Excuses Are Useless
to a God who can do all things.
Jesus said:
"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin.
Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin."
John 15:22
The Story of the Man Born Blind (John 9:1-41) reveals how his physical blindness is viewed by those of religious authority: the man was born in sin, no doubt about it. He was "steeped in sin at birth." (vs. 34). Jesus came to reveal to those with that kind of mindset how wrong they were to believe such was the case. This would not be an easy task because ingrained and generational beliefs had held captive for a long time an attitude like that being expressed to the blind man. Among others, this endeavor was also a daunting exercise by Jesus to set straight the wrongful thinking on the part of the religious hierarchy. But just how did the religious authorities respond to the blind man? They quickly "threw him out" of the synagogue! (vs. 34). No one, especially a blind man, would be permitted to lecture them!
Spiritual Blindness. (John 9:35-41).
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, He said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
"Who is He, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in Him."
Jesus said, "You have now seen Him, in fact, He is the One speaking with you."
Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshipped Him.
Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into the world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."
Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, "What? Are we blind too?"
Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."
God's Wrath Against Mankind. (Romans 1:18-20).
The wrath of God is being revealed from Heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the Creation of the world, God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
What Romans 1:18-20 means:
No one, including even and especially the first man and woman Adam and Eve, can claim any kind of reason or excuse for not knowing God. Before the fall of the first pair in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve together could walk and talk and be in God's presence, and live to tell about it. But, after the fall and because of their failure to obey God, Adam and Eve could not live and exist any longer in God's presence. It is also true for all others who live and have lived on Planet Earth. Regardless of whatever time-period a person has lived, there is no excuse for not having knowledge of God.
"Excuses are useless to a God who can do all things."
The Parable of the Great Banquet. (Luke 14:15-24). "Please excuse me!"
When one of those at the table heard Him say this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the Feast in the Kingdom of God."
Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the
time of the banquet He sent His servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'
"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
"The servant came back and reported this to his Master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered His servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame.'
'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
"Then the Master told His servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"
What the Parable of the Great Banquet means:
It's a matter of choice. If there is no desire to attend the Feast in the Kingdom of God to which a person has been invited, that choice will be honored by the person giving the Feast. Many guests had been invited, "but they all alike began to make excuses," as verse 18 states. The Master of the Banquet wants His house to be full, so He invites the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. These words are very similar to what Jesus told the prominent Pharisee in Luke 14:12-14:
Then Jesus said to His host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your
brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
In similar thought, Jesus said when you are invited to a wedding feast, "take the lowest place, so
that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place' Then you will be
honored in the presence of your fellow guests." (Luke 14:10).
Excuses are useless to a God who can do all things.
The World Hates the Disciples. (John 15:18-25).
Jesus said: "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater that his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their law: 'They hated me without reason'."
Hatred: The World of Religious Clergy - 2,000 years ago.
The world of religious clergy of 2,000 years ago hates the disciples; the world of religious clergy of 2,000 years ago hates Jesus, ... even more. The world of religious thought 2,000 years ago can think of only one thing: To put an end to Jesus' life, and make it the most excruciating means of death possible. Jesus must die! And so it happened that way: Jesus died the death of a sinner who was convicted of a crime punishable by death on a cross, but Jesus didn't commit any crime or any sin. He was totally innocent of the false charges that were brought against Him. Nonetheless, it was expedient that Jesus be eliminated, and that a murderer be released from prison. Jesus didn't just die on His own accord. Insane religious people intentionally crucified Him.
Fast-Forward to Hatred: The World of Religious Clergy today - 2,000 years after the Crucifixion.
The world of the religious community today looks back at what happened to Jesus 2,000 years ago and nods its approval: Jesus has to die for the sins of the world. Christianity today believes that if Jesus doesn't die, there would be no hope for eternal life, that the human race is hopelessly lost. Jesus must be kept on the Cross today, ... and for good reason: to shed His blood. Jesus must die! It makes me wonder that those who have this mindset today, if they had been present at the Crucifixion 2,000 years ago that they would have been involved with those who yelled "Crucify him! Crucify him!" It's almost as if the Christian community today should thank and praise those people of 2,000 years ago who demanded Jesus' death. What person, in his right mind today, would agree with the insane religious community of 2,000 years ago? "They hated me without reason," said Jesus. (John 15:25). According to what Jesus said, when anyone hates Him, they hate the Father as well.
Is there any difference between the religious community of 2,000 years ago and the religious community of today, 2,000 years later? It can be said though, that in place of hatred, the Christian community today loves Jesus because He died for the sins of the whole world.
Today, the universal world of Christianity celebrates Christ's death and resurrection every year. It's His passion! Christ died for us! Praise God! But Jesus didn't come down from Heaven and just die. Jesus was crucified with the approval of the leaders of the religious community who hated him for revealing their sin. The world doesn't know the Father; the world doesn't know Jesus. The world hates the Father; the world hates Jesus. The world hates the Father and Jesus because they were not chosen.
Excuses are useless to a God who can do all things.
Jesus said:
"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin.
Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin."
John 15:22
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