“Jesus replied, ‘Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.’”
Matthew 22:29
Jesus made this declaration to religious leaders who taught the Scriptures but did not know the Scriptures! They didn’t know the freeing power of Truth. Instead, they burdened people with religious rules that were impossible to follow—rules that brought shame instead of joy, bondage instead of freedom, and death instead of life. They didn’t know the Truth about grace and relationship with God, and so they lived by lies and taught others to do the same.
Jesus’s declaration also addressed religious leaders who showed off their own power but did not know the power of God! They didn’t know God’s power could heal the sick, raise the dead, and change the lives of people in their synagogues. They didn’t know what God’s power looked like, so they replaced it with their own version—demanding submission and putting others down to lift themselves up. Sadly, they didn’t that GOD’s power is not used for trampling people but for saving people—not for ruling people with pride but for reaching people with Love.
No wonder Jesus warned us about making the same religious mistake. God’s intention has always been that we know HIS truth, so we can live free, and that we know HIS power, so we can help others live free as well.
To settle for a “religious” life, would be a BIG mistake!
