Mar 30, 2022
Was Jesus, just a good teacher or did he really say some strange things? I think he said some really bold things. And I want to talk about a few of those bold statements in the next several episodes of the Follower of One Podcast.
I am Mike Henry Srl. Thanks for joining me today. I'm grateful whenever you listen to this podcast and I pray for the people who listen to it. So thank you very much.
Today, I want to talk about Matthew 12:6, one of the bold statements of Jesus. The Pharisees were criticizing Jesus and his disciples because they were doing something that seemed to be breaking their law. And in Matthew 12:6, it says, Jesus is quoted in saying, "but I say to you that something greater than the temple is here."
We often read over that statement, and we don't think a lot about what's going on here. But when Jesus is talking to the spiritual leaders of that nation, he's throwing down a gauntlet. The temple was what they spent, all of their nation's effort building. They had done it twice. They did it the first time when King Solomon was in charge. And they did it a second time after they came back from the exile. The temple was all there was about their religion. Everything centered around the temple. And Jesus is telling them, "but I say to you something greater than the temple is here." He's basically telling them, "I'm the guy the temple was built for."
"Something greater than the temple is here," is a very radical statement in that environment and in that day. But in our Western world where we don't worship temples and we don't live in nations that are set up around worship of a God, we don't experience that. We don't think about that. Today, I want to challenge us as marketplace Christians to let's live like we follow the one who is greater than the temple.
Let's do what we can to live according to what we know about this Jesus of Nazareth. He was a bold leader and he looked those leaders in the face and he challenged them with this statement.
It's also difficult to consider Jesus as just another teacher. I'm using my, our air quotes, again. We can't treat him like just another teacher when he makes a statement like this.
He's asserting that he's more important than the temple. Now he's either crazy or he's a total lunatic or he's right. Those are our choices. And if he's right, then that's why we follow Him. I believe he's right. And that's why I follow Him. I want to obey Jesus. I want to listen to him and look through his scripture and see what he tells me to do.
I want to ask the Holy Spirit who's living in me, for direction on a daily basis. I want to step into a partnership with the Holy Spirit in my workplace, and bless the people that I work with, simply because I follow Jesus.
When I live according to Jesus, I'm following the one who's greater than the temple. And I appreciate his bold statement and his bold leadership. Let's live like we follow Jesus today. Look around you. Pray and ask God to show you how you can make a difference in the lives of the people that you work with today.
You are a minister and you've been assigned to a post. Wherever you are today, let's minister. Let's serve God in such a way that other people might see Jesus and might follow him. That's our job.
Thanks for being a marketplace minister. And thanks for making a difference in your work. Everything you do because you follow Jesus matters.
Thanks very much.
Oh, and I also want to invite you to join us on the next Follower of One Marketplace Mission Trip. This is a two-week exercise where we practice following Jesus on a daily basis right where we work. You can check it out and join us for free at https://community.followerofone.org. Thanks very much.