Get rid of Jesus!
Mark 3:6
By Ysrael De la Cruz
We spent five weeks getting to know Jesus through the gospel of Mark. Mark, just like Matthew, Luke and John would tell us that the news about Jesus spread everywhere and large crowds would gather to hear him teach. Not everyone in the crowds liked Jesus. There were some people who did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah; they followed Jesus very much to spy on him. They were waiting for an opportunity for Jesus to mess up, to get in trouble.
From the very beginning of his ministry, the religious people (Pharisees and Sadducees) did not like Jesus. They were jealous of him for he attracted more people than them.
Mark, Matthew and Luke tell us about an incident that really made the religious people angry at Jesus to the point that they wanted to get rid of him.
Mark 3:6
The Pharisees met with the Herodians to plan how they would get rid of Jesus. This was after Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath (v.2) They were there to accuse Jesus to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
From this moment on, you will the Pharisees plotting against Jesus. They truly wanted to silence him, to get rid of him.
Why would anyone desire to get rid of Jesus? The answer may surprise you; however, even in our society today there have always been people who want to get rid of Jesus.
The religious people wanted to get rid of Jesus because Jesus did not submit to their religious agenda. They saw Jesus doing things they understood were not permitted to do on the Sabbath; or touching people with leprosy; Jesus would even welcome women to become disciples; Jesus chose to hang out with tax collectors and sinners. (Luke 15:1-2). Jesus truly did not meet their expectation. This was radical for the religious people. They realized Jesus had a different agenda than theirs. People want to get rid of Jesus when their agenda doesn’t reflect Jesus’ agenda. If Jesus does not support our ideals, our plan or purpose, then get rid of him.
People want to get rid of Jesus because they do not want to submit to his authority. The religious people overlooked the authority of Jesus, they even questioned his authority at times. Asking him by what authority are you doing these things? Instead of submitting to his authority, they would question it. There are people doing the same today; they don’t want to submit to the authority God and what he says in his word; they rather question it; for they want to do their own thing. They don’t want God or anyone to tell them anything different. In our society people reject Jesus because Jesus would not support their ideologies; they would get rid of Jesus because Jesus would not submit to their desires. They reject the authority of Jesus and thus they would want Jesus out of their business. These people don’t care what God thinks about sex and race, and gender and marriage. They plainly reject God because God’s will and purpose doesn’t match theirs.

In an egotistic society, there is no room for Jesus to interfere in their affairs. A society that says ‘do whatever makes you happy’ has no room for Jesus to interfere. There are even churches that have kicked Jesus out of their worship services; their worship is about them and no longer about God. You can be very religious and still not know God. The Pharisees were the religious people in Jesus’ days, and they still missed Jesus. In fact, they were offended by Jesus. They plotted to kill Jesus for not meeting their religious expectation.

People that keep rejecting God today will one day be rejected by God. Those who do not want to submit to God’s authority today, will have to do it by force at judgment Day.
If you get rid of Jesus, you do not have salvation but judgment. Those who reject Jesus and do not believe in him are not children of God. John 1:11-12
God sent Jesus to save everyone; whoever believes in him. But people are still rejecting God’s offer of salvation.
John reminds us that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36

We are to keep on preaching Jesus, to tell people to repent and believe the gospel so they become part of God’s kingdom. We must continue to embrace Jesus and his teaching even in a world that does not want to hear the gospel. Salvation is only found in Jesus for there is no other name under heaven, among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Read 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12