Jesus was spiritually abused. It’s something that many people don’t pick up on today, it seems. The priests, scribes, and Pharisees were his religious leaders. And for his entire ministry, they abused him.
They tried to stone him (Jn 10:31).
They accused him of sinning by breaking their rules rather than caring for others (Jn 9).
They tried to trick him many times (Jn 8, Mk 12:13, Mt 16:1-4, Lk 20:20).
They tried to convince others not to listen to him and not to believe him by tricking him and threatening them (Jn 8, Jn 9, Mk 12, Mt 16, Lk 20, etc).
They slandered him (Jn 9).
They had him arrested on false pretenses.
They crucified him.
Does God understand spiritual abuse? He went through the same things we did. And though that doesn’t fix anything or even necessarily make it better, it does show that he isn’t complicit in that abuse, but instead is merciful, patient, gentle and kind.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are… Hebrews 4:16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.
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Author: Through Grace
I was raised in a somewhat unhealthy church group within the Nondenominational Christian Church. After graduating high school, I began attending a United Pentecostal Church (UPC). I've been a member of four UPC churches and visited many others. Of the four of which I was a member, I was "encouraged" not to leave the first and then later sent to the second; attended the second where an usher repeatedly attempted to touch me and the pastor told me I should not care about the standards of the organization and was wrong to do so; ran to a third at that point, which threw me out after a couple years; and walked out of a fourth. For these transfers and because I refused to gossip about my former churches, some called me a "wandering star, a cloud without water" (Jude 1:12).
I love the fact that when the blind man was healed, questioned by the Pharisees and temple rulers, and expelled from the temple, Jesus went and sought him out. He very rarely did this once someone was healed, but for this man, he did. I believe God has a special place in his heart for those who are abused, wrongfully accused, or condemned by religious leadership. I believe He loves those who are wronged by churchianity--yes, churchianity, not Christianity, because those who do these wrongs follow a church, not Christ.
1 John 4:7-8
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
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Wonderful reflection.