However, rather than the expectation of a triumphant military like King David, this was a different king, one who had authority not only over the Roman government but all governments of the earth.
Encouraged to Seek Truth
In all these events, Christ does not yield to their expectations of Him, for they wanted a Christ of their own making or expectation. These religious authorities were privileged to witness the miracles that Jesus did and hear for themselves how He taught with authority. The manner of their questions reveals without doubt who Christ was. If He had declared His authority was from man, there was every reason to ignore Him. On the contrary, if Christ stated that His authority directly came from God, it would have resulted in the charge of blasphemy, which they eventually did as the reason to put Him to death. The fact is that these men were never after truth, for if they cared about the truth, they needed not ask the questions they did in the first place. Interestingly, one of their own concluded that Jesus was not a mere man, for Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, exclaimed, “… “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).
The truth is always suppressed by evil; the very nature of sin moves people to deny the truth about Christ. These religious leaders did not want to hear the truth, for even if Jesus proceeded to tell them by what authority He did the things He did, they still would have denied Him. Sin is not a small problem; it is not a dent to our otherwise good nature, but rather, it is our greatest problem. It was the problem with these religious leaders and even with the Roman authorities, who seemingly were the greatest threat to the Israelites. The one who revealed their true problem was the unexpected Jesus, the one through whose unexpected responses revealed His authority over the authorities of Israel.
Our Response
Dear saint, who is your greatest authority? Is it Christ? What is your expectation of Him? Have you lost sight of the fact that He is the savior? He is the greatest and highest authority, and the Scriptures drive you to see Him as such. Do not harden your heart like the religious leaders. He heads to the cross, a symbol of great suffering and shame, but to us who are called to faith, he heads to the site of victory, where He conquered sin and death. I beseech you that you be careful about those who deny the Words of Scripture by obscuring you to see Christ for who He is. Let every Word of Christ that you read through this week be your highest authority. Submit to the Scriptures, which are His Words.
