The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, Chapter 14: “No Admittance”

We continue our Thursday series blogging through “The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse.” The first post in the series is here.

Jesus broke the “can’t-talk” rule. He stood up against the religious leaders on behalf of those who were being spiritually oppressed when he cleansed the temple and rebuked those who had turned the house of prayer into a den of robbers. This seems to have been one of the last straws for the religious leaders, because three days later they had him executed. Notice, though, what Matthew recorded immediately after the cleansing of the temple: The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. (Matthew 21:14)

It is tempting to underestimate the damage that “formula living” can do. In Matthew 23:13, Jesus condemned the Pharisees and hypocritical leaders for blocking the entrance to the kingdom of heaven from people who wanted to enter.

There was a train of thought building up to this. From Matthew 23:2 through to verse 13, here are some characteristics of spiritual abusers:

• false basis of authority
• a double life, they do not do what they say
• they lay heavy burdens on people
• they tend to wear their religion on the outside and expect accolades

The result of the spiritual abuse of Jesus’ day was that the leaders were slamming the door to the kingdom in people’s faces. The doors to churches and synagogues are not slammed — rather, great energy is expended to get people to come. But what if some of the people who come to church spend years, perhaps a lifetime, around the religion of Christianity but never experience the reality of a relationship with the living Christ?

The Bait-and-Switch
Notice that the people being shut out of the kingdom are not hating and rejecting God. They are seeking God! They have come to God’s house and have been welcomed in. But having arrived, they are met, not with grace and relationship, but with heavy-handed authority, heavy weights of legalistic load-carrying, and pressure to perform. This is a form of godliness without power (2 Timothy 3:5).

What Was It Like?
What was it like for those in Jesus’ day who came to the temple with a sincere heart seeking God, but were fleeced for money? An imaginary account is presented from the perspective of a father of children who had picked out a sacrifice to bring to the temple but whose sacrifice was turned away while the family was directed to purchase a pre-approved sacrifice at a significant mark-up.

Jesus saw this abuse, and he saw people who were seeking God but were being turned away from the kingdom by false leaders, and he could no longer contain himself. He fought back.

If you are a spiritual leader: woe to you if you are a door-closer.

If you have been spiritually harassed: Jesus fights for you.

Jesus broke the “can’t-talk” rule. The religious leaders responded by executing him. Those who were blind and lame came to Jesus and he healed them (Matthew 21:14). The Pharisees were afraid of him; the wounded people knew he was safe and approachable.

Personal Interaction
I am touched by this image of Jesus fighting for the poor folks who are getting ripped off, for the blind and lame who came to be healed. It reminds me of another quote from the book, that when you begin addressing spiritual abuse, religious people get angry and wounded people begin to find healing. In human terms, Jesus paid for this with his life. Less than a week later, he was hanging on a cross for having crossed the religious leaders too many times. Jesus did not obey the “can’t-talk” rule. He got angry; he fought for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves.

With regard to Bill Gothard, I believe he has helped enforce the “can’t-talk” rule with his teachings against “taking up an offense,” which is really a code term to mean you must not ever speak up or stand up for someone else. If you are familiar with this teaching, you may be somewhat amused with me that Bill will have to take it up with Jesus, because Jesus “took up an offense” on behalf of those harassed people and on behalf of God’s house.

Good Quotes
Are we door-openers or door-closers? (p. 160)

The poor, blind, lame, and others were right in the middle of the violent explosion when Jesus turned over the tables in the temple (Matthew 21:12–16). And it was then, when they saw His authenticity, that a most wondrous event happened: “And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple and He healed them” (v. 14). (p. 160)

When Jesus turned over the tables, the hurting were no longer a hindrance to the operation of the temple, they were the operation of the temple! “And He healed them” (v. 14). (p. 161)

Questions for Discussion
What does it mean to you that the blind and lame came to Jesus to be healed after he cleared the temple?

What do you think of the perspective that when Jesus cleared out the temple he was breaking the “can’t-talk” rule? Have you ever seen the “can’t-talk” rule in action? What would it mean to you if Jesus himself were to stand up and fight for you?

How significant is this insight that those who were having the door slammed in their faces were God-seekers, not God-rejecters?

One more question: The Pharisees of today are not so different from the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, and there is often a cost involved in breaking their rules. What price are you willing to pay for breaking the “can’t-talk” rule?

(Click here to go on to Chapter 15)