“Rejection”

​YEAH! Church - Sunday, February 13, 2022

"Doing Life with Jesus”
Today’s Lesson - “Rejection”

Video Story/Resource:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVPBnYsJR-A (Pursue GOD Kids – Jesus Fights the Pharisees)

The Pharisees Hate Jesus
Luke 22:2 – “The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.”

There are many places in the Gospels (the books of the Bible—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) where we read how much the religious leaders hated Jesus. But why would the Pharisees and the other religious leaders want Jesus killed? They had been waiting for the Messiah to come and had been teaching the people about God’s promise to send a Rescuer. So why didn’t they recognize who Jesus was? He told them clearly that God had sent him, so why didn’t they believe?

1) Jesus didn’t live up to their expectations. They thought they knew how to recognize the Messiah, God’s promised Rescuer. They envisioned that he would come as a great military leader and would help the Jewish people to get rid of the Romans. He would be the greatest king of Israel, similar to his ancestor David. But, even though Jesus was a king, he first had to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy by suffering (Isaiah 53). The Pharisees totally ignored this description.
2) Jesus broke their rules. Jesus never broke any of God’s Laws, but the religious leaders had created a whole bunch of rules that were, at least in theory, supposed to help people better obey God’s Law…Jesus didn’t hesitate to break these, because sometimes they went against God’s Laws!
3) Jesus drew bigger crowds which made them jealous. The Pharisees and other religious leaders liked having people look up to them; it made them feel important. But when Jesus was in town, people went to listen to him and not the religious leaders. They were extremely jealous of his popularity.
4) Jesus never fell for their traps. They tried to get Jesus to say things that would prove they were right and Jesus was just a fraud; but, they often ended up looking very foolish.

Engage:
• The Pharisees and other religious leaders were supposed to be the ones who knew God’s scriptures best. Why didn’t they recognize Jesus as the Messiah?
• People loved to be with Jesus and to listen to him teach, because he really understood God’s Laws and how to live them. Why did this threaten the religious leaders?
• Jesus lived obediently to God’s Laws, but he broke more than just a few of the Pharisees’ rules. Why was he not wrong for doing so?
• The Pharisees and religious leaders were very smart, but couldn’t understand that Jesus was sent from God. How can we be smart, yet still not very wise?

Weekly verse:
Isaiah 53:3a, NLT – “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.”

2022 Theme verses:
Colossians 2:6-7, NLT – “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

Prayer – Dear God, help me not to be like the Pharisees who thought they were so smart, yet couldn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Please help me to always follow your directions and not let others rejection cause me to do wrong…help me to be just like Jesus!
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~ Pastor Jane