Teacher, we know...

“Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.”
Mark 12:14

O woeful words of foolish flattery! Alas…to think they hear this awful echo in their ears for all eternity! “We know You are true, are true, are true…” Of course, they took no real confidence in this clever confession. In fact they planned a pitfall with pretended praise never knowing in so doing they were digging their own ditch. Jesus knew their iniquitous intentions even before they had begun. “With flattering lips and a double heart they speak (Psalm 12:2).” They came like con-men with a coin, but Jesus showed them a side of its inscription they had never seen. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s (Mark 12:17).” Their hollow homage made no impression on our Lord.

My soul is troubled and trembles to think that their sarcastic speech will one day be brought out of the record books as evidence against them. But how many more will say the same today about the life of our Lord who never bow the heart or bend the knee? What about you, O my soul, and you dear reader? Have you not acknowledged and admitted much about the person of Christ…and yet have failed to follow through with faith and godly fear?

They titled Him “Teacher,” and so He was. But to catalog our Christ as but a teacher is like calling the sun but a spark or the deep blue sea just a drop. He was the most perfect professor that ever hallowed the halls of our humble habitat. Every word He whispered was a witness to His wisdom, every point He made was pure, every discourse was defectless, and every sermon was sublime. Oh my soul, will you sit down at the feet of this sinless scholar? Will you not sue heaven for admission to this school like the Psalmist:

• “Teach me your paths” (Psalm 25:4) and
  
• “Teach me your way O Lord” (Psalm 86:11) and
  
• “Teach me your statutes” (Psalm 119:26) and
  
• “Teach me to do your will” (Psalm 143:10).

Teach me, teach me, teach me Lord!

They told Him He was “True.” “We know that you are true.” But even this admission went a bit amiss. Christ is more than true…He is Truth. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).” He is the only rod by which we may measure “right” and “wrong.” In every degree that my life leans away from this perfect line it is I that lie for He is always true. Oh my soul…do you sometimes render lip service to the reliability of your Redeemer while your life declares a rather doubtful devotion to His doctrine?

They rightly perceived He was no respecter of persons. “You care about no one.” He never trimmed the truth to make His message more moderate to men. Some sermons preached today would be better used to stuff in pillows than wake a sleepy soul. A message that tickles the ear hardly ever hits the heart. People pleasers have no real power in the pulpit. Jesus pulled no punches even with a Peter when he sought to counsel Christ out of the cross. “Get thee behind me Satan” said our Savior to that ill-advised apostle. “You do not regard the person of men” was true of Christ, but is it true O my soul of you? Can you make this prayer of Elihu your own “Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone; nor let me flatter any man? (Job 32:21)”

O reader will you consider carefully these callous and careless words uttered by these ungracious contenders with our Lord? Could they be yours…could they be mine? They who would not learn Christ’s love in life must learn His wrath for all eternity. Those who won’t embrace His untainted truth today must endure their unalterable error forever. And if you will not receive right now an impartial Savior’s forgiveness then you must prepare for an implacable Savior’s justice. “Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.”