When They Heard The Children Shouting

Written by Jarred Rushing

(6 minutes)

"But when the chief priests and religious scholars heard the children shouting and saw all the wonderful miracles of healing, they were furious." (Matthew 21:15)

Part of the journey of becoming mature, beloved sons and daughters of Yahweh is becoming more sensitive to the Holy Spirit and where the wind of the Spirit is blowing. And with that heightened sensitivity, you also inherit a sensitivity to those spirits that are in opposition to the wind of the Spirit.

Remember, we have Jesus in the boat with His disciples giving a warning about the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. He wants His disciples to be on guard against the spirit that both the Pharisees and Herod are operating in. We learned earlier that the political spirit (leaven of Herod) and the religious spirit (leaven of the Pharisees) are both ANTI-Christ. When the political spirit and the religious spirit get together, they plot the murder of the Son of God. They were constantly working against the Spirit of God that was dwelling inside the Beloved Son of God. And they continue to do that to this day when it comes to the Spirit of God working in you, a Beloved Son and Daughter. 

One of the ways that you can spot the spirit of religion is by paying attention to how they treat the next generation. Religion will always highlight personal destiny and downplay, or completely disregard, generational legacy. 

Consider this: The heart of religion seeks to extinguish all signs of abundant life (you know, the thing Jesus came to give us).

It wants to eradicate any hint or glimmer of freedom and wholeness. Why? Because if people experience freedom and wholeness, they will no longer need the message of religion.

Religion touts the lie that we are incomplete, missing something, and that we are far away from God. Well, that message DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE to people who have been set free, been made totally whole, and who know that Abba is never, not for one moment, leaving their side (and it's even better than that, because He has actually made us His permanent dwelling place). Religion needs fearful people to stay in business. And when Holy Spirit moves in, He's not giving people a spirit of fear. And that is very frustrating for the spirit of religion.

But let's not stop there. Let's ask another question.

Why would children, generational legacy, be a sore spot for the spirit of religion?

Well, if you hated even the glimmer of freedom and wholeness, you would most definitely be disgusted with children because they, by nature, right out of the womb, believe that they are the most free and whole people on the planet. If you are curious as to the truth of that statement I would love to introduce you to my children. They came out of the womb thinking they could do whatever they wanted to do whenever they wanted to do it. Money is no object. Time is a non-issue. The sky is the limit. Confused little faces looking up at you thinking, "What do you mean, 'I can't??'" They don't know the language of limits. They have to be taught otherwise. If the game is freedom and wholeness and vibrant life, our kids are winning every single time. And the spirit of religion can't stand it.

No wonder they came along and tried to convince us that our children were totally depraved, ravenous little sinners. That way we would never look at them and learn anything from them...like how to be free.

So "when the chief priests and religious scholars heard the children shouting and saw all of the wonderful miracles of healing, they were furious." Dr. Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, gives us even more insight into this verse in the footnotes. He shares that in the Aramaic language "they were furious" would be better translated, "it seemed evil to them." 

The joyous shouts of children and the miraculous healing of sick, lame people...seem evil to the religious spirit. Why? Because free, whole, fully alive people have no need for the system of religion. If children are happy in the presence of Jesus and everyone is being healed, religion is no longer in control. 

What does this mean for us as we are walking with Abba in the wilderness?

Why is it important for us to hear Jesus' warning about the spirit of religion and the political spirit?

It is not so we can become professional Pharisee hunters. 

Abba is not calling us to become the political spirit police.

Remember, what we behold we become. Spend your time beholding Pharisees, and you become a Pharisee.

No, this is important because we have to guard our own hearts and the hearts of the next generation. It's so we can protect the freedom that Jesus purchased for us with His life. In Galatians 5:1, the Apostle Paul says, "Let me be clear, the Anointed One has set us free--not partially, but completely and wonderfully free! We must always cherish this truth and stubbornly refuse to go back into the bondage of our past." 

It's also important because Abba wants our wholeness to transform the world around us. When the world sees us walking around with whole hearts, it's going to give them permission to enter into that same measure of freedom. I read a great quote this past week that said, "The task of a liberated person is not to scold the world and preach to it, but to delight it back to its senses." As we walk with Abba in the wilderness we're going to find ourselves being transformed into children who are captivated by the presence of Jesus, dancing in circles around Him, and pouring out praises with every breath. And if Jesus is lifted up, He will draw the hearts of people to Himself. Abba will use our delight to invite others into the wilderness walk with Him.

Let's make these declarations today as we walk with Abba:

• I carry the presence of God and beloved identity everywhere I go, and I see miraculous healings break out all around me. 

• Generations will be attracted to the radiant light of Yahweh's presence that pierces darkness and releases joy.

• That radiant light shines out from me, even causing my shadow to be a source of healing to those that come near me. 

• Why would I be afraid of darkness when I am light?

• The religious spirit will be enraged, but that will not stop me from lifting up the Christ so even more people can be set free. 

• I protect the heart of the next generation from the spirit of religion by staying tender and intimate with Yahweh. 

Now go and enjoy your walk with Abba!

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Worship:  "Make Room" by Kim Walker-Smith

Honor:  Give to The Wilderness Place Online

Share With Us: We would love to hear how you're encountering Abba in your daily walks. Don't hesitate to share what you're hearing, seeing, or sensing in His presence. Email us here!