Knowing Jesus

Knowing Jesus

Read: Matthew 12:1-13

“I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.”

Matthew 12:6

“There is but one thing in the world really worth pursuing—the knowledge of God.”

—Robert Hugh Benson

IN WORD One of the most mind-boggling tendencies of human beings is to zero in on the trappings of our faith at the expense of its substance. This applies to all faiths of all times, but never is the error so grievous as when we do this with the Son of God. In this story in Matthew 12, the Pharisees are more concerned with the Sabbath and the Temple than they are with the Lord of the Sabbath and the One who inhabits the Temple. They major on the details but miss the big picture.

We also have peripherals that we obsess about. On Sunday mornings, we often experience worship services without experiencing worship. We sometimes conduct Bible studies without fellowshiping with the Author. We do works of ministry without relying on the One who would minister through us, if we’d let Him. We pray our prayers without conversing with the Spirit who inhabits them and hears them. We are so prone to digress from a relationship with Jesus Himself to the religion that makes Him its object, that we must guard ourselves daily. Someone greater than all of our activities and beliefs is here.

IN DEED Which elements of your faith are religious activity? Which are part of a genuine relationship with the Savior? Can you still distinguish between the two? We easily criticize the Pharisees for their blindness to the God who walked among them, but we can be just as blind. It doesn’t take long to digress from knowing Christ to practicing Christianity. And we are far too easily diverted to the latter.

It is sadly common for Jesus to become Someone we talk about—the historical Founder of our faith—rather than Someone we talk to—the Keeper of our hearts. Daily re- direct your attention from the outward signs of our faith to the Person who gives us our faith. Know the One who walks with you.