Matthew 23:1-12
(Use the link below to read the verses.)
I think the first time I heard someone say that, it
was a football coach, or it might have been a teacher. For sure, it wasn’t my
Dad! He gave me rules to live by, held me accountable and lived them out in his
own life.
In
Matthew 23:1-12, Jesus is speaking to those who are his followers. Later in the
chapter his words are directed at the Pharisees, the teachers of the law and
the religious leaders in general. It’s a scathing indictment of how they live
their life, not by the Law of Moses which they preach, but by their own set of hypocritical
rules.
Jesus’
primary concern was for those whose faith was sincere; for those who were
trying to follow the law; for those who were trying to live by faith.
Then Jesus said to the
crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The teachers of religious law
and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. 3 So
practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For
they don’t practice what they teach. 4 They crush people with
unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. NLT
Here
are a couple of stories that I believe illustrate what Jesus was teaching his
followers:
Years ago, my wife and I opened our home to a
young man that I had worked with while in full time ministry. He lived with us
because he had nowhere else to go. I remember him making a statement once when
I asked him about making a decision to follow Christ. He responded, “I could
never be as good as you”.
Apparently, somehow I had given him the impression
that to be a Christian
required more than just belief and faith. It required
living a certain lifestyle of being “a good person”; of being “a nice guy”.
In Keith Miller’s book, The Taste of New Wine,
he tells the story of meeting a young woman who was considering faith in Christ.
During the course of their conversation he tells her that God loves her unconditionally,
just as she is. Her response to him is, “So your church will love me just as I
am? Because I live with my boyfriend.”
There
may be people in your life that don’t follow Christ. Think about how your life
impacts their decision for, or against, Christ? Do they feel like they can’t
live up to your standards? Or do they see that Christ came to save broken
people; that you are one of those broken people; and that he loves them just as
they are.
For
us, it all boils down to these words:
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the
first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the
Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew
22 NIV
(If
God has spoken to you through this blog, please feel free to share the link
with others.)
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