Prodigal: I am leading the way!
Me: Ok, it looks tough, but I will follow.
This is from the book And the Angels Were Silent by Max Lucado
The procedure for being recognized as a religious teacher in Palestine was simple. Originally, rabbinical candidates had been ordained by a leading rabbi whom they respected and under whose teaching they served. This, however, led to variance in qualifications and teachings as well as widespread abuses. So the high Jewish council, the Sanhedrin, took over the responsibility for ordination.
At his ordination a man was declared to be a rabbi, elder, and judge and was given authority to teach, express wisdom, and render verdicts.
Fair procedure. Necessary safeguard. And so we aren’t surprised that the religious leaders asked Jesus, “What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?” Had their questions stemmed from concern for the purity of the temple and the integrity of the position, there would have been no problem. But they wanted their territory: “We are afraid of what the crowd will do.”
Had they really cared about the future of the nation, they wouldn’t have worried about what the people thought. They would have taken the matter of the rabbi into their own hands rather than worm away from him and eventually turn him over to a foreign government. They hadn’t learned the first lesson of leadership. “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”
Psalm 118:1
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
