April 24, 2013
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 23:13-22
OBSERVATIONS
Jesus describes a hyper-religious people who major in minors and technicalities, but miss the spiritual realities behind their faith. They add all kind of ‘rules’ that make it impossible for people to experience God, and grown on those who fail them.
He calls them hypocrites, pretenders, fakes. It’s a religious performance without spiritual substance or depth.
This is why He warns them, you are missing the point, you will miss out on the kingdom! And worse, you are hindering others from finding it too.
The oaths is an example. They provide loopholes and technicalities to help people get out of their promise. People who wanted to get out of a promise would claim it was made to the altar, but to the gold, and they were excused from their vow.
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
How do we as spiritual leaders (not just pastors, but all Christians as those who lead/point others to Jesus) shut the kingdom in people’s faces?
People outside the church can often see through this hypocrisy, many have become disillusioned by the church, and don’t give Jesus a chance. They miss the kingdom because of the king’s servants.
A modern day example of religious technicalities is the marriage annulment, a way for people to get out of their marriage promises. Quit making excuses or finding loopholes, you are missing the point. Marriage is about love and faithfulness, not about whether you are technically married or not.
What are the minor issues and technicalities that we still get stuck on: what we wear to ‘church’, what we do on Sundays, what translation of the bible we use, how we perform baptism (how much water, at what age), how we understand biblical doctrines like election, atonement, the Trinity, the bible). It’s not that these issues don’t have significance, but when we use them to divide and denounce, we become pretenders, hypocrites, we miss the point and leaf others to miss it too.
As I work in this community, how do I (or we) help or hinder people from entering the kingdom?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, in the past I was much more concerned about religious technicalities. Help me to focus on what really matters, and to live it!
Jesus follower
trying to find His way
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were the religious leaders of the day. Today we have a whole new group of leadership in the church. And since we don’t give them the title of Pharisee, or Teacher of the Law, we should be OK.
But what do we as leaders in today’s church do? I think that we as well would be called a hypocrite. We get bogged down in rules, and expect others to follow them as well. We hold the carrot of heaven and carry the stick of regulation, and threats of hell to get people to want to follow Jesus. This doesn’t sound like the story of love and grace that Jesus came to earth to tell us about. We have perpetuated the burdens associated with being a Christian. No wonder it is not very attractive. People are leaving the church in droves, dismissing it as irrelevant.
The Jesus that came to earth came to set us free, to help those in need. We are told that if we help others, and give a drink to those in need, then we are doing so to Jesus. This is our mission. Jesus did not come to encourage the religious of his day. He came to hang out with those outside the church. And his mission was not to draw them into the church, like many of our missions have become.
I pray that as I see a need, that I can fill it. I want to be the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth.