Without Excuse

In the ancient world, the Jewish nation was unique because of their God and His laws delivered to them through Moses.  They exerted themselves to keep His commands and even went beyond the letter of the Law with traditions embraced for millennia.  The lives of the people were governed in ways foreign to many people today, impacting everything from the clothing they wore, how they harvested their crops, what was considered clean and unclean foods, marriage, the observance of feast days and the Sabbath.  The Law contained blessings and curses, directives for necessary worship of God and the punishment of evildoers.  The Jews who kept the Law were very particular about avoiding anything unclean and maintaining a blameless image according to their traditions.

When Jesus ministered in Israel, He preached about the kingdom of God and did countless signs to show the truth of His claims.  For instance, after a paralysed man was brought to Jesus He said to the man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."  The scribes and Pharisees bristled at the statement, for they knew only God could possibly forgive sins.  Who did this man think he was?  Jesus answered the secret thoughts of their hearts by miraculously healing the paralytic.  So they would know the Son of Man (Jesus) had the power to forgive sins (and thus was God in the flesh), Jesus said in Mark 2:11-12, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." ¹² Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"  Perhaps some of them were more amazed by the sign than what it pointed to:  that God Himself put on human flesh and walked among them in the person of Jesus.

The teaching and miracles demonstrated by Jesus had another effect mentioned in the Gospel of John.  It exposed the truth concerning the hearts of people who were blameless under the Law:  it revealed they actually hated the God they professed to love.  Their self-righteousness and condemnation of others covered up the fact their hearts were distant from God.  Jesus said in John 15:22-24, "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ He who hates Me hates My Father also. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father."  The rejection of Jesus Christ as the Son of God was actually a rejection of God Himself, for Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him.  The words of Jesus are also relevant concerning people today who are law-abiding citizens, generous, considerate and thoughtful people who refuse to trust in Jesus as Saviour.  Their refusal to believe Jesus is God is inexcusable because Jesus has spoken and done mighty works no one else has ever done.

It was ironic the Jewish rulers who believed the Law of Moses was the word of God refused to believe the Jesus Whom Moses wrote about.  Jesus said the people of Nineveh would rise up in judgment against the Jews for their unbelief in Him, for the Ninevites repented at the words of Jonah.  One greater than Jonah preached repentance to them, yet they refused to repent.  The Queen of Sheba would also stand in judgment against them, for she traveled a great distance to hear the wisdom of King Solomon--and One greater than Solomon stood in their midst they refused to hear.  Paul wrote people are without excuse concerning belief in the existence of God Who created all things because all creation displays His glory.  The words and deeds of Jesus have exposed all those religious and decent people who reject Jesus for what they truly are:  haters of God, without excuse and under judgment.  It is not the "good" people who receive Christ in faith, but those who realise they are wicked and sinful.  It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, and having been convinced Jesus is God in the flesh we worship, love and obey Him.  We too are without excuse to do our joyful duty before God.