The more I study the life of Jesus the more I realize He was not intentionally rebellious; He did not set out to be disrespectful; He was not trying to be offensive, so why were the religious leaders so bothered by Him and what He did?

There is nothing Jesus did that broke the Law; there was nothing Jesus said that was not the Truth; there was no miracle Jesus performed that did not heal someone. So what was the actual problem with the religious leaders of Jesus’s day?

The answer for them may be the answer for us if we are willing to hear the truth that will set us free. They had been so layered in the traditions and doctrines of men they no longer could hear the Word of God. Jesus shows up as the Word in the flesh (John 1) but they could not receive His words, for they were already full of their own words, thoughts, ideas.

Offended people, angry people, critical people, are quick to resist you people when it comes to the Truth that Jesus speaks, and it reveal themselves as having a problem not Jesus.

Matthew 12 says, “There is one here who is even greater than the temple.” Now to the religious leaders in Jerusalem these were fighting words. He now stepped on truly holy ground. The temple was the greatest thing to them. Everything and I mean everything was about the temple for them. So for Him to even consider saying anything about the temple was crossing the line.

We are the same way, we have something that if anyone tries to address it with us, they are picking a fight and don’t even realize it. It was their sacred cow and we have them as well. Truth is no respecter of sacred cows, for the truth has preeminence. Jesus is the Truth, but how many of us resist Him because our sacred cow is more valuable to us than even the truth?

I can see the barbecue grill smoking as Jesus has started making sacred cows gourmet burgers and once you give Him your sacred cows, your offensive will be a burnt offering to God and you will be free. I hear the call to come to barbecue, but it is a bring your own cow event. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org