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)
Wow! Matthew THANK YOU for taking the time to dissect this book for us. I could especially relate to this post. Isn't it ironic that we had to practically lie in order not to share a "bad report" of our authorities?
When I served with the Institute in Mongolia there were some serious abuses that took place by the leadership especially toward one of our Mongolian staff members/translators. Because she did not fully accept the legalistic oppressive standards that were forced upon her, she was seen as a "black sheep" and eventually lost her job. If I tried to defend her(she was my roommate).I was made to feel that I was "encouraging rebellion". In fact, we were encouraged to spy and tattle on our Mongolian staff when they did anything "against authority". My Mongolian roommate was a fairly new Christian and sincerely loved the Lord but she saw through the hypocricy of the system and reacted to it. I had the gall to tell her she had a problem with bitterness. That was several years ago but the wounds from that time remain. There are sooo many stories I could tell and the scars take a long time to heal.
I have since contacted my roommate and asked forgiveness. I also shared the link to this website. She was very gracious and realized I was just being a puppet and tool. She and I have married wonderful grace-filled husbands who are helping us as we grow in our understanding of Biblical grace.
Growing up, my parents stressed often that we were not to give a bad report about our family. What's in the family stays in the family no matter what. It is a warped view of loyalty and honor. Sometimes you have to talk about issues if you want to deal with them and heal. I have started going to a Christian counselor but have to fight the nagging feeling when I go that I am "betraying my family" and being disloyal to them or giving them a bad name. Shouldn't Christians be the most transparent of people? We are all sinners, saved by grace. Why should we want to hide our weaknesses and paint ourselves as perfect people? Our righteousness comes from Jesus not anything we have done. Admitting our weakness, acknowledging our sins and need for Christ magnifies God's grace and forgiveness, glorifies our Lord and Savior and draws people to Him.
Matt, thank you for sharing your insights. I look forward to these posts each Thursday. They help more than you know.
wow! wow, wow. Thank you, Erin!
THANK YOU Erin... You are absolutely right, esp about the loyalty to the family etc...
This was a great post thanks for sharing.
Characteristics of spiritual abusers...
* false basis of authority
* 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
This is so true. When promises are made to followers and not kept the evidence is a double life. And the whole thing about about accolades is also very true.
In a ministry I served with my perception was the pastors weren't very committed to actual work that involved getting their hands dirty. They wanted to take credit for results though. It was very frustrating. Sometimes it was like the focus was on looking the part while "delegating" to others the actual tasks associated with reaching people for Christ.
Wes, I agree and I really appreciate the authors' insight to see this pattern in what Jesus said to the Pharisees because it's not just someone's opinion but rooted right in what Jesus said:
Conversely, in God's kingdom (Matthew 23:11-12): But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
[...] (Click here to go on to Chapter 14) All articles on this site reflect the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of other Recovering Grace contributors or the leadership of the site. Students who have survived Gothardism tend to end up at a wide variety of places on the spiritual and theological spectrum, thus the diversity of opinions expressed on this website reflects that. For our official statement of beliefs, click here. Featured ArticleRG Book Club appearances authority control false teaching grace hypocrisy legalism spiritual abuse standards [...]
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