“Woe to you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
“Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” (Matthew 23:29-33)
With these words, Jesus concludes a vicious attack of the religious leaders of His day by exposing their deep hypocrisy. The leaders loved their lofty position among the people, so they did not appreciate being exposed for who they really were. Telling Jesus that they would never have been a part of killing the prophets of old clearly exposed their hypocrisy, for they were, at that very moment, conspiring together as to how they might kill their promised Messiah, who was standing right before them.
Let’s speculate together for a moment.
We know that the number of our days is in God’s hands, but let’s say God the Father removed that sovereign protection from Jesus, just for a moment. How long would Jesus remain alive in America today? Would He make it through three years, the length of His original ministry?
“Oh! There’s no way we’d kill Him if He lived today, we’re better than that. We’re much more tolerant of people, their beliefs, and lifestyle.” Really? How is Christianity generally viewed in America today?
What if Jesus was born and raised in West Virginia, a state that current surveys say is the most impoverished and poorly educated in the nation? How would He be looked upon? What if He traveled throughout the country with a band of devoted followers, standing on street corners, proclaiming He is the way, the truth, and the life? How long would it be before He’d be accused of leading a cult? How long would it take before a violent, angry mob would form, cursing and throwing things at Him, before the police would arrive, arresting Him for disturbing the peace, ushering Him off to jail, and prohibiting Him from any further preaching?
What about this? How long would He survive preaching the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man?
What if He said this? “There is nothing within you that pleases Me. You must repent of your sins and believe in Me, whom God has sent.” How would that go over? How long would people tolerate His teaching that every life is precious and a gift of God; that marriage is sacred, between one man and one woman; that divorce, fornication, adultery, homosexuality, and all sexually deviant behavior is abominable in God’s sight, and will lead you to hell unless you repent. And jealousy, greed, drunkenness, lying, stealing, and covetousness have not even been mentioned yet. Just think how social media, unhindered, would destroy His reputation in no time.
Imagine the rage He would express toward the many false teachers of today, who distort and twist Scripture for personal gain, and what about the people who listen to them, because they enjoy having their ears tickled? What would He have to say about the carnival atmosphere found in many so called churches? His fury would be without bounds toward those that falsely claim God spoke to them when He did not.
Man, from the beginning, has sought to create paradise on earth, apart from God. How’s that working for us?
Jesus is not physically on earth today, but His word is, and most people hate it because “The Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:19-21)
Would Jesus survive three years in today’s morally and spiritually bankrupt America? Are we really any different from the religious leaders in Jesus’ day? What do you think?
