Jesus Disarmed, But Did Not Deceive

What Did Jesus Do?

“Have you also been deceived?”
John 7.47

When you are thoroughly invested in a lie, the truth sounds like deceit. The chief priests and Pharisees of Jerusalem, presumptive authorities on the law, had in fact embraced a corruption of the law, with the result that when One came to fulfill the law, they characterized him as an arch lawbreaker, a “public enemy,” if you will, and sent a posse out to arrest Jesus (see John 7.32).

Back in those does such a posse would have taken it as their sworn duty to apprehend their man. Ironically, the posse in fact seemed to apprehend the Lord, even as they were not willing to bring him in. What I mean here by apprehend is that they began to realize, to understand, to perceive that Jesus was no mere lawbreaker. In fact, what Christ spoke did not sound like anything they had ever heard anyone say before (John 7.46), and it disarmed them, so to speak. So taken was the posse by the words of Jesus that they refused to lay hands on him, and returned to the chief priests and Pharisees without him. This did not at all please their masters, who demanded to know why they had failed to complete their assignment (John 7.45). When the posse explained that the words of Jesus had in effect been disarming, the Pharisees immediately charged them with being deceived, which in essence charged the Lord with being a deceiver. As I said above, when you are thoroughly invested in a lie, the truth sounds like deceit. But the fact was, Jesus disarmed, but did not deceive.

So, the ones who had so corrupted and twisted the law that they could no longer recognize the truth when it was staring them in the face, blamed pretty much everyone who had begun to believe in Jesus for being ignorant of the law, and condemned them as accursed (John 7.49). When Nicodemus, who, though he still did not completely grasp the truth about Jesus, argued that the law guaranteed that a man should have the opportunity to speak before being condemned, his colleagues essentially accused him of being deceived by suggesting he was a fellow Galilean with the Lord (John 7.50-52). The truly deceived could do nothing but accuse all others of falling prey to deception. They claimed to be defenders of truth, while being afraid of listening to anything that might challenge the lies they were so invested in.

Today there are countless “truths” people invest in. Some embrace political ideologies as their truth. Others are completely committed to anthropology, psychology, and humanism. And many are completely taken in by the claims of science. Interestingly, pretty much all who are so invested in such “truths” deride and dismiss Christians as being deceived, much as the priests and Pharisees did with the first believers.

Well, here's the thing, though we often talk about the Church being engaged in battle (the Church “Militant” if you will), I believe what Christians should be committed to is disarmament, so to speak. This is not at all to suggest appeasement or surrender. But I believe that rather than seek a fight we are called to employ the same tactics as Jesus, indeed use the very words of the Lord, to disarm others. The gracious and winsome words of the Gospel are not “fightin'” words, but words of peace. And the Holy Spirit is the Father's agent of disarmament who reveals the truth of who the Son is, and what the Son has done, to those who have been deceived.

Oh, the one who is the Deceiver will battle vigorously against Jesus, who is the Truth. And all who are under the power of the Deceiver will resist until they are either disarmed by the Gospel, or stand judged and condemned before the Lord himself for refusing to receive him. For now, we are commissioned by Christ himself to go into the world and make disciples of those whom the Holy Spirit disarms with the Good News we proclaim.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4