EPISODE 0060 | 4 Ways Jesus Confronted Culture
THESE NOTES ACCOMPANY EPISODE 60
Jesus boldly challenged those who misused power, standing up for truth, justice, and integrity against both religious leaders and political authorities. In this episode, Pastor Stephen unpacks four powerful moments where Jesus confronted the cultural norms of His time. Through these examples, we see how His actions empower us to think biblically and act courageously today.
Four Ways Jesus Confronted the Culture
1. Jesus confronted the Religious Leaders.
In Mark Chapter 12 we read where the Pharisees and the Herodians came together to trap Jesus. They asked him to if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar or not.
Mark 12:17 (NLT): "Well, then," Jesus said, "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." His reply completely amazed them.
2. Jesus confronted the Political Leaders.
In Luke 13 we read where some people came to him and told him that King Harrod Antipas was going to kill him if he didn’t shut up and go away. King Harrod was the ruler of Galilee and Perea – semi-autonomous Jewish regions - within the broader Roman territorial control. I love Jesus’s answer:
Luke 13:32 (NLT): 32 Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.
During his trail, while facing Pilate, Pilate tells him that he has the power to crucify him or release him and Jesus responds by saying:
John 19:11a (NLT): "Then Jesus said, 'You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above…'"
3. Jesus confronted the Business Leaders.
Matthew 6:24 (NLT): "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money."
Jesus chasing out the money changers is in every Gospel, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John:
John 2:13-16 (NLT): "It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area, he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, 'Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father's house into a marketplace!'"
This story gets twisted a lot for a lot of reasons, but the reality is the temple itself had become corrupt and they were allowing businesses to come in and essentially extort people. The issue wasn’t that people were selling things and making trades for things. People came to the temple to sacrifice and sometimes they didn’t have what they needed to sacrifice so they would have to buy it.
4. Jesus Challenges the Intellectual Leaders.
In one instance we see Jesus Challenges the Sadducees on the Resurrection: In this passage, the Sadducees, who were known for their denial of the resurrection, try to trap Jesus with a question about marriage in the resurrection. Jesus responds:
Matthew 22:29 (NLT): Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God."
There is so much we could say about these 4 categories but here’s the point:
Jesus wasn’t afraid to confront anyone, anytime when it was needed and he wasn’t afraid to engage in the public square, and neither should we.
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