Do You Need God? (Part I of II)
By Chris Voss
It is my understanding that when a person goes to their first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, the person says, “Hello, my name is Bob. I’m an alcoholic.” Immediately, Bob is warmly greeted and accepted by the AA group. There seems to be a real importance for people at AA to admit to themselves and to others that they are not totally self-sufficient or conscious of no need, but a frail and fallible human being requiring reassurance, acceptance and forgiveness.
During the earthly lifetime of Jesus, there was a self-righteous, self-sufficient Jewish religious group called the Pharisees who believed in enforcing, without mercy, the Jewish sacred laws; those laws from God, and unfortunately for the people, those laws the Pharisees made up. By the time of Jesus, God’s Ten Commandments had grown to over six hundred nit picking, hair splitting commandments. I can just visualize a Pharisee attending his first AA meeting and saying, “Hello, I’m a Pharisee. I invent holy law and you better obey them or else.”
Generally speaking, you could say the Pharisees were religious but not spiritual. Not unlike some Christians today. For the most part, you could say the Pharisees were cold and callous toward those they viewed as sinners, nor were they very forgiving. Not unlike some Christians today. From what we read about them in the New Testament, it is obvious that many Pharisees thought they were more Godly than everyone else. Not unlike some so-called Christians today. Some Pharisees were followers of Christ, but most viewed Jesus with suspicion or hostility and they played a major role in sending our Savior to the cross.
Luke 7:36, Then one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him. And Jesus went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.
One evening a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to dinner. Simon was neither openly hostile or openly devoted to Jesus. It seems to me that Simon was doing what some would call “slumming.” He had invited Jesus to dinner for the purpose of studying the celebrity prophet. Simon seemed to have a condescending attitude toward Jesus, looking down on our Lord from his assumed exalted position.
The wealthy of this time (as most Pharisees were), had a large dining area in the courtyard of their home. It was the custom of the day that when a Rabbi or some special guest was at a meal, all kinds of people would come into the courtyard and listen to the conversations of the dinner guests.
The Bible says that Jesus was reclining at the table. This is how meals in the Middle East were eaten then and, sometimes, still today. Those who were eating would lie on low couches, resting on the left elbow, leaving the right arm free, with the legs stretched out and the sandals taken off.
Next time: The need for God by a “sinful woman”; the arrogance and condescension towards God by a rich and powerful man, all considered, in the conclusion to “Do You Need God?”
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Chris Voss is a pastor at First Christian Church, 317 S. Main, Donna.