THE CRITICAL CHRIST

Jesus Christ is known for many things; one of the greatest of which is love. Jesus had great love for mankind and a great love for His Father. While Jesus is known for His love for God and man, He is also known for His love for truth. Jesus often expressed the importance of truth (John 4:23, 24; 8:31, 32; 17:17); and when one loves the truth, there is naturally a disdain for error. The Holy Spirit inspired the psalmist to write these words: “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104); “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128). Jesus Christ loved the truth and hated every false way.

The word “critical” means “marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws.” Jesus often called attention to error and flaws; therefore the word “critical” could be used to describe the Messiah under certain circumstances. Notice some examples of Jesus speaking out against error and the serious flaw of hypocrisy:

Jesus warned us to be wary of false prophets – “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:15, 16).

Jesus called certain people fools and blind guides – “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! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?” (Matthew 23:16, 17).

Jesus called certain people hypocrites – “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. 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. 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” (Matthew 23:13-15; see also verses 23, 25, 27, 29, and Luke 11:44).

Jesus called certain people serpents and vipers – “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33; see also Matthew 12:34).

Jesus loved these men enough to die for them (Hebrews 2:9), but He did not love what they were doing. It is impossible to study the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) without noticing the fact that both God and godly men get upset when a false way is being propagated. Perhaps this is because they know that the truth makes men free (John 8:32), and the false way leads people to death and destruction (Proverbs 16:25; Matthew 7:13).

Jason Hilburn