Why Jesus was a threat to the legalists

Part of Jesus' purpose on earth was to set the captives free.  He is still about the same business through His followers.

True freedom can be a scary thing for those who think they are living in freedom but are not truly.

Apart from the saving grace of the Lord in our lives, we are all captives to sin.  We are each of us born with a sin nature.  No exceptions.  From Hitler to Mother Theresa, we are all born into sin.

God, in His loving compassion, sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to set us free from sin!  He saw firsthand the devastation of the bondage of sin.  And because He loves us, He does not want to see us enslaved or in bondage to anything!

The sad fact is that this truth is not what most people think of when they think of Christianity.  They think of it as a bunch of rules and regulations to follow and that is not what it's about at all!

When we are born again, the blameless, perfect, and holy God comes to live inside of us via the Holy Spirit.  It is then, and only then, that we are able to live a life free from sin - as we submit and yield to His power in us.  That is true freedom!

Freedom to not get offended.
Freedom to truly love others (not just those we "like," but everyone!).
Freedom from the fear of death because Christ in us is the hope of glory.
Freedom from hatred, strife, bitterness, and hopelessness.
Freedom to live a life worth living that counts for not only here, but for eternity.
Freedom from the control and manipulations of others.
Freedom from the constant striving to "be somebody" because we are already so much more in Christ!
Freedom from ego, pride, and other nasties that invite only anxiety and other evils into our lives.

Rules and regulations do not set free!  The Pharisees laid down their many laws in order to lord it over their "followers."  They wanted power and control over people, not power and control over the sin in their own evil hearts!

So please do not confuse the way of Jesus, which is the way of freedom, with the rules and regulations of "religious" people, organizations, and "leaders," which only leads to bondage.

It leads to bondage because we can never, no never, live a holy, righteous, or even good life in and out of our own strength.  But legalism wants you to think that you can accomplish the keeping of the rules so that they can keep you under their thumb!  It is so grossly evil, it isn't funny!

Christ came to set us free from all of that!  Alleluia!

So of course He was a total threat to the Pharisees, the legalists of His day, because He was offering people true freedom; because the real Jesus never wants to lord Himself over us or keep us under His thumb!  But the Pharisees were not about setting others free but keeping them under their own thumbs!  It was a total power play!  And when Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent God shows up in the flesh(!), those with any (very limited) power will be threatened by what they know deep down is the only real power - that of God Almighty!

So God sets free, but the devil uses legalism (and others means) to keep people in bondage.  The devil uses his power for evil, the Lord uses His power to bless us and for our good!  Yes, the devil uses some religious people for his purposes!  But please don't confuse religious people with true followers of Christ.  Think sheep and goats.

Please know that in any given church, there will always be both types this side of heaven.  They may seem to work side by side, but only Jesus knows their hearts and who really belongs to Him.

The sad part is that much of the time, it is the legalists who "rule" in religious organizations because they come across as those with the power.  But don't be fooled!  You will sniff them out if you bring the real Jesus to them and you see them turn up their noses at you!  Do not feat them!  Greater is He who is in you than he who is in them!

God makes ways for His true followers to serve Him and He provides His like-spirited followers to find each other.  

The other thing is that even when you do walk in true freedom in Christ - as attractive as that is - those deep in sin will not want you, either!  Why?  Because they have been deceived into thinking that doing whatever they want - including living a life of sin - is where freedom lies, but they will learn, if not right away, in time, that they were wrong.  There is no freedom in a life of sin eventually.  

All true freedom is found in Christ alone.  He is the only One who can offer true freedom in this life, and the next!

Won't you join His ragamuffin group of followers and find true freedom today?

Oh Lord.  How wonderful are Your ways!  That You would come to this dark earth and bring Your awesome light, and also Your power to set us free from the sin that deceives, entangles, and destroys us.  I pray that You would set all those reading this right now free in Your freedom!  And thank You, sweet Lord.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen!