The Grave Misjudgment of Authority: A Reflection on Past and Present
Mark 15:11 But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.
I see a grave injustice here. Of all people, the chief priests, who were in charge of the synagogues of that day, were on the wrong side of the issue. Can you imagine? Just the thought that those who were trusted with the preservation of the law of God were the very ones who had our Lord crucified is mind-boggling! The very Christ that was prophesied of throughout the Old Testament; the very Christ that those who were spiritually awakened, such as John the Baptist, recognized as such; that very Christ these chief priests looked right over and hang on a cross!! However, call it not irony; call it providence! Christ came not the first time to be adorned with a crown of gold, but with a crown of thorns. These things were meant to be.
Regardless, the chief priests were yet responsible for their part in crucifying Him, partly because of their inability to recognize Him for who He was and is. Now, let me say this; the same is happening in many of our churches today! For many “powers that be” within the ranks of church leadership today, there is this idea that THEY set the parameters into which all other people and things conform. They have hijacked the Kingdom of God! The Kingdom suffered violence, and the violent have certainly taken it by force.
However, we need not forget that Christ came not to conform, but to be conformed to! They hated Him because His Kingdom was not OF this world; meaning, it did not originate here, and so the authority He answered to was not an earthly authority. He was certainly IN the world, but because He did not conform to the world’s religious elites of the day, they hated Him and put Him on the cross. Many today still have this same problem; trying to get Christ to represent THEIR causes, and conform to THEIR religious systems, customs, traditions, and accolades.
Jesus simply didn’t play by their rules, and He got ousted. Here’s the irony of it; they kept THEIR temporary power, but lost He who holds ALL power! What I mean is, they forfeited so much more than they gained. What good is it for us to hold on to what we have with all our might, when the truth is, what we are holding onto amounts to nothing?
Christ said this, referencing Himself as the chief cornerstone, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to power.” Dear friend, you may reject Christ’s authority today, but all you are doing is delaying your reckoning day. It is best to bow now while there is yet hope!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
I see a grave injustice here. Of all people, the chief priests, who were in charge of the synagogues of that day, were on the wrong side of the issue. Can you imagine? Just the thought that those who were trusted with the preservation of the law of God were the very ones who had our Lord crucified is mind-boggling! The very Christ that was prophesied of throughout the Old Testament; the very Christ that those who were spiritually awakened, such as John the Baptist, recognized as such; that very Christ these chief priests looked right over and hang on a cross!! However, call it not irony; call it providence! Christ came not the first time to be adorned with a crown of gold, but with a crown of thorns. These things were meant to be.
Regardless, the chief priests were yet responsible for their part in crucifying Him, partly because of their inability to recognize Him for who He was and is. Now, let me say this; the same is happening in many of our churches today! For many “powers that be” within the ranks of church leadership today, there is this idea that THEY set the parameters into which all other people and things conform. They have hijacked the Kingdom of God! The Kingdom suffered violence, and the violent have certainly taken it by force.
However, we need not forget that Christ came not to conform, but to be conformed to! They hated Him because His Kingdom was not OF this world; meaning, it did not originate here, and so the authority He answered to was not an earthly authority. He was certainly IN the world, but because He did not conform to the world’s religious elites of the day, they hated Him and put Him on the cross. Many today still have this same problem; trying to get Christ to represent THEIR causes, and conform to THEIR religious systems, customs, traditions, and accolades.
Jesus simply didn’t play by their rules, and He got ousted. Here’s the irony of it; they kept THEIR temporary power, but lost He who holds ALL power! What I mean is, they forfeited so much more than they gained. What good is it for us to hold on to what we have with all our might, when the truth is, what we are holding onto amounts to nothing?
Christ said this, referencing Himself as the chief cornerstone, “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to power.” Dear friend, you may reject Christ’s authority today, but all you are doing is delaying your reckoning day. It is best to bow now while there is yet hope!
~ Pastor Gary Caudill