Jesus and the ten commandments

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”

Exodus 20:3

“Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.” Romans 1:21‭-‬25 NLT

It always amazes me how well the New Testament and the Old Testament blend together and match up. If you read those two verses back to back it almost creates a story in itself. 

Back to the point at hand.

What are idols? Oxford dictionary says they are a representation of a god used for worship or a person or thing greatly admired, loved or revered. So, other than the obvious type of idol, what are some things that could become an idol? It could be anything that you love, admire, or revere. The problem is when it consumes you, when it becomes more important than God.

Why is it important for Jesus to address idols? Because, like the verse in Romans says, it makes people look like fools. Instead of worshiping the God who created the universe and has shown His Might time and time again, they chose to worship some sticks. Not only does that kind of insult their intelligence, but they are missing out on the greatest aspect of life. God literally created humans to worship Him, and they completely missed the target, they couldn’t even hit the mountain behind the proverbial broad side of the barn. God makes Himself readily apparent for those who ask. He is ready for everyone to want a relationship with Him. But some just don’t understand the majesty of God. That’s where Jesus comes in.

Jesus died to cover the sins of the entire world. He didn’t sit and pick out names for who he was dying for, he just gave his life as the ransom for our sins. That substantial amount of love will allow an open door for people to see and experience God like never before. Once you have experienced God, truly, it is very hard to go back to worshiping sticks.

There are many ways in which humans have strayed from worshiping God to instead worshiping creation. Some examples being, Astrology (the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.), Witchcraft, Self enlightenment, Hinduism, worship of self, idolizing prominent political figures, idolizing prominent pop culture, idolizing achievements.