Jesus Christ Walks Onto the World's Stage Challenging Leadership in a Profound and Radical Manner

There were two things that marked out the Jew in the days of Jesus Christ and these were the keeping of the Sabbath, and circumcision. These marked him out, and made him odd, peculiar and different.

These men became very proud of this and took it to extremes.

A Jew would not carry a stick on the Sabbath in case he dragged it on the earth and was accused of ploughing.

A Sabbath Day’s journey of 1,000 paces was all he was allowed to walk.

Jesus Christ had little time for the traditions of men. Jesus was interested in and concerned about the truth of God, and caring for those in real dire need, irrespective of what day it was.

When Jesus answered the question of the Jews about why he was working and healing on the Sabbath, he said, “My Father works and I too work.” You can check all this out in John Chapter 5.

Now the Jews sought all the more to kill Jesus, because in their sight, He not only broke the Sabbath, but he said God was His Father, and he made himself equal with God. Jesus is being accused of sacrilege and blasphemy.

Sabbath breaking was one thing, but moving into apparent blasphemy became a highly serious issue.

Conflict arose as a consequence of love and mercy and compassion and healing power and the truth of God! This is very much the beginning of the road to Calvary.

I tell you the truth. I, the Son of God, am only doing what I see the Father doing. What the Father does, I do! What Jesus is saying must have been almost incredible to those critics. God does not stop work for the Sabbath. I am only doing what I see My Father doing.

In the six days, one could say, God was working for Himself creating the sun, the planets, our world, the dry land, the plants, the animals, and man, and it was all very good. Then, He rested from His labours, but kept on working and working for others.

Today, God is working for you. We are living in God’s seventh day, and if He did not work our universe and world would collapse in chaos.

Jesus is still working, saving, healing, empowering, strengthening, and ministering to all sorts of various needs. He is a leader who continues to lead when many of the other leaders have al disappeared.

By the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son continue to work in all kinds of ways.

God is so busy today and Jesus is so busy today.

The Sabbath is a day of rest in which we are set free from serving ourselves to serving God and worshipping Him.

“Rest” does not mean idleness, or doing nothing. My Father is working and I am working, and we too will be working and worshipping God and ministering to Him and to the needy people that come our way.

Do you see how Jesus passes on from being accused of sacrilege to the charge of blasphemy?

It was now time to kill! Jesus had to die. These religious leaders could not permit Jesus Christ to move around freely and change everything they stood for.

When Jesus Christ walks onto the scene he demonstrates leadership that is different and positive and practical and profoundly radical.

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children’s Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
He broadcasts regularly on WSHO radio out of New Orleans, and writes a weekly commentary at http://www.studylight.org entitled “Word from Scotland” on various biblical themes, as well as a weekly newspaper column.
His M.A. and B.D. degrees are from The University of Edinburgh, and he continues to run and exercise regularly to maintain a level of physical fitness.