SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/1/2026 9:36
AM
My
Worship Time Focus: “The Confrontation”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Focus: Luke
5:21-24
Message of the verses: “21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to
question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but
God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived
their thoughts, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts?
23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins
are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has
authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the man who was
paralyzed—" I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.’” (ESV)
As I begin this SD I can promise you that this is not
the last time that you will see this term “the Scribes and the Pharisees,” as
they will be very active during the time period that Jesus is on the earth, and
will be the ones that prompt the Romans to crucify Jesus Christ. Now with that said I want you to think about
who was the one who caused Jesus to go to the cross? One could say it was me because of my
sin. Another could say it was the
Romans, or the Scribes and the Pharisees.
I think that it was God the Father who caused Jesus to go to the cross
in order to pay for the sins of the world, and the reason that He did that was
and is because of His great love for us.
John MacArthur writes “Appalled and
outraged that Jesus presumed to forgive the paralytic’s sins, the scribes
and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, ‘Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?’ They were absolutely correct in their
assertion that no one can forgive sins, in the fullest sense so that the
sinner is cleansed, righteous, and never again guilty or condemned, but God
alone. Only He as lawgiver and judge
can forgive sin in that eternal way, since all sin is ultimately against Him
(Psalm 51:4).” “4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done
what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and
blameless in your judgment.” “But their
characterization of Jesus as this man who speaks blasphemies (cf. Matt.
26:65; John 10:33) wrongly assumed that He was merely a man and not God
incarnate.”
(cf. Matt. 26:65; John 10:33)
“65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said,
"He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now
heard his blasphemy.”
“33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good
work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a
man, make yourself God.’”
“By claiming
the authority to forgive sins, Jesus was either God, or a blasphemer. There is no middle ground; Jesus could not
have been merely a good man, a true prophet, or a teacher of morality and
ethics, if He were a blasphemer of God.”
John MacArthur goes on to write
about blasphemy. “Blasphemy was the most
heinous crime in Jewish thought, since it was a direct affront to the person of
God. They defined three levels of blasphemy. First, one blasphemed God by speaking evil of
His law, as Stephen (Acts 6:13) and Paul (Acts 21:27-28) were falsely accused
of doing.”
(Acts 6:13)
“13 and they set up false witnesses who said,
"This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law,’
(Acts 21:27-28)
“27 ¶ When the seven days were almost completed,
the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and
laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of
Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the
people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the
temple and has defiled this holy place.”
“A more
serious form of blasphemy was to slander, speak evil of, or curse God Himself
(Lev. 24:10-16; cf. Ex. 20:7).”
(Lev. 24:10-16; cf. Ex. 20:7)
“10 ¶ Now an Israelite woman’s son, whose father
was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman’s
son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, 11
and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they
brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri,
of the tribe of Dan. 12 And they put him
in custody, till the will of the LORD should be clear to them. 13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 14 "Bring out of the camp the one who
cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the
congregation stone him. 15 And speak to
the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.
16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the
LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The
sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to
death.”
“7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD
your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name
in vain.”
“But the
ultimate form of blasphemy was to assume the rights and prerogatives of God;
to usurp the role of God and act as if
one were God. It was this third and most
severe type of blasphemy that the scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus of (cf.
John 5:18; 8:58-59; 10:33; 19:7).”
(cf. John 5:18; 8:58-59; 10:33; 19:7)
“18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the
more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even
calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.’
“58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they
picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the
temple.”
“33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good
work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a
man, make yourself God.’”
“7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and
according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of
God.”
Now as I go over the verses that
John MacArthur references in his commentary I have to make a decision as to how
many of them I want to quote, and this is a difficult decision for me at times,
as it has to do with what I feel is most important to quote or to leave out.
Spiritual
Meaning for my life Today As I look at this section and what was
written about it I have to be so very thankful for what God has done for me in
saving me, and then allowing me to do the things that I believe He has called
me to do, and that is to write these Spiritual Diaries each day and then have
the Holy Spirit of God send them around the world so that they can be used to
the glory of God.
My
Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to be with my dear wife to be
able to get through the session today to help her in her battle with cancer.
6/1/2026
10:12 AM
