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bigmike

Isaiah 53:12 (NLT) 12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
Welcome back.
Above is the verse that Jesus referred to when He spoke of being “counted among the rebels.”
Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday and learn some more together.
We have already determined that the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus' time were hypocrites, caring more about appearances than their actual duties as shepherds of the Jewish people.
They spoke eloquently, and they dressed in beautiful, ceremonial robes, priding themselves in their appearance.
And their outside appearance was nearly flawless. But on the inside, they were dirty, caring only about their traditions and rituals, and not about the condition of their hearts.
It was because of this that Jesus stood so firmly against them and railed against their calloused hearts and hypocritical ways.
And as He walked out His ministry, there were few among the Jewish leadership of that day that He did not offend or anger in some way.
To be clear, His goal was not to infuriate them. It was to expose their darkened hearts.
It was His persistent hammering away at their hypocrisy that caused Him to be labeled by them as a rebel; a friend of sinners who kept company with tax collectors, prostitutes, and others who were equally undesirable in society.
Jesus challenged the religious authorities frequently enough to earn the moniker of rebel (transgressor), at least in their eyes.
And as His ministry progressed and grew, drawing crowds numbering in the thousands, this rebel reputation among the religious leaders was growing, slowly pushing Him toward a death sentence that only rebels of that day received.
Let’s continue tomorrow.
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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