Rebel, There Is No Cause
Growing up, I often idolized rebels. Robin Hood, Jesse James, Spartacus, the American Revolution, who doesn't like a good rebel? At church I was told that rebellion was like witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23) or that Jesus was the ultimate rebel. Well which one was it? Because He couldn't possibly be both, unless I'm missing something drastically weird about Jesus. I mean this is the man who said "Give to Cesar what is Cesar's" (Luke 20:25) when it came to money and taxes. Doesn't sound all that rebellious to me. But as a defiant teenager, I decided that rebellion sounded so exotic and thrilling, so I decided to be rebellious.
Rebel is defined as: to oppose or disobey one in authority or control, to act in or show opposition or disobedience. Taking this definition into account then Jesus was most definitely not a rebel, in fact he asked "Am I leading a rebellion...that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?" Mark 14:48 (NIV). He knew full well that He had done no rebellious acts towards the government and yet He was arrested because of false charges of rebellion and treason.
Let me wander for a moment. As I previously stated, in my teens I decided to be a rebel. I thought it would be cool to defy "the system." I had no idea that I was traveling a path that would lead to almost an early grave, twice. How did it get that far? It's quite simple, once disobedience, opposition, or defiance to authority begins; where does it stop? When I left home and publicly turned my back on God, who else would I listen to? I used to think that verse about rebellion and witchcraft was just a weird adage from Bible times meant to scare people. Now I realize the concepts are the similar; in both instances you open the door to circumstances, spirits, things you cannot control. God could not fully help, not because He didn't want to but because I had turned away from Him; and that is scary. Once the path of rebellion is started down, it's incredibly hard to stop. Without God's help, I'll even go so far as to say it's impossible.
I just realized something, well, today as I was looking up information for this blog, Jesus took the cross from a rebel. Yes, I know, Jesus took the sins of the world, but I mean the cross He carried was actually meant for someone else. Now, Pilate was holding in custody a notorious criminal named Barabbas, one of the assassins who had committed murder in an uprising, Mark 15:7 (TPT). An uprising, Barabbas took part in a violent opposition trying to overthrow the established government; he was a rebel. The Scripture goes on to say that the crowds demanded Pilate release Barabbas and they became so upset and angry that Pilate feared there would be a riot. The spirit of rebellion helped to condemn our Savior by calling Him a rebel! Now I realize that Jesus took all the sin of the world and no one sin is greater than the other but apparently God seemed to relish the idea of defeating rebellion with it's own sword!
How then does rebellion stop controlling a life? Even after reconnecting with God, I still struggle with it. Jeremiah 33:8 (NIV) states: I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. God is talking about His forgiveness of Israel and Judah, but it's meant for Christians too. We are cleansed because of His forgiveness, even of our rebellion. Now comes the hard part; I must walk in it! I must walk in His forgiveness and submit to His authority and those God places in authority. Stop loving the rebel and love the Redeemer!
Rebel is defined as: to oppose or disobey one in authority or control, to act in or show opposition or disobedience. Taking this definition into account then Jesus was most definitely not a rebel, in fact he asked "Am I leading a rebellion...that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?" Mark 14:48 (NIV). He knew full well that He had done no rebellious acts towards the government and yet He was arrested because of false charges of rebellion and treason.
Let me wander for a moment. As I previously stated, in my teens I decided to be a rebel. I thought it would be cool to defy "the system." I had no idea that I was traveling a path that would lead to almost an early grave, twice. How did it get that far? It's quite simple, once disobedience, opposition, or defiance to authority begins; where does it stop? When I left home and publicly turned my back on God, who else would I listen to? I used to think that verse about rebellion and witchcraft was just a weird adage from Bible times meant to scare people. Now I realize the concepts are the similar; in both instances you open the door to circumstances, spirits, things you cannot control. God could not fully help, not because He didn't want to but because I had turned away from Him; and that is scary. Once the path of rebellion is started down, it's incredibly hard to stop. Without God's help, I'll even go so far as to say it's impossible.
I just realized something, well, today as I was looking up information for this blog, Jesus took the cross from a rebel. Yes, I know, Jesus took the sins of the world, but I mean the cross He carried was actually meant for someone else. Now, Pilate was holding in custody a notorious criminal named Barabbas, one of the assassins who had committed murder in an uprising, Mark 15:7 (TPT). An uprising, Barabbas took part in a violent opposition trying to overthrow the established government; he was a rebel. The Scripture goes on to say that the crowds demanded Pilate release Barabbas and they became so upset and angry that Pilate feared there would be a riot. The spirit of rebellion helped to condemn our Savior by calling Him a rebel! Now I realize that Jesus took all the sin of the world and no one sin is greater than the other but apparently God seemed to relish the idea of defeating rebellion with it's own sword!
How then does rebellion stop controlling a life? Even after reconnecting with God, I still struggle with it. Jeremiah 33:8 (NIV) states: I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. God is talking about His forgiveness of Israel and Judah, but it's meant for Christians too. We are cleansed because of His forgiveness, even of our rebellion. Now comes the hard part; I must walk in it! I must walk in His forgiveness and submit to His authority and those God places in authority. Stop loving the rebel and love the Redeemer!
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