I’m taking my time going through the Gospels to study the greatest leader of all time. How did Jesus do ministry? How did he raise up leaders? How did he not allow busyness of ministry not consume all his time? I’ve read through 3 chapters so far and have been blogging notes about the journey. One thing that keeps coming up is the constant war between man-made rules and Jesus’ principles.

Pharisees had taken the Law that God gave Moses and turned it into a ball and chain for the Jewish people. There is no salvation in the law, but Pharisees took it to a “whole nutha level” in a bad way. They had created a “tradition” of how ministry should be done. Jesus came and destroyed that very idea.

In Chapter 1, Jesus started preaching and people immediately noticed a different method of teaching. He wasn’t simply quoting law. There is no text from his sermons but I’m guessing, based on parts of his messages that are in later chapters, he was more relational and life-applicable. In short: he met people where they were. This was how Jesus did ministry so I fully expect his teaching was the same way. He didn’t simply read the OT scripture, he took God’s truth and put it on everyone’s level. People were drawn to this as it was fresh method of teaching and non-traditional.

In Chapter 2, Jesus is teaching to a packed house (literally) and some guys drop their paralyzed friend in through the roof to get him closer to Jesus. Jesus, seeing the dedication of his friends, forgives the man’s sin. This causes a stir with some teachers of the law in attendance. They thought some not-so-nice thoughts and Jesus calls them on it. Then one of the coolest things happens! Jesus asks which is easier to do: say your sins are forgiven or rise up and walk? Then he heals the man on the spot! That is so cool and he once again shatters the box that was holding their small, limited God.

Later in the same chapter, Jesus is having dinner with new followers who happen to be quite a motley crue (by man’s standards). More teachers of the law chastise Jesus for the company he’s keeping, but they come pointing fault to Jesus’ disciples. But Jesus is quick to answer with his mission to come for sinners not the righteous.

Towards the end of Chapter 2 and in Chapter 3, Jesus breaks the rule of the sabbath. Again, the Pharisees took one command “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy” and wrapped it around countless rules and regulations used to beat people down rather than enjoy the gift of rest that God gives. On one sabbath, the disciples pick wheat and on another Jesus heals a man with a shriveled hand. Pharisees leaned on their man-made rules of what is and is not ministry. Jesus asked a simple question: is it better to do good or bad on the sabbath?

God made things simple. Man took things from God and made it complex. Jesus came to tear down the sacred cows and simplify. He got down to the root of the issue, stripping away the layers of complexity.

CrossPoint wants to keep things simple because that’s what Jesus did. “Simple” will be a word you’ll hear more and more over the coming weeks and months. But it’s not a new idea. It goes back over 2000 years.