MOTIVES OF THE HEART

JOHN 18:19–24

Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?”

(John 18:23)

It does not take much knowledge of Jewish law to see that Jesus was treated unfairly. But all the judicial transgressions do not really touch the heart of the matter. The main point is that the Jewish leaders had decided long ago that Jesus must be put to death, and the motive behind this decision was envy. Hendriksen comments, “The Jewish leaders just could not ‘take’ it that they were beginning to lose their hold upon the people and that Jesus of Nazareth had denounced and exposed them publicly. They were filled with rage because the new Prophet had laid bare their hidden motives, and had called the temple-court from which they derived much of their profit a den of thieves. On the surface, the dignified chief priests, elders, and scribes might try to put on an act by the seeming imperviousness of their demeanor; underneath they were vengefully nettled, convulsively agitated. They were thirsting for blood!”

People hate to be exposed. They prefer to lurk in shadows, living in their hidden sins. But the light inevitably reveals that which is veiled by the dark. This was Jesus’ crime: that He was the Light of the world, but the darkness hated the Light. Wherever the Gospel is preached, wherever Christians live according to the law of Christ, sin will be exposed. And those who love their sin will hate Christ. They will try to cloak their hatred in the name of righteousness, justice, or right reason. But such protests will only reveal that which is under the surface—a heart filled with rage.

Many people, like the Pharisees, will try to accuse Christ of falsehood, of teaching unsound doctrine, but they will be unable to prove it. They will have no evidence. How often do people reject the Christian religion on unreasonable grounds? Do they really have any other recourse? They are not willing to admit that they reject Christianity because they love their vile sin. No, they will reject it because they claim it is false, unjust, or irrelevant. Such was the case with the Pharisees who tried Jesus. Under the pretense of justice, they behaved in a most unfair manner. They condemned Jesus because they envied His influence, but most of all because they loved their sin.

CORAM DEO

Isaiah 39–40

Philippians 4

Think through some of the arguments you have personally received from those who refuse to believe in Christ. How are each of these protests really a clever ruse to hide true motives? How often do people use intellectual arguments to mask their immoral biases? Formulate a response to such protests using biblical texts.

For further study: • Ps. 31:9–13 • Prov. 10:18 • Jer. 9:3–6 • 2 Peter 2:12–17

thursday

october