Differentiating Jesus

Scripture: They said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” Luke 5:33

Observation: This is the first - but won't be the last - time the Pharisees question Jesus about compliance with 'traditional practices' that are outside the true law of God. However, as the Pharisees begin their efforts to question Jesus and trap him, they start with an intriguing example ... the actions and practices of the disciples of John the Baptist. In fact, they construct the question in a manner that gives John primacy over the Pharisees - that John's disciples fast and pray, and so do theirs.

There are two possible reasons as to why the Pharisees may seek to compare the teaching and leadership of Jesus to that of John. First, they acknowledge John's authority as a prophet and are attempting to determine if Jesus is himself a prophet and thus should be behaving in line with John. Second, they believe both Jesus and John are troublesome, and therefore they don't really care whom they "set up" in this conversation as long as they get one to discredit the other.

Jesus, of course, avoided both possibilities. He differentiated himself from John, thus allowing John the honorable status of prophet but himself as a new definition ... discussing himself as the bridegroom, or a new repair for old cloth, or new wine that cannot be placed into an old wineskin. John is doing that "old thing" (prophesying in a manner that completely aligns to the law and the other prophets); the Pharisees are doing some other "old thing" (living legalistically under Jewish traditions); Jesus is doing the "new thing" (being the Messiah prepared to redeem the entire world).

Application: Jesus - and his followers - must always be different. Behaving like others, even others that behave well and respectfully toward God, is suspect. We must remain careful of behaving in a manner that SOUNDS like it follows God's law, but does not align to his purposes. These types of things often fall into the category of "politically correct", and often sound a lot like "if you love people, you would support their behavior."

Jesus knew that loving people, and supporting their behavior, have very little to do with each other. Jesus loves people more than we can imagine, yet he had no inclination to have his disciples behave in line with Pharisees' teaching or even John's prophetic example. Especially in the case of ritual supplication, Jesus knew that his followers should be joyful in their experience with him instead.

Is there a place I am observing a cultural ritual that is unnecessary at best? Certainly in my opinions and thought life too often I align to cultural norms. I rely upon professional standards of behavior at work instead of showing the love of Jesus in real-time on occasion. In both of these, I need to think more like a disciple of Jesus - which I am - and learn from him.

Prayer: Lord, again I ask you to correct my thoughts and align my actions to you on a daily basis. I seek to be a light in the dark. Help me to recognize your work today, and guide me to joining you in that work every day. Amen.