Christ Defamed

Thought For Today - January 21
CHRIST DEFAMED 
By: Robert A. Searles

It is sad but true that we live in a world where instead of love, peace, and harmony prevail, there is avarice, deceit, and slander. It is difficult to know sometimes just who we can trust or who will betray us. In this dog eat dog world which holds to the philosophy of the survival of the fittest, when one is lifted up to a higher degree of importance, another comes along to put him down, and to destroy his credibility and to ruin his reputation so as to make himself look better.

In this sin cursed world, some people would rather cling to and believe a lie rather than to adhere to the truth. Many try to twist the truth to exalt their own ego. The old testament prophet Jeremiah warned us of this very thing. He said: “Take ye heed every one of his neighbor and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slander. And they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.” Jeremiah 9: 4,5.

When our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was on earth, the religious leaders of his day tried to disqualify him and defame him, and they tried to persuade the multitudes to be swayed by their slander. Because he spoke the truth and said that he was the son of God, come down from heaven to bring light and salvation to a world of lost sinners, they accused him of being a blasphemer.

 “Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, he hath spoken blasphemy, what further need have we of witnesses? Behold now ye have heard his blasphemy.” Matthew 26: 65
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There are religious leaders today who try to picture Jesus as some kind of a pervert or blasphemer. They try to take away from him his claim of deity by denying his virgin birth and bodily resurrection. Sinners who are lifted up with pride and arrogance want to put Jesus in the same category as themselves, claiming, at best, that he was just another prophet or good man, but the fact of the matter is: Jesus Christ, the divine son of God was not just another prophet, or angel, or good man, but he was and is God in human flesh dwelling among men.

There were those in Jesus day who thought themselves to be religiously superior to other human beings. They boasted of their good works and adherence to the old testament laws. They refused to fellowship with others who were different from themselves in their beliefs and practices. When Jesus came on the scene, he openly announced that he had not come to save the righteous but that he was come to save sinners, and that all men and races were precious in his sight. He gladly accepted the invitation to fellowship and dine with all who would invite him. Consequently, he was accused of keeping bad company.

 “And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, why eateth your master with Publicans an sinners?” Matthew 9: 11.

He was accused of gluttony and intemperance. Jesus was frequently found at a gathering of people at a festive occasion enjoying their fellowship and food and answering their questions. His enemies seized upon this to accuse him of being a glutton and intemperate

 “The son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.” Matthew 11:19.

Even the members of his own family and close friends thought, at one time, that he might be insane, for what man in his right mind would claim deity , and claim to be equal with God, but the one thing they did not realize was that he was God.

 “And the multitudes cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it they went out to lay hold on him, for they said, he is beside himself.” Mark3: 20,21.

The religious leaders branded him as a sinner because they accused him of not keeping the law of Moses. They tried every way they could to trap him in his conversation and to belittle his claim that he had come to save the lost and forgive sins.

 “Therefore, said some of the Pharisees, this man is not of God because he keepeth not the Sabbath day. Others said, how can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.” John 9:16.

They tried to attribute his work and miracles to the occult, to the works of the devil. They said that he was possessed and derived his power from the devil. Jesus knew that there were those among them who would like to kill him, and he told them so. “The people answered and said, thou has a devil, who goeth about to kill thee?’ John 7:20.

Because of their hatred and envy of Jesus, the Pharisees and religious leaders tried to accuse Jesus of being a traitor, and accused him of treason. They said that Jesus was trying to make himself king and overthrow the government of Rome. They said he was not a friend of Caesar.

 “And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him:; but the Jews cried out saying, if thou let this man go, thou art not Caesars friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.” John 19:12.

It is sad to see that even in our own country today there are so many who prefer sin and darkness over the light and righteousness that Christ came to give. They are trying every way possible to defame Christ and his righteous claim to be ruler over his creation and the lives of all men. Christ is the answer to the worlds problems, politically and economically. The bible says that “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people mourn.

I wonder, as election day approaches and new leaders are chosen, will the people rejoice or will the people mourn? Who will we choose to be the leaders of our great nation? Will we choose those who would deny Christ and try to defame him, and vote for policies in government that are plainly against his teaching of righteous living, or will we choose those who embrace him, and adhere to his teaching, and trust him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings to lead us to peace and prosperity.