"And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine."
Mark 11:18
The idea that people were astonished at his doctrine is interesting, because these were all part of a group that had the gospel as part of their history. They knew the law of Moses and attended the temple... they largely thought they were doing the right things. Similar to when Christ told the scribes and Pharisees that they "made the commandment of God of none effect by [their] tradition (Matthew 15:6), Christ is bucking tradition here. This is directly after he cleansed the temple, and he has been contradicting many of their leaders and scholars... "as one that had authority (Mark 1:22), and introducing them to new concepts, as when he commanded unclean spirits and they asked "what new doctrine is this?" (Mark 1:27).
Today, let's remember that the heavens are open, and that God is always there to clarify, correct, and teach us more when we are ready for it. Let's be open, and welcome any new doctrine that God wants to introduce. Let's also be careful to distinguish between doctrine and tradition, so that we can learn from our forebears and try not to repeat their mistakes.
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