Answerest Thou The High Priest So?

[heartstrings]

Are we supposed to bad mouth our rulers....our president, the mayor, our pastor?
Exodus 22 : 28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.
1 Peter 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king



But is it wrong to question them directly?
John 18:19 The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. 20Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. 21Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. 22And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? 23Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?

Little did the officer know, but he had just slapped the real high priest. The King of Glory Jesus did not curse the high priest, nor dishonour him in any way. He merely asked a question. But likewise, today. some men are so venerated that they are guarded by their followers., who get verbally hostile, covertly aggressive, even physically, when even their words or actions are called to question. Is it dishonouring to question the deeds of ANY man, as long as it's not done spitefully or disrespectfully? evidently not.

[Steve Schwenke]

There is a difference between rebellion and holding people accountable. When man is ruler, he can make up laws as he goes, and there is no way to hold him accountable for unjust acts.
When the American Colonies declared their independence from England, it was not over any trumped up charges or trivial matters. The bottom line was that King George had violated written British laws, and refused to give the colonists a fair hearing of their greivances. They had no other choice but to "secede from the union." That is why most REAL historians refer to that war as "The War for Independence" and NOT "the Revolutionary War." They were not revolting, they did not seek to destroy England. They wanted the same rights that all other English citizens enjoyed. So they "left" England to start their own country.
When they established the United States Constitution, the Constitution is the highest law of the land, and all subsequent laws are subject to it. There is not one US Government official that is higher than the Constitution (at least theoretically!) - including the President or the Supreme Court Justices. Therefore, it is the duty of each American Citizen to hold their elected officials accountable to the Law. We have a guide to go by - if only we would do it.

It is absolutely right and appropriate to denounce sin in any elected office. It is absolutely right to throw them out of office if they don't do right.
At the same time, it is unnecessary to rail against them in an obnoxious manner.

[John81]

Are we supposed to bad mouth our rulers....our president, the mayor, our pastor?
Exodus 22 : 28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.
1 Peter 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king



But is it wrong to question them directly?
John 18:19 The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. 20Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. 21Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. 22And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? 23Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?

Little did the officer know, but he had just slapped the real high priest. The King of Glory Jesus did not curse the high priest, nor dishonour him in any way. He merely asked a question. But likewise, today. some men are so venerated that they are guarded by their followers., who get verbally hostile, covertly aggressive, even physically, when even their words or actions are called to question. Is it dishonouring to question the deeds of ANY man, as long as it's not done spitefully or disrespectfully? evidently not.

It comes down to our heart. Are we raising an issue out of a heart guided by the Spirit or are we raising an issue out of a heart of flesh. Is it right and truth we are interested in or is our motivation one of pride, rebellion, revenge, jealousy.

Issues can be raised about a leader, whether a John Hagee or Obama, without snide comments, cutting sarcasm, or outright vicious words. Scripture tells us every leader is there by decree of God and that's why honour is due them, not because of they themselves, but because it's God who allows them to hold that position. Showing leaders due respect and honour is actually showing God due respect and honour.

If a pastor declares something unbiblical, it's right to ask them about that, asking in a humble, sincere manner in the hope that all will come to biblical truth. The wrong approach would be to badmouth the pastor or to verbally assault the pastor and question him in a derogatory manner.

Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (a sin God proscribed the death penalty for) and we are not to rebel in any way against the leaders God has set over us, even if those leaders are wrong and wicked. A good example of this is David in his dealings with Saul.

[heartstrings]

It comes down to our heart. Are we raising an issue out of a heart guided by the Spirit or are we raising an issue out of a heart of flesh. Is it right and truth we are interested in or is our motivation one of pride, rebellion, revenge, jealousy.

Issues can be raised about a leader, whether a John Hagee or Obama, without snide comments, cutting sarcasm, or outright vicious words. Scripture tells us every leader is there by decree of God and that's why honour is due them, not because of they themselves, but because it's God who allows them to hold that position. Showing leaders due respect and honour is actually showing God due respect and honour.

If a pastor declares something unbiblical, it's right to ask them about that, asking in a humble, sincere manner in the hope that all will come to biblical truth. The wrong approach would be to badmouth the pastor or to verbally assault the pastor and question him in a derogatory manner.

Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft (a sin God proscribed the death penalty for) and we are not to rebel in any way against the leaders God has set over us, even if those leaders are wrong and wicked. A good example of this is David in his dealings with Saul.

Perhaps that is a good example: Saul was God's anointed. Yet he had disobeyed God, was in sin, and David, as I recall, rebuked Saul publicly. But David didn't do one thing to harm him.