Read Matthew 19:3
I Love Tests
Verse 3 says that the Pharisees came to Jesus to “test him.” Why? Jesus has been around for quite some time doing miracles, preaching and teaching all over, he has a lot of followers and multitudes go where he goes. He’s having a positive effect on a lot of lives. Why would they test him? They hated him. They wanted to arrest him, stone him, kill him… there’s nothing loving about that. So why did they hate him?
1. They were JEALOUS of Jesus. Wherever Jesus went, multitudes followed him. Crowds would gather and press against him often. Jesus showed love like no other. The Pharisees, were well known, but not because of their love. People were not drawn to them but feared them. The Pharisees were judgmental and condemned others.
2. Jesus exposed their HYPOCRISY. The Pharisees dressed very “fancy like.” They dressed like they were “important.” They liked to show themselves as being very “religious.” Yet their moral display was all outward. Jesus exposed their inward heart as being filthy, unclean, like dead bones. They pretended to be holy but Jesus saw their true heart and exposed it.
3. Fear! With Jesus’s popularity increasing the Pharisees could see nothing good coming from that for themselves. They were motivated to test Jesus because they wanted to destroy his credibility. They were so determined that they ended up violating the very laws they were called to obey. They wanted to kill Jesus. There’s nothing spiritual about that. Their hatredness and jealousy and fear destroyed their testimony for God, while trying to destroy the testimony of Jesus.
Do we ever find ourselves doing the very things the Pharisees did. We become jealous of someone and badmouth them so that they look bad and we look good. But what’s really happening is that while we’re trying to destroy their testimony to others we end up destroying our testimony before God. The very love that God wants us to show is overtaken with hate and bitterness. The very love that Jesus is calling us to is overtaken by our jealousy and fear.
Lord, help us love and embrace those who seem to be doing very well in life. Perhaps better than ourselves. Help us love and encourage them so they can be all that you want them to be for you. Forgive us of the jealousy we have in our hearts. Fill us with your spirit and your love. Amen!
