Jesus' Business

Jesus is about His Father’s business. What is His Father’s business? Yes indeed! It is the Kingdom of God. Jesus goes from place to place with His words and works, teaching and showing people what His Father’s Kingdom is all about.

As usual, people flock to Him in droves. There are those who are hungry to receive His words of wisdom, truth and life. The sick and needy flock to Him and receive miraculous life changes of body, soul and mind. But note, Pharisees, those who are lawfully righteous and religiously well, also go to where Jesus is. This is important to note, for it is the wisdom we are receiving in this teaching time.

Learn this! The Pharisees were always looking for ways and means to trap Jesus and show Him up as an imposter – fake, false and a fraud – before the eyes of the uneducated and deceived people, as they saw them. The wisdom, attitude and manner of all pharisaical minds around us, with us and even within us, will always find a way to get at the ways and works of Jesus and anyone who is following Jesus, to show that they are not obeying God.

Having ascertained that what our text shows is the attempt by Pharisees to catch Jesus off guard and show His wisdom - His teachings and ways – as highly unlawful, we are given more of their motives. Their full and focused intention is to expose Rabbi Jesus as a disrespectful, lawbreaking Jew and a non-conforming citizen. Especially in this, we continue to seek the wisdom of our Master in order to learn and see Him in full form. Love faces Law with blaring, blinding headlights.

What did Moses command you? Note the manner in which the question was brought to Jesus. Is it lawful? Think about it. The wisdom of the Pharisees is to bring one specific aspect of the law to Jesus, yet they begin, not with that specific item, but with a generality. Is it lawful? Jesus’ wisdom allows Him to know that they have come to Him with Moses’ Law and His lawlessness. Although they have not mentioned the name of Moses, Jesus brings God’s servant, Moses, into focus. What did Moses command you? Jesus is using some strategic steps here, and we will trace them as we continue.

I find it even more engaging to be given more and more learning, as we draw closer to Ascension Day, which is tomorrow, and the end of our forty days after our Lord’s resurrection. Yes, like many of you, I too am held focused and totally keen, thankful and ever so grateful, as we continue to receive teachings on the Kingdom of God. Remember, for those forty days after Resurrection, Jesus never spent the entire time convincing them that it was really Him whom they were seeing in different bodily forms. No! As important, necessary and wise, was their understanding and knowledge of the Kingdom of His Father.

Herein is wisdom. To have full assurance and know beyond doubt that Jesus is alive is good, but to be ignorant, most unwise about the Kingdom of God is to be of no avail.

We ask the Holy Spirit to grant us the seeing eyes, hearing ears and teachable hearts as tomorrow, by faith, we come to our Lord’s Ascension.