JOHN 7:45–52
“Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed”
(John 7:48–49).
This discourse among the religious leaders of Jesus’ day gives us an insightful look at the powerful influence of the Pharisees. The religious establishment possessed a great deal of sway over the people’s consciences. They did not want to give up that power; hence, their hatred of Jesus resulted in plans to destroy Him.
When the temple guards came back without Jesus and confessed that they were unable to arrest Him because they were so moved by His words, the Pharisees exploded. What were the temple guards doing thinking? The Pharisees had concluded that Jesus was a fraud—they thought their judgment was final. The crowd, in their opinion, could not think for itself. The people, especially those from Galilee, were too ignorant of the Law to know what was right. Hendriksen writes. “The Pharisees try to impress upon these ‘underlings,’ who had not made a special study of the law, that it was wrong for them to have a mind of their own. Questions touching the identity and character of the Messiah should have been left entirely to the experts!”
Many church leaders today believe that laymen cannot make right judgments on their own. They believe that the flock should remain ignorant and blindly follow the leaders who “know” the Scriptures so much better. But this is contrary to God’s design. All Christians are to know the Scriptures and can come to conclusions on their own in submission to their own conscience. This does not mean that authority and leadership in the church should be scorned. The Scriptures make it clear that we are to submit to our elders and follow the instruction of our teachers. But leaders may not rule our consciences.
Like so many Christians of the past, including the brave examples of the guards and Nicodemus, we must remain true to our consciences. Men of power can do a great deal of harm to the church by binding the consciences of others. You must remember that the only one who can bind your conscience is God Himself, no matter hove much power and knowledge others might haw You should never allow others to change your mind unless you are convinced that their ideas are true to the Scriptures.
CORAM DEO
2 Kings 9–11
John 5:1–24
If you have a question about the beliefs or practices of any leader, search the Scriptures for the answer. Start today by choosing one of these questions you have and and carefully researching it in the Bible, using a concordance, study Bible, or other resources to help.
For further study: Prov. 29:25 • Isa. 51:7–8 • John 12:42–43 • 2 Cor. 1:12–14
thursday
may