Joseph’s sons and Mary, Jesus mother heard reports about Jesus devoting entire nights to prayer, how throngs of people surrounded Him and He didn’t take time to eat. Friends couldn’t understand His attitude toward the Pharisees. Some feared His reason was leaving Him.
His brothers hearing these reports, and also the charge of the Pharisees that Jesus cast out demons through Satan’s power, caused them to feel the reproach of their relationship to Him. They decided to seek Mary to unite with them to try to persuade Jesus to stop His manner of labor.
Just before this, Jesus a second time healed a man who was posessed, blind and dumb, and again the Pharisees charged Him of casting out demons through the prince of devils (Matthew 9:34). Christ plainly told them that by saying the work of the Holy Spirit was of the devil they were cutting themselves off from the source of blessing.
The Pharisees had been convicted by the Holy Spirit that Jesus was the Messiah, but pride and selfishness kept them from admitting the truth. And by rejecting the Holy Spirit’s working on their hearts, they were cutting off the way God communicates with mankind.
God doesn’t blind people’s eyes or harden their hearts. He sends light to them to to correct their mistakes and to lead them in safe paths. When this light is refused, their hearts are hardened and numbed to future light. Gradually the light of spiritual understand is less clearly seen until it is night in the soul.
God seeks to reveal truth to us by the working of the Holy Spirit in our minds, through the Scriptures, nature, and life experiences. He invites us to accept the beautiful way of love, truth and freedom in a relationship with Him.
If you have a question for Bible Mentor Marie Odell you can contact her by emailing: marieodell04@gmail.com
Marie Odell is a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
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