What was the difference between Jesus and the religious leaders? The religious leaders had a lot of head knowledge and high self-esteem. They thought they lived piously and were good men, but nothing was as it seemed. Because when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, appeared on stage it was done with all their hypocrisy. Jesus exposed the hidden evil works of these pious religious leaders. Not all the religious leaders of God’s people were wrong and evil. But the majority of the religious leaders were spiritually corrupt and could only be exposed by Jesus; the Word and the Holy Spirit. Everything that was in their hearts and everything that happened in darkness and was not naturally visible in the eyes of carnal man, was visible in the spiritual realm for the eyes of the spiritual Man. And so Jesus revealed their evil works and brought the works of darkness into the light.
The three Jewish parties
From mid-200 BC until the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD there were three Jewish groups active. These three Jewish groups were the Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Essenes. Only the first two groups are mentioned in the Bible
The Sadducees were the political party of the Jewish aristocratic priesthood. They were the priests of the people. However, not all the priests were Sadducees. Since there were also priests, who were Pharisees.
The Pharisees were the most popular and influential party. They were the religious leaders of the people and formalized and represented the doctrine of the scribes. The Pharisees worked closely together with the scribes. Therefore, many times they are mentioned together in the Bible.
The majority of spiritual leaders didn’t stand in the service of God
Although many of them were appointed in the ministry of God, their lives stood not in the service of God and their heart didn’t belong to God. It was more a profession to them than a life to live.
Many of the religious leaders spoke pious words and acted piously according to the law of Moses and especially the traditions of the elders (like washing hands before eating), in front of others, but their hearts didn’t belong to God (Isaiah 29:13).
Because of their position and pious attitude in the presence of others, the people looked up to them and feared the religious leaders. The religious leaders enjoyed all the attention and the way they were treated by the people (Matthew 23:5-7).
Jesus called the religious leaders sons of the devil and actors of life
Jesus didn’t call them servants of God, but Jesus called the religious leaders sons of the devil and hypocrites; actors of life. Although they had the title and the role of a religious leader and spoke the words of Moses piously in front of the people, in reality, they didn’t know God and were not familiar with His ways and His thoughts and will.
Their lives didn’t correspond with the words they preached. They had deviated from God, His will, and His righteousness.
Jesus knew their heart and Jesus revealed their true nature and shew it openly to God’s people.
They were more focused on the formality of a commandment than the righteousness of a commandment
The Pharisees were more focused on the formality and keeping the law and the traditions of the elders than on the righteousness of the law.
As an example, they told Jesus that He couldn’t be sent by God, because Jesus did works on the Sabbath (The healing of a withered arm, allowing His disciples to pluck grain, etc.)
In this age, it would be the same as passing by a food stand on Sunday, while you hear the employer of the food stand say to a mother with two little children: “No! Do you hear me? If you don’t have enough money, you won’t get the food.” If you are religious, your mind shall say: “You may not buy on Sunday” and you shall walk on. But if you are born again and have God’s nature you will see the need and the lack of that woman and her children and you shall give her what she needs.
This is what Jesus did. Jesus saw the need and the lack of people. Jesus restored what was lacking and made the people whole.
Love your neighbor as yourself
There are many Christians, who are just like the religious leaders in Jesus’ time, more focused on the formality of a commandment than on the righteousness of a commandment.
Take for example the commandment ‘love your neighbor as yourself’, which many Christians have elevated to the first commandment. Anyway, they have given their own carnal interpretation to this commandment. They use it all the time to approve and accept a.o. strange religions and philosophies and the sins of people. This shows that they lack spiritual insight and the righteousness of this commandment (Read also: ‘What does it mean you shall love your neighbour as yourself?)
Because if they would be truly born of God (born again) and have His nature and have an experiential relationship with Him, then they wouldn’t approve and accept the works of the devil and the old carnal man, which are sins, but they would hate sin just like God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit (a.o. Psalms 97:10, Proverbs 6:16; 8:13, Revelation 2:6)
The difference between Jesus and the religious leaders
The religious leaders loved unrighteousness
Although the religious leaders knew the law of Moses and the commandments of God like no other and therefore knew the will of God, they loved unrighteousness more than righteousness.
They loved their own lives more than God. Therefore they didn’t follow up the commandments of God, which represented His will, in their lives.
In the presence of others, they judged the sinful works, but in their heart they loved unrighteousness. From their unrepented and uncircumcised heart, they did the works of unrighteousness and fulfilled the lusts and desires of their flesh.
Although the Scribes searched the scriptures and investigated every word and knew every commandment, they didn’t know the Author of the scriptures and missed the message of what it was all about. Because they missed the message, they missed Jesus the Christ.
Jesus loved righteousness and hated unrighteousness
Jesus had a relationship with His Father and spend much time with Him, unlike the religious leaders. He knew the Father and His will and walked in obedience to Him and His will.
Jesus was (and is) the Living Word and loved righteousness. Jesus hated unrighteousness. Since unrighteousness diametrically opposes the will of His Father and His Kingdom (Read also: ‘What does Jesus hate?).
Jesus was no Respecter of persons
Jesus didn’t walk after the flesh and wasn’t led by His senses; by what He saw, heard, and felt. But Jesus was led by the words of God and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus didn’t go along with the religious leaders. Jesus wasn’t a smooth talker and didn’t use flattery words and didn’t please them and acted nice, as so many people always think of Jesus, in order to be liked and accepted and to get a place and lecture in the temple.
But Jesus spoke the truth and therefore He spoke hard words to the people, which were often confronting and many people, including the leaders, took offense.
In this time, the words of Jesus would be considered unloving, malpractice, and sowing fear and hate (Read also: The message that nobody wants to hear).
Because Jesus didn’t keep His mouth to keep the so-called peace, the way the world defines peace.
But Jesus exposed the works of the devil, which were accomplished in the lives of many people, including the religious leaders, and called them to repentance and the removal of sin.
Jesus wasn’t a Respecter of persons. He didn’t make any distinction between people. Unlike the religious leaders, who did make a distinction among the people.
The doctrine of the religious leaders
Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers (Matthew 23:1-4)
The religious leaders were representatives of the law of Moses, the written Word of God. They taught and instructed the people from the Law of Moses and made the written words of God known to the people.
They spoke the right words, but because their lives didn’t belong to God, they didn’t live and act according to their words.
Although Jesus called them sons of the devil and hypocrites, actors of life, Jesus did say to the people that they should do what they told them to do, but not do their works.
In the teachings of Jesus, the people saw a completely different way of teaching. They didn’t saw a doctrine with only a set of rules and commandments, they had to keep. But they saw a message with power. They saw a doctrine, whereby the words came to life and the Kingdom of God was revealed.
The doctrine of Jesus
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine: For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (Matthew 7:28-29)
And they were all amazed (after Jesus had cast out an unclean spirit in the synagogue), insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth He even the unclean spirits, and they do obey Him (Mark 1:27)
Jesus didn’t walk and didn’t teach God’s people the way the scribes did and didn’t lay only commandments on the people and made the people passive.
But Jesus was the Living Word of God and He walked and spoke with authority. Jesus made the will of God known to the people, called them to repentance, and taught them, including His disciples, like ones with authority and made them active.
Jesus didn’t produce sons of the devil and workers of iniquity and the kingdom of darkness, as the religious leaders did. But Jesus produced sons of God and workers of righteousness and the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus gave what was in Him and taught His disciples in the will of God and sent them and gave them power over the whole army of the enemy; the devil and his kingdom, who had bound many of God’s people.
By their faith and obedience to Jesus and His words, they walked and spoke and acted with authority, just like their Master Jesus. And just like their Master, they were also untouchable for the kingdom of darkness.
The fulfillment of the law of Moses
Jesus represented not only the law of Moses like the religious leaders, but Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses. Jesus was the living Word and walked in the will of God and therefore Jesus fulfilled the law. Jesus has never laid aside the moral part of the law of Moses and has never annulled the moral part of the law of Moses (Mat 5:17; 19:17-19, Mar 10:18-19, Lu 18:19-20, Rom 3:31).
Jesus couldn’t do that, because God made His will known to His carnal people through the law. The law of sin and death was meant for the old carnal man, who walks after the flesh in which sin and death reign. Hence the name, the law of sin and death. By the law of sin and death, sin, which is everything that goes against the will of God, was revealed (Read also: The revealing truth about the law of sin and death.).
The religious leaders couldn’t meet the needs of the people
The religious leaders walked after the flesh in the natural realm and were not able to give God’s people what they needed.
They tried to help the people from their carnal mind; wisdom and knowledge and by using natural means, methods, and technics. But unfortunately, they couldn’t meet the true needs of the people and therefore the people became as lost sheep.
Jesus met the needs of the people
But Jesus walked in the Kingdom of God after the Spirit and saw the need and the lack of people. He saw the result of false doctrines and the works of the darkness in the lives of the people. From the Kingdom of God and in the Name of God; His authority and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus restored man and made them whole.
Jesus didn’t ‘operate’ from His flesh and His carnal mind and Jesus didn’t use and applied natural means, methods, and techniques. But Jesus ‘operated’ from His Spirit, in the Name of God; the authority of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The religious leaders were not moved with compassion
The religious leaders were too busy with themselves and were not moved with compassion for the lost and didn’t give them what they needed. Instead, they led them astray and have them go their way and condemned them.
Jesus was moved with compassion
Jesus walked after the Spirit and saw the lost sheep of Israel. He saw the lost souls and the oppression of the devil and was moved with them. Jesus gave the lost what they needed and after He fulfilled their needs it was up to them if they wanted to repent and give their lives to Jesus and follow Jesus or not.
Jesus knew who He was and trusted in God instead of titles
The religious leaders boasted and had put their trust in their titles and grades and their carnal wisdom and knowledge. But Jesus put His trust in God and didn’t need any earthly position, grade or title to prove Himself. Since Jesus knew that an earthly title and/or grade doesn’t mean anything in the spiritual realm.
Jesus knew who He was and He knew His purpose and Jesus trusted in God.
The religious leaders rejected the Word of God
The religious leaders had a lot of head-knowledge of the written Word of God and were puffed up. But because they didn’t obey and lived after the words of God, the words remained written words, that didn’t bring forth life in their lives nor in the lives of others.
Because of their unbelief and that they didn’t follow up on the words of God in their lives, they exalted themselves above the words of God and rejected the Word of God.
Jesus was the living Word of God
It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63)
Jesus’ heart belonged to God and therefore He lived in obedience to His will. The will of God was His will and was above the will of His flesh.
Because of that Jesus lived after the words of the Father and according to the words, He spoke and taught His disciples.
His words represented the will of the Father, which revealed the sins of the people and called them to repentance.
His words represented the will of God and were empowered by the Holy Spirit.
They were words of the Spirit that possessed the life of God and brought forth life in the lives of the people.
Jesus walked in the power of the Holy Spirit
The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him (Acts 10:36-38)
Jesus walked in obedience to God and His words and in the power of the Holy Spirit All the signs and wonders, that followed Jesus, were done in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The religious leader rejected the Holy Spirit
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils (Matthew 12:24)
And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils (Mark 3:22)
But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils (Luke 11:15)
The religious leaders walked in darkness and were blind to God and His works. They didn’t know the Word and the Holy Spirit. Therefore they accused Jesus that He cast out devils in the power of Beelzebub, the chief of the devil (prince of the devils) and that He stood in the service of Beelzebub. By saying that, they not only rejected the words of Jesus but also the signs and wonders Jesus did in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And so, they rejected the Word and the Holy Spirit and grieved Him.
Jesus didn’t exalt Himself above the people
But Jesus called them to Him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45)
Although Jesus walked in the authority of His Father on earth as One with authority, who spoke hard words and exposed the works of darkness (sins), and call the people to repentance, Jesus didn’t exalt Himself above the people like the religious leaders.
Jesus had laid down His own life and served the people, by making the will of God and the Kingdom of God known to them and bringing the Kingdom of God to them, and calling them to repentance
.Jesus didn’t allow Himself to be served, by His disciples. Nor that they worshiped and exalt Him. But Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, including the feet of Jude, who would betray Him.
Jesus set the example of how a son of God ought to walk on this earth. Jesus said, that whosoever will be the chiefest in the Kingdom of God, shall be a servant of all.
Jesus didn’t exalt Himself above the people. Unlike the religious leaders, who were prideful and boasted because of all their carnal wisdom and knowledge, and showed off their titles and position and exalted themselves above the people, who they treated as slaves and eventually rejected Jesus and sentenced Him to death (Matthew 9:12, Luke 19:10).
Jesus brought the lost sheep home
But Jesus didn’t love His own life. Out of love for His Father and for the people, Jesus gave up His life and took the punishment for sin and death upon Himself and died on the cross. Jesus became the Substitute for fallen man.
So that everyone, who would believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and would be born again, would be redeemed from sin and death, that reign in the flesh and become a new creation, through the resurrection of the spirit from death and would be reconciled with the Father and enter the Kingdom of God.
Unlike the religious leaders, who scattered the sheep and led them astray, Jesus brought the lost sheep home.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
Source: Vine’s dictionary
