"The chief priests accused Him of many things." (Mark 15:3 NIV)
I’m back in Mark this morning, burying myself in the story in order to break the bread of the Word with other believers this evening. The first few crumbs stick in my throat. This simple sentence about church leadership hits too close to home. When we accuse others, we cooperate with the agenda of the enemy.
"For the accuser or our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God all day and night..." (Revelation 12:10 NIV)
Refusal of accusal doesn’t mean we ignore problems or bury our head in the sand about people’s issues. We can acknowledge a person’s weakness or even failings without throwing accusations. We can state facts apart from maligning character. And when we feel accusation rising within us, we can go to God for clarification.
The chief priests did not rest from their accusal. They refused to lay aside their deadly ambition long enough to hear from God. This was a direct violation of their religious legal code: trials resulting in capital punishment required at lease a full day between sentencing and follow-through. This day of legal rest was to be spent in prayer and fasting, giving room for God to intervene. Additionally, their lack of rest is a sign of relational failure with the God they served; none of them slowed down long enough to hear from the Holy One.
I wonder, who made the morning sacrifice in their stead that day? How were they all comfy with skipping morning prayer to put a man to death? Mark 15:1 makes it clear, they were up with the sun, reconvened and ready to hand Jesus over to Pilate for execution.
We can get caught up in the gross spiritual negligence of the chief priests or we can read their story as stark warning for our own. When we accuse, we become an accomplice with the enemy. And if we cannot lay aside our accusations long enough to hear from God, we may be delighting in a downstairs agenda.
Slowing down to meet with our Maker is still our most crucial task of the day. This is exampled to us all the way back in the Garden. When Adam and Eve were whole and holy, they walked with God. Jesus reinforces this life rhythm throughout the gospels.
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place were He prayed." (Mark 1:35 NIV)
We guard against big, ugly missteps in our story when we carve out time to sit in God’s presence and let Him sort out the mess in our hearts. If any of the chief priests had earnestly sought the Lord that fateful Friday morning, they surely would have been stopped dead in their tracks. But instead, they sped ahead into the enemy’s agenda: full-tilt toward terrible.
We are assured: God can redeem our awful mistakes. The cross proves His ability to turn awful to awesome. But wouldn’t it be miles better if we could simply cooperate with divine instruction from the get-go? Those chief priests had to live and die with the guilt of their contributions to the crucifixion. We don’t need to deal with that level of regret. It’s entirely avoidable if we’ll seek the Kingdom first. God has made a way for us to hear from Him and follow through with His leading. He will teach us how to set aside accusation and search out truth, if we’ll only show up for class each and every morning.
"In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." (Psalm 10:4 NIV)
The truth is simple: when we forget get God, we get wicked. When we remember God, we draw near and He makes us holy.
Lord, forgive us when we rise with accusation in our frames. How easily we forget which side we serve. Our flesh is stubborn and our resolve is weak. Remind us today of Your desire to meet with us personally. Tug us toward the altar of Your presence. May we pour out our concerns before You. Give light to our limited perspective, reveal our pride and prejudice. Let us see others as You see them: aware of facts yet full of grace. Keep us tender and tuned in to Your whisper. We want to live for You. Amen.