We might even feel a bit self-righteous explaining to non-believers that the temple priests were eager to crucify Christ because he threatened the religious order by whipping money-changers and by calling the priests and Pharisees hypocrites.
In other words the temple priests and the Pharisees, the most religious folks of their time, rejected Christ because they disagreed not only with what he said and with who he said he was, but also with his authority to Command those things.
Good thing we're not like that today, isn't it?
Today we can sit back and feel free to pick and say Amen! to those parts of Jesus's words we agree with ... just as we feel free to ignore the commands we disagree with (or simply feel don't apply any more), without fear of rejecting Jesus or mocking him or calling him a liar, right?
No, that's not right at all.
Rejecting Christ's teachings ... meaning ANY of them ... because they might contradict "what we think God is really like" is the same as putting our own interests ahead of God's.
Which is exactly the same thing the Pharisees and temple priests were thinking two thousand years ago when they arrested, tried and crucified the Messiah. And still somehow left us shaking our heads 2000 years later.
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8
