Read John 4:1-3
This chapter starts with the reason for the journey that is to unfold in this story. Not only was John the Baptist and his disciples baptizing people, but Jesus’ disciples were as well. The previous chapter in John verse 23 mentions that people were constantly coming out to be baptized. This was getting the Pharisees’ attention.
This was a time that was still early in Jesus’ ministry. He knew what role the Pharisees were to play during His time on earth in His human form. Jesus also knew the timing. They were going to be the conduit for His death. But not yet.
Jesus could have faced the Pharisees right then, but that would come in time.
Timing is a principle we see many times in scripture. Here is an example of seeing God’s timing in action. There are times when the enemy is to be faced head-on. But there are other times when other tasks must be done first. At times, some manifestations of men’s hearts must come to fruition. God will give us choices to keep following a path laid out by the enemy, or we can repent and choose the right path. God allows that timing for us to make the right choices and come to Him.
And what about these Pharisees? At this time, Jesus received intel that they were taking notice of the people’s interest in what was going on. What were the choices that were now being laid out for them? Were they not liking the fact that the people were going to another place for spiritual answers in their lives instead of them? How were they reacting to God introducing the next step in His ultimate plan of salvation? And it wasn’t being manifested through them. They were watching the people get interested in this new teaching. What was this doing to their thoughts? Their egos?
This was an interesting time for the Pharisees. They were the teachers in the synagogues that were scattered throughout the land. These were the men that the people would look up to for instruction, advice, and answers to their questions.
How many of us already have an opinion about the Pharisees? As I was growing up listening to stories from the Bible, I developed a negative opinion of Pharisees. After all, they are the ones who worked with the priests in the temple to get Jesus crucified. Bad Pharisees!
It wasn’t until later in life that I was challenged to see a good Pharisee. God was able to use them to teach His people for many, many years. Yes, there were good Pharisees as well. Some of them in Jesus’ time even came to be believers in Him. One candidate is Nicodemus whom Jesus talked with in John 3.
Do we have a situation that’s similar to Pharisees in our time? Is there a lesson to learn or realization we need to understand about those who are teaching us like the Pharisees taught people in Jesus’ time? What about today’s preachers and evangelists? We may have experienced those who have truly instructed us and helped us learn about God and how to have a relationship with Him. Good Pharisee. Have any of us have experienced preachers or teachers that leave us empty? What about jumping through so many hoops that we feel degraded or tired? Bad Pharisee. Can we see the same spectrum of people in roles in our churches that those in Jesus’ time saw in their synagogues?
Doesn’t it also come down to the character of each of us and not just those that we are learning from? There are those of us who desire to be God’s vessels. We desire that the Holy Spirit can work in and through us to reach, teach, serve, encourage, pray for, and help other people. This is using the gifts that the Lord has created within us. And in turn, we are taught and encouraged to grow in our faith journey with the Lord. Good Pharisee.
Then there are those that the enemy spotted as a potential tool that the Lord could use. He sizes up the strengths and weaknesses of the person. Then he lays out a plan to lure them off course so that the Holy Spirit is blocked from using them in the ministry planned for them. The focus is taken off God and instead placed in rituals or appearances that replace God. Bad Pharisee.
Can we see the seeds that the enemy desires to plant into men’s lives to sow pride, jealousy, and actions of sins that grow from those seeds? But isn’t it marvelous that God loves us so much that we can have a change of heart, repent, and then get back on the right path with Him? Good Pharisee.
In these verses, Jesus determined that it was time to move on to the next place. This was just one stop of many during His ministry days on earth. In each stop He made, He impacted the lives of the people He met. In just these verses, there were people baptized by His disciples. They saw Him, they heard Him speak. They were moved to be baptized.
Others there saw a new movement of faith developing that threatened their way of life, even their belief system. There was a challenge to their way of thinking and lifestyle. How would they react? Was the enemy allowed an in-road into their lives to plant a seed of discord?
There are times when we can see the enemy starting to enter a situation in our lives. This also challenges us to use prayer and discernment in our next action. Are we to face the source of the enemy straight on? Or are we to wait? Is there something else we need to do first? It may even be an act of obedience that will undermine the enemy in a way we don’t understand, but the Lord will use it for His glory and Honor, His way. And then when the timing is right, the enemy will be struck down and the Lord will have His way in that situation.
There are times when we need to stay. There are times when we need to move on to the next place. This takes discernment and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
And like the Pharisees, there will be times in our lives when we may be faced with a new truth from God that we need to learn. Will we embrace it and grow as we walk by His Holy Spirit? Or will we hold even tighter to old thoughts, even rituals and traditions? What lesson can we learn from the Pharisees today?