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In John 19 the only reference to Jesus wearing anything is a purple robe placed on Him by the Roman soldiers.
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Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and arrayed Him in a purple robe; and they began to come up to Him, and say, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and to give Him blows in the face. (NASB) John 19:1-3 |
The pastor did not turn to the passage or read it when he said, "Now Jesus did not get that kind of clothes off the rack - one size fits all. No, no He wore designer clothes." Unfortunately, the pastor was not even close to the truth. The passage he was talking about refers to a robe the soldiers placed on Jesus. Matthew 27:28 tells us the soldiers had stripped Jesus of his clothes first. So the only garment Jesus was wearing in John 19 was the robe given to Him by the soldiers. Did this pastor read the passage and miss the point - the truth? Did he have an agenda?
A teacher once told a group of single adults that if they would walk around someone of the opposite sex seven times just as the Israelites did around the walls of Jericho, the walls of the heart of the one they "loved" would fall down, and love would bloom.
Another preacher claimed that he had a revelation that God has a "soul, spirit, and a body" just like us. Another has claimed that God has a body as we do. He stands six feet, has hands and feet and weighs 200 pounds. He refers to Isaiah 40:12 as proof, but the passage only says that God "marked off the heavens by the span." The passage says that God measured the heavens using a unit of measure called a "span" - like a ruler. If this pastor is correct, then does God also have the wings of a bird (Ps. 36:7)? There are many other examples of men who are teaching scripture who do not really know scripture and apparently do not strongly desire to accurately teach God's Truth. They are not careful about what they teach.
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. . . even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. (NASB) 1 Timothy 1:7 |
Yet, they may look good, sound good, and be dynamic. It is not a difference of opinion. In many cases it is shallow study or no study at all. Nor is it deep spiritual insights but their own ideas. Often a careful study of scripture will reveal they are wrong.
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Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the LORD. (NASB) Jeremiah 23:16 |
Any teacher can have difficulty understanding scripture if he or she is not faithfully studying every day. This means more than reading devotionals, listening to tapes, reading books about the Bible and watching Christian television. It means real study.
Pharisee At Heart. Many Christians, including pastors and teachers, have already determined what they believe. The comment, "Please do not disturb what I believe" is true for them. Some of us have become modern day Sadducees and Pharisees. Matthew 22 records a conversation between Jesus and the Sadducees. The Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection (Matt. 22:23). They had a question for Jesus and He responded with,
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But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God. (NASB) Matt. 22:29 |
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