Then came His disciples and said unto Him, Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying? Matthew 15:12
One of the billionaire leaders of the largest company in the province was slated to speak at a Board of Trade supper. When he arrived at the reception prior to the supper, all the important people in the city were there, including city councillors, business leaders, and provincial government representatives. Everybody treated the billionaire with the greatest respect, and they were very careful during the conversation not to raise any of the controversial issues that the billionaire’s company was involved in. It was almost nauseating how they did everything to avoid offending him in any way. But that is the way much of the world is, so willing to pander to the rich and the powerful. Even the disciples in our text seem to be concerned about offending the rich and the powerful, not seeming to realize that the richest and most powerful of all was walking in their midst.
The religious leaders in Jesus time had a great deal of power and influence. To offend them was to risk many of the privileges that the people had. They could ill afford to be on the outs with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or the scribes even though the Lord Jesus had condemned their doctrines as contrary to the Word of God. But it was time for the disciples to realize that the favour of the religious leaders was not important, that there was something much more important to replace that old regime. We need to remember that too, as we live in a world that is deluded into accommodating all sorts of doctrines that are contrary to the Word of God. But we should not only not be deluded, we should also not be accommodating. Just because the nebulous ‘everybody’ goes along with the foolishness of evolution, the deception of religion, and the deceitfulness of riches does not mean that we should be part of the ‘everybody’.
The disciples knew that they were in the company of the One who had the truth. And nothing else should matter. The same should apply to us, as we acknowledge the presence, and the truth, of the Lord Jesus. The Word of God should be our absolute guide, no matter how it differs from public opinion, public policy, or anything else. -Jim MacIntosh