Rejecting Jesus: Motives of the Heart Explored

 

Summary

In today's reflection, we delve into the trials of Jesus as depicted in John 18, exploring the profound reasons why people reject Jesus as their King. As we journey through the narrative, we encounter three primary motives: hardened hearts, cultural permissions, and impatience. These motives are not just historical but resonate deeply with our contemporary struggles in accepting Jesus fully.

The first motive, hardened hearts, is exemplified by the religious leaders of Jesus' time. Despite witnessing His miracles and teachings, their hearts were closed due to their desire to maintain power and control. They saw Jesus as a threat to their authority and status quo, leading them to reject Him. This rejection is a stark reminder of how our own hearts can become hardened when we prioritize worldly power and control over spiritual truth.

The second motive, cultural permissions, highlights how societal norms can lead us astray. Pilate and the Jewish leaders operated within the bounds of their cultural and legal systems, yet they failed to recognize the spiritual injustice they were committing. This serves as a cautionary tale for us today, urging us to evaluate whether our actions, though culturally acceptable, align with the teachings of Jesus.

The third motive, impatience, is seen in the crowd's choice of Barabbas over Jesus. They sought immediate liberation from Roman oppression, overlooking the eternal freedom Jesus offered. This impatience reflects our own tendencies to seek quick fixes rather than trusting in God's timing and methods.

As we reflect on these motives, we are called to examine our own hearts. Are there areas where we have hardened our hearts against Jesus? Do we allow cultural norms to dictate our actions more than the teachings of Christ? Are we impatient with God's timing, seeking our own solutions instead? Let us pray for the grace to overcome these challenges, to love Jesus above all else, and to trust in His perfect timing.

Key Takeaways:

- Hardened Hearts: The religious leaders rejected Jesus because they valued their power and control more than the truth He offered. This serves as a reminder to examine our own hearts for areas where we might be resisting Jesus due to our attachment to worldly status or control. [09:43]

- Cultural Permissions: Pilate and the Jewish leaders acted within their cultural norms, yet they failed to see the spiritual injustice of their actions. This challenges us to consider whether our actions, though culturally acceptable, truly honor God. [19:30]

- Impatience: The crowd chose Barabbas over Jesus, seeking immediate liberation rather than eternal freedom. This impatience reflects our own struggles to trust in God's timing and methods, urging us to wait on the Lord for His perfect plan. [39:05]

- The Image of God: Every human being is made in God's image, and this truth should guide our actions and attitudes, especially on issues like abortion. We are called to uphold the sanctity of life while showing mercy and compassion. [29:14]

- Living as Citizens of Heaven: As followers of Christ, we are called to live according to the character of God, not the cultural norms of this world. Our speech and actions should reflect our heavenly citizenship, challenging us to be the soul of our country. [38:07]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - Opening Prayer
- [00:48] - Scripture Reading: John 18
- [05:40] - Introduction to Jesus' Final March
- [06:27] - The Reality of Jesus' Humanity
- [07:46] - Temptations to Reject Jesus
- [08:51] - Motive 1: Hardened Hearts
- [11:30] - The Unjust Trial of Jesus
- [17:51] - Motive 2: Cultural Permissions
- [25:38] - The Sinister Temptation in Christianity
- [38:26] - Motive 3: Impatience
- [42:18] - God's Timing and Results
- [45:59] - Prayer for Strength and Endurance
- [47:26] - Overcoming Satan's Tools
- [48:12] - Closing Prayer and Reflection

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- John 18:19-40
- John 11:47-48
- Genesis 1:27

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Observation Questions:

1. What were the main reasons the religious leaders rejected Jesus according to John 18:19-40? How did their actions reflect hardened hearts? [09:43]

2. How did Pilate and the Jewish leaders' adherence to cultural norms contribute to their decision-making during Jesus' trial? [19:30]

3. In John 18, what was the crowd's choice between Jesus and Barabbas indicative of, and how does it relate to the theme of impatience? [39:05]

4. How does the concept of being made in God's image, as mentioned in Genesis 1:27, influence our understanding of the sanctity of life? [29:14]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How might the desire for power and control lead to a hardened heart against spiritual truths, as seen in the actions of the religious leaders? [10:41]

2. In what ways can cultural permissions lead individuals to justify actions that may not align with God's teachings? How does this apply to modern-day scenarios? [19:30]

3. What does the crowd's choice of Barabbas over Jesus reveal about human tendencies to seek immediate solutions rather than trusting in God's timing? [39:05]

4. How does the understanding of every human being as an image bearer of God challenge societal norms and influence our actions and attitudes, especially regarding controversial issues like abortion? [29:14]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you prioritized worldly power or control over spiritual truth. How did it affect your relationship with Jesus, and what steps can you take to soften your heart? [10:41]

2. Consider a cultural norm you follow that might not align with the teachings of Jesus. How can you evaluate and adjust your actions to better honor God? [19:30]

3. Identify an area in your life where you are impatient with God's timing. What practical steps can you take to trust in His perfect plan and timing? [39:05]

4. How does recognizing the image of God in every person influence your perspective on issues like abortion? What actions can you take to uphold the sanctity of life while showing mercy and compassion? [29:14]

5. In what ways can you live as a citizen of heaven, reflecting God's character in your speech and actions, rather than conforming to cultural norms? [38:07]

6. Think of a situation where you felt pressured to conform to cultural permissions that conflicted with your faith. How did you respond, and what would you do differently now? [19:30]

7. How can you actively seek to love Jesus above all else in your daily life, especially when faced with temptations to prioritize other commitments? [17:16]

Devotional

Day 1: The Danger of Hardened Hearts
When we examine the religious leaders of Jesus' time, we see a clear example of how a desire for power and control can lead to a hardened heart. Despite witnessing Jesus' miracles and hearing His teachings, these leaders rejected Him because they perceived Him as a threat to their authority and status quo. This serves as a powerful reminder for us today to examine our own hearts. Are there areas where we are resisting Jesus due to our attachment to worldly status or control? We must be vigilant in ensuring that our hearts remain open to the truth and love that Jesus offers, rather than becoming hardened by our own ambitions. [09:43]

Hebrews 3:12-13 (ESV): "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

Reflection: Is there a specific area in your life where you feel resistant to Jesus' teachings? How can you begin to open your heart to His truth today?


Day 2: Navigating Cultural Permissions
The actions of Pilate and the Jewish leaders during Jesus' trial highlight the danger of allowing cultural norms to dictate our actions. They operated within their legal and cultural systems, yet failed to recognize the spiritual injustice they were committing. This challenges us to critically evaluate whether our actions, though culturally acceptable, truly honor God. We must be willing to stand against societal norms when they conflict with the teachings of Christ, ensuring that our lives reflect His values rather than those of the world. [19:30]

Romans 12:2 (ESV): "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Reflection: Are there cultural norms you follow that might conflict with your faith? How can you align your actions more closely with the teachings of Jesus today?


Day 3: The Perils of Impatience
The crowd's choice of Barabbas over Jesus illustrates the human tendency to seek immediate solutions rather than trusting in God's eternal plan. They desired quick liberation from Roman oppression, overlooking the eternal freedom Jesus offered. This impatience is a common struggle for many of us, as we often seek quick fixes rather than waiting on God's perfect timing. We are called to trust in God's methods and timing, knowing that His plans for us are far greater than anything we could imagine. [39:05]

Psalm 27:14 (ESV): "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are struggling to wait on God's timing? How can you practice patience and trust in His plan today?


Day 4: Upholding the Image of God
Recognizing that every human being is made in God's image should profoundly influence our actions and attitudes, especially on issues like abortion. We are called to uphold the sanctity of life while showing mercy and compassion to others. This truth challenges us to reflect on how we view and treat others, ensuring that our actions reflect the love and respect that God has for all His creation. [29:14]

Genesis 1:27 (ESV): "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Reflection: How does recognizing the image of God in others change the way you interact with them? What is one practical way you can show respect and compassion to someone today?


Day 5: Living as Citizens of Heaven
As followers of Christ, we are called to live according to the character of God, not the cultural norms of this world. Our speech and actions should reflect our heavenly citizenship, challenging us to be the soul of our country. This means living out our faith in tangible ways, ensuring that our lives are a testament to the transformative power of the Gospel. We must strive to embody the values of the Kingdom of God, serving as a light in a world that often walks in darkness. [38:07]

Philippians 3:20-21 (ESV): "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself."

Reflection: In what ways can you demonstrate your heavenly citizenship in your daily life? How can your actions and words reflect the character of God today?

Quotes

"Jesus had a history with religious the religious leaders that are putting him on trial in fact many times through his ministry Jesus and these religious leaders collided these leaders taught that God's word they guided Israel and how they were supposed to pursue God and Jesus was God pursuing mankind the god of the universe come to free his people and he did so powerfully giving Blind Men back their sight Raising Dead Men back from the grave he healed mended and cared for his people but what the Pharisees saw was a threat to the power that they held on to." [09:00:00]

"One many people were leaving them to follow Jesus two the balance of power that the Romans gave to the Jewish people was dependent upon the Jewish people submitting to their rule should a figure rise up up who people flocked to and believed to be the Savior and Rebellion started growing in their hearts towards the Romans the Jewish leaders fear that the Romans would come and remove all of them from power both reasons centered on control the high priest and the religious leaders had a higher commitment in their heart than to receive their savior." [10:15:00]

"Jesus a man of integrity did not live his life with skeletons in his closet when he points this out that he has taught everything out in public so they know all that they need to know and that No Smoking Gun exists and official steps in and slaps Jesus both in Greek and Hebrew culture it was illegal to strike someone who you were questioning to bring charges against and what it shows is that their hearts are hardened they have no interest in engaging with Jesus so they attack him." [12:10:00]

"How often do we see this in a world that rejects Jesus they begin to recognize that following Jesus is costly what if he says this and it's true and so they attack him how much more often do we see it in our own Hearts as well someone confronts us on our sin so we find a way to attack them for speaking the words of Jesus to us any little flaw no matter how insignificant in their life we try to blow up as big as possible to dismiss what they are saying about what we are doing." [12:41:00]

"Pilate had every right and even the responsibility as the Roman authority to investigate any uproar and try to preserve peace he even had the right to release one prisoner and if a man claimed to be king over Israel pilate had every right by Roman law to execute him the culture around them gave them every check that they needed to take the actions that they did but as Humanity has learned over and over just because you can do something doesn't mean you should." [18:25:00]

"Pilate and the Jewish leaders obeyed the wordings of the law while crucifying the spirit of them while not entering Pilot's house to maintain their ceremonial cleanliness they sent the Holy One Of Heaven to into a rigged situation to demand something Unholy and defiled while being the protector of the Earthly realm of Rome pilot clearly looked for any claims of kingship by Jesus to condemn him to death even if Jesus denied that it was a kingdom of this world." [19:36:00]

"Christians were often the best citizens of any Kingdom that they were a part of what his followers often demonstrated was that they didn't live according to the cultural permissions of the world but they lived according to the character of their god listen to this letter written about Christians around 200 ad for the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country nor language nor C customs with they which they observe they look sound dressed talk like us." [22:10:00]

"To kill life is to totally disregard the image of God that that life Bears however to demand Justice and wrath with no willingness for Mercy is not to show the heart of our God who has displayed that overwhelming mercy and compassion to us I believe that there are people in here who have cheered on and advocated for killing all of those who have abortions I also believe that there are those in here who have had abortions Brothers and Sisters Jesus is where we find our peace and hope in a controversial situation like this." [34:54:00]

"Jesus who upholds the value of life in every womb and who holds as equally value and also made in His image the mother who makes decisions that she later regrets Jesus fully permitted by the law to bring the full wrath of God on you for that decision says to you what he says to the adulterous woman neither do I condemn you go and sin no more and how can I know that he says that that he comes to you to set you free." [36:00:00]

"Jesus wasn't and isn't a republican a Democrat a Libertarian or an independent his kingdom is not of this world and neither is ours we are citizens of heaven and our speech should have Heaven's accent so the second way that we can reject Jesus is by convincing ourselves that if the culture around us gives us permission to do something and even says that it is the right Christian thing to do it is okay to do that and to neglect the Fuller teachings of Jesus." [38:07:00]

"Why would a crowd that knows of the works of Jesus choose to have a revolutionary and a criminal free to them instead of him let me put it simply because Jesus's ways are not typically the most expedient you see we can become convinced that our methods will acquire the will of God for us faster than God's ways the crowd knew that they wanted freedom from their oppression of the Roman authorities in fact they knew that God the one who freed their ancestors from Egypt the god that wanted them free wanted them free in thriving." [39:05:00]

"Brothers and sisters do you see what they were willing to gain and what it cost them they were willing to trade away citizenship to an eternal Kingdom that would slowly begin to infect this world through the lives of those who believe in its king for an Earthly citizenship in a kingdom that may not ever come should Barabas fell and would only last a few decades if he did succeed they were willing to trade the choirs of Heaven for the chance of crucify you see the Redeemer and the restorer stood in front of them and he would bring them an ultimate and everlasting Kingdom with no end but it would come in God's timing." [41:25:00]

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Transcript
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