What God Wants
Luke 6:26
Woe to you when all people speak well of you…[1]
If people speak well of you all the time, it could be an indication you’re compromising the truth or you’re cowardly caving into peer pressures. A dynamic leader knows he can’t please everyone and stand for the truth at the same time.
As Jesus begins to interact with the crowds, he starts to come under fire from the religious leaders. They seem to constantly attack and criticize his every move. But Jesus has this knack for turning negativity into positivity. That’s what great leaders do when they face opposition.
So, let’s take a look at how Jesus dealt with the unjustified assaults and learn how we may be able to do the same.
Jesus had the courage To celebrate when others were too rigid.
The first attack against Jesus comes in Luke 5:33…
Then they said to him, “John’s disciples fast often and say prayers, and those of the Pharisees do the same, but yours eat and drink.”
Now these Pharisees were religious leaders who had reduced all of the law to a set of really rigid rules and regulations. Just check the boxes, and you’re good with God. The only time the Jewish people were commanded to fast was just one day per year on the Day of Atonement.[2] Any other times of fasting were voluntary.
The legalistic Jews, however, began equating fasting with spirituality even though fasting was usually associated with sorrow and repentance.[3] They designated every Monday and Thursday as days of fasting,[4] and they often made a big show of it, disfiguring their faces, stooping their shoulders, and looking weak so everyone would think they were really spiritual.[5]
Even their prayers became ritualistic.[6] They stopped each day at designated times to repeat their prayers – usually to be noticed by people – early in the morning, around three in the afternoon, and again at sunset.[7] In Luke chapter 18, we read about a Pharisee and a tax collector who went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not like the tax collector and boasted about himself, “I fast twice a week and give to God 10% of everything I get.” They wanted to appear to be spiritual and righteous.
Now fasting, prayer, and tithing are good spiritual disciplines. But the Pharisees considered these outward expressions as an end in themselves. They saw these acts as the highest levels of spirituality in a person.
Unfortunately, there are some Christians who try to do the same thing today. They see spirituality as going through the same ritual every week – saying the same prayers, repeating the same creeds, and going through the same order of worship without really paying attention to what they’re doing. But they feel like they’ve done their duty. And some do it maybe to get attention or recognition.
When the Pharisees caught Jesus’ disciples not fasting and praying, they criticized them for their lack of spirituality. But I want you to notice Jesus’ response. Verses 34-35…
Jesus said to them, “You can’t make the wedding guests fast while the groom is with them, can you? But the time will come when the groom will be taken away from them—then they will fast in those days.”
When you go to a wedding reception, you expect there to be food and dancing and celebrating. What if the father of the bride got up and said, “Okay everyone, we decided to do things a little differently today; instead of eating and dancing, we’re gonna sit here and fast and pray”? How many of you would leave that reception, saying, “Oh, wasn’t that nice?” No way! I’d be ticked off. I’d probably say, “What a cheapskate! I came to this reception ready to eat! This was supposed to be a time to celebrate and feast – not fast!”
Jesus was telling the religious leaders, “I’m the bridegroom. And while I’m here, my followers and I are gonna have a good time. They can fast and pray when I’m gone.”
God wants more out of us than rigid traditions; he wants a joyous relationship.
You might not realize it, but if you’re married, I’m sure many of you have traditions in your marriage. Dawn and I have a tradition every day called the obligatory kiss. It’s a great tradition. But really, it’s become kind of ritualistic. We kiss each other goodbye. We kiss each other hello. We kiss each other before going to sleep. It’s a good tradition, but often it’s not extremely meaningful. I want our relationship to be more than a ritual sometimes. I want her to want to be with me. I want her to talk with me. I want her to hug me. I want her to show her love and affection for me. There’s more to a marriage than a ritual.
What about our spiritual traditions? They’re good. They remind us of God’s presence. They can move us into a deeper relationship with the Lord. But God wants more than just our rote prayers, automatic church attendance, and obligatory offerings. He wants us. He wants our conversation. He wants us to feel his presence. He wants us to have an intimate relationship with him.
Over in the Old Testament book of Amos (chapter 5), look at what God tells the pious Jews…
I hate, I despise, your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. Even if you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle. Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
Why? They were committing spiritual adultery while they were going through the motions of worship. God wanted their hearts, not their lip service.
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[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] 27 “The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You are to hold a sacred assembly and practice self-denial; you are to present a food offering to the Lord. Leviticus 23:27.
[3] See Judges 20:26, 1 Samuel 7:6, 2 Samuel 1:12 for examples.
[4] David W T Brattston, “Fasting in the Earliest Church,” Restoration Quarterly 53, no. 4 (2011), 241-242.
[5] 16 “Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they disfigure their faces so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward.” Matthew 6:16.
[6] Frank Ely Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: With the New International Version of the Holy Bible /. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary 6, 8. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1979), 175.
[7] Gaertner, Dennis. Acts. 2nd, rev. printing ed. The College Press NIV Commentary. (Joplin, Mo: College Press Pub. Co, 1995), 86.