Luke 11:38 (NIV)
But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.
Was the Lord Jesus Christ anti-establishment? Did He rebel against established authority because of the onerous rules, regulations, and ordinances? Or did He rebel because those rules and regulations could not cleanse the soul? Was He emphasizing that God loves a pure soul rather than a mere clean outward appearance? This is hard to understand, particularly in the light of Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13, which calls us to submit to all earthly authority.
Even the Church is burdened with too many rituals, laws, bylaws, and regulations. For example, a man and woman are not considered married unless the Pastor or Priest performs the wedding before the congregation. The underlying premise here is that a Church wedding would bring in a measure of responsibility and accountability. But has that worked? How many weddings have we seen performed in Church ending up on the rocks a few months or years later? What good is a Church wedding if the congregation can't accept the responsibility to keep the marriage intact? Some traditional Churches, like the Orthodox Church, will perform up to three remarriages after divorce! If the Church could indeed keep the couple accountable, there would be no need for remarriage! No wonder we see so many young couples shunning the Church establishment and getting married outside the Church. Should we call them anti-establishment or just practical? A case in point here is that the Lord Jesus attended the wedding in Canada in Galilee and sanctified that marriage, but He did NOT perform it (John 2:1-12). In fact, He did not want to get involved (John 2:4)! None of the Apostles in the New Testament performed any weddings. It would then be safe to assume that the Church never had such authority in the first place but took it upon itself as did the law of the land.
Consider another case where a Protestant or Evangelical is refused the Lord's communion in an Orthodox or Catholic Church because they don't belong to that denomination! Aren't all blood-washed saints a part of the body of Christ (Rev 7:14, 1 John 1:7-9)? What gives the Priest or Pastor of a particular sect the ability to insist they be formally confirmed in that congregation before being served communion? Isn't the only requirement to partake at the Lord's table to confess that Christ is the Son of God, to repent of our sin, and to approach the Lord's table in a holy and reverent manner (1 Corinthians 11:27-34)? Where is the requirement that only those confirmed in that denomination should be served communion? Aren't these merely human norms? Would a Christian who refused to abide by these man-made rules be considered anti-establishment? When I served communion in the past, I asked only two questions: 1) Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? (2) Is there any unconfessed sin in your life? I never asked them what their denomination was or who their Pastor was.
Many of our brothers and sisters across the United States are rebelling against oppressive government laws that ban the Bible from public schools, forbid the display of the Ten Commandments or praying in public, and require businesses to serve those living in sin, such as homosexuality. Would they be considered anti-establishment? In such cases, it is better to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).
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