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Jesus Said, "Learn Of Me"
February 26, 2012
Once purified by the blood of Jesus, we are to be zealous of, and filled with, good works. Who better to teach us how to live our lives than Jesus? He said that He was meek and lowly, and that we should learn of Him. Some say that Jesus was a fighter and contender, ready to scold anyone who did not measure up. Today, we examine some of His teaching and attitude to see if that is so.
Bernie Parsons
Jesus Said, Learn Of Me
by
Bernie Parsons
Presented to Load church of Christ on 02-26-2012
Presented to Globe church of Christ on 03-04-2012
I have recently talked about how that we need to learn of Jesus’
righteousness and the word of God, his Father. Jesus, Himself, said that we
are to learn of Him.
Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
I want to examine the attitudes that Jesus manifested. Many of my Christian
friends claim that Jesus was rough on everyone, very demanding, and highly
critical. Is that, indeed, the truth? He did call for everyone to repent, to
turn their hearts back to God, to listen and then obey.
Mark 1:14 "Now after that John was
put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom
of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand:
repent ye, and believe the gospel."
At the same time, He had a gentle approach to individuals.
John 8:1 “Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people
came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery;
and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very
act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what
sayest thou?
6 they said, tempting him, that
they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger
wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto
them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out
one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left
alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said
unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 , No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go,
and sin no more.”
Where is the scorn and condemnation that most would have heaped upon this
woman? This gentle appeal toward children shows us more of His attitude.
Mark 10:13 “And they brought young children to him, that he should touch
them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer
the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the
kingdom of God.
15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as
a little child, he shall not enter therein.
16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed
them.”
Jesus was not severe with the common people, reserving criticism for the
hypocritical teachers
Matthew 16:6 "Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."
Matthew 16:11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you
concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and
of the Sadducees?
12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of
bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."
The Jewish leaders were the ones needing severe correction, and Jesus was
ready to supply it.
Mark 11:15 “And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and
began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the
tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the
temple.
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be
called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of
thieves.
18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might
destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at
his doctrine.”
In fact, here is some of what Jesus said to the common people about the
leadership.
Matthew 23:1 "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do
not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
4 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."
He told the regular Jews to listen to the Law of Moses, but not to follow
the hypocritical leaders. In fact, He pronounced woes upon the leadership in
Jerusalem.
Matthew 23:13 "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves,
neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows'
houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the
greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and
land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more
the child of hell than yourselves.
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the
temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple,
he is a debtor!
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that
sanctifieth the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever
sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that
sanctifieth the gift?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all
things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that
dwelleth therein.
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by
him that sitteth thereon.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint
and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave
the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the
outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion
and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and
platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto
whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within
full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are
full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the
tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have
been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of
them which killed the prophets.
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of
hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes:
and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye
scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from
the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias,
whom ye slew between the temple and the altar."
By the above we see that Jesus had a gentle rebuke for ordinary people, but
a harsh rebuke for leaders who misled the people, teaching them false
doctrine, or being hypocritical.
