When they pick and choose what from God’s word they will apply and what they will put behind their back.  That’s true in Israel as Jesus faces trial.  It’s true in the church today.  Every leadership scandal in the church is not because God’s word fails, it’s because leaders fail to be godly by leading under God and by his word.  It’s when leaders decide right and wrong for themselves, when they pick and choose what from God’s word they live by and what they ignore. Pray for your church leaders that they never fall into that trap.  

What were Israel supposed to be?  What was God’s design for them, God’s purpose in redeeming them and calling them?  They were supposed to be God’s people, in God’s place, enjoying life under God’s rule.  As they did that they’d be a beacon to the nations, standing out from them like a brightly lit city on a hill.  They were to be a nation that under God’s law were marked by justice, generous care for the oppressed and marginalised, and love for God shown in love for humanity made in his image.  They were to be a just, generous, gracious, holy people in the image of the God who dwelt among them.
As Jesus (Matthew 26v57)is led mob handed to Caiaphas the High priest we see all the leaders of Israel gathered together.  Just think about who’s there.  The High Priest whose privileged position made him overseer of the work of the all the priests who served God, maintained the temple and performed sacrifices.  The High Priest alone could enter the holy of holies once a year and offer atonement sacrifices for himself and for the people, so they could be forgiven for their sin and be right with God.
The teachers of the law were exactly that.  They studied God’s law.  They maintained it and taught it to the people.  And the elders were older men who represented the people and exercised authority and leadership over them.
Why does Matthew list them as they gather?  Because you’d expect the leaders of God’s people to be godly.  To lead according to God’s law.  God is a God of justice and righteousness so the leaders of his people should pursue justice and righteousness.  Their authority comes not from themselves but from God’s word applied to the situations they see.
But (59)highlights the corruption of Israel.  What were they doing as they gathered?  “looking for false evidence against Jesus so they could be him to death.”  The verdict has been decided the only question is can they find evidence to support their conviction?
That verse throws a floodlight onto the hypocrisy of the leaders of God’s people, the depths to which they’ve sunk.
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Written by Daniel P. Miller |
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
We may lack the power to control every aspect of every emotional reaction that other people’s words or actions ignite in us. But we are responsible for rightly responding to those reactions and repenting whenever they prove sinful.

Preparing for Hurt in the Church
We live in a fallen world. As glorious and wonderful as life in the church is, God’s people have not yet been fully delivered from the effects of sin. So we need to learn to set our expectations for life in the church aright. Here are four truths you need to start believing right now to prepare yourself for the disappointment and hurt you’ll inevitably experience in your church.
First, every relationship you have in the church is ultimately about the reputation of Jesus Christ. When I am driven by a Spirit-empowered zeal to exalt Christ as Lord and Savior, I will labor to display his reconciling love in the difficult relationships he ordains for me. Such zeal for Christ’s glory must rule my feelings. It must overrule fleshly desires that pull me in other directions. My pain is not all about me. It’s ultimately all about Jesus’s honor as displayed in the church he died to redeem.
In this addition to the Church Questions series, Daniel Miller helps Christians understand their moral responsibility when responding to common frustrations in the church.
When hurt feelings become more important than Christ’s honor in the church, sin is certain to shipwreck our relationships. As Christians, we shouldn’t be ruled by our hurt feelings. Instead, we need to cultivate thoughts, words, attitudes, and desires that exalt Jesus. If we allow our feelings, especially hurt feelings, to reign supreme, we will cause damage to his church.
Valuing Christ’s glory above our feelings or personal comforts is hard. Our self-oriented culture trains us to put ourselves first, especially when we’re in pain. Of course, we shouldn’t muzzle our feelings. We must learn to acknowledge and deal with them forthrightly, as we’ll consider in a moment. Still, throughout that process, don’t ever lose sight of the larger agenda: glorifying Christ and seeing his kingdom exalted. The glory of Jesus displayed in his church must remain our primary ambition amid any pain we endure—even pain in the church.
Second, personal offenses are inevitable in a fallen world. Living in a Genesis 3 world doesn’t mean we should dismiss or fatalistically resign ourselves to any offense others may inflict. But it does mean that we—unlike the typical politician, media operative, psychologist, celebrity, or national citizen—believe in human depravity. We should therefore anticipate the ways depravity will make our lives difficult.
People will sinfully offend you. Your feelings will get ruffled if not pierced through by the words, decisions, and deeds of others. When this happens, don’t be shocked. Nothing strange is happening. Don’t buy the lie that your hurt is somehow unique. It’s not (1 Cor. 10:13).
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He cried out to the Lord and then lay down and slept. “But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. (Selah … pause and think about that). I lay down and slept. I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.” (Psalm 3:3-6) If you’ve never been through a battle or been there and never trusted in God, this will seem foolish.

All of us face enemies in life. The immediate response if an enemy is strong enough and the siege long enough is to lose all hope. If we listen to the prognosticators, they all tell us it’s useless. And even if we are trusting in God, they will proclaim that trusting in Him is fine, but it will not deliver us.
The Veteran Warrior
David was an old man when his son, Absalom, came against him and drove him from his own home and city. While others were fearful and doubting, David was at peace. His prayer reflects what others thought about the situation.
O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” (Psalm 3:1-2)
But they did not reckon with a wise warrior who’d been through many battles. He knew God was sufficient.
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