In this daily Bible reading Jesus said that John the Baptist is a Prophet who came into the world to prepare the people for the arrival of Jesus. Some were prepared, but many were not. Their hearts were not receptive to God’s Truths. These included the religious leaders: the Pharisees and the lawyers. Many rejected John, saying that he had a demon. They also rejected Jesus, saying that he was a gluttonous man and a drunkard. Neither John nor Jesus conformed to the religious traditions or rules.
Religion can be a stumbling block today, distorting God’s Truths with tradition and religious rules. Some religions’ rules and doctrines supersede the Word of God, the Bible. A good example of this is Mormonism. This religion says that the ‘Book of Mormon’ takes precedence over the Bible. As a result, people are led away from God’s Truths.
Judaism was also leading the people away from God’s Truths. Jesus told His disciples, “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.” Jesus was saying that the Jewish traditions were distorting the Word of God. They were adding rules and regulations that were not in the Word of God. As a result the Jewish people became enslaved to their religion.
Jesus said that He came into the world to set people free. Jesus came to free people from their sins. He also came to set people free from religion. Jesus wanted the people to live their lives according to the Word of God. He still does today.
