SEVENTEEN DAYS TO EASTER!
Reading for today:
Matthew 23:1-39
Mark 12:38-40
Luke 20:45-47
The statements from Mark and Luke are concise - and practically identical. They do the 'Cliff's notes' version - - but Matthew was there. His story was not passed down. It is worth paying attention to the reality that John was also a dedicated disciple - and he doesn't record this indictment at all.... It is also notable to me that some manuscripts of 'original texts' from Matthew include the majority of the statement made by Mark and Luke - but it is not printed in Matthew as text, just as a footnote.
What is clear is that those who make a show of their 'religion' but don't demonstrate a right relationship with God by the way they treat others will be judged severely.
This is a 'house-cleaning' chapter in Matthew. Remember who he was before Jesus redeemed him - a tax collector. His former profession linked him to two worlds, and I believe it is for that reason he takes to heart all of the woes declared to the Pharisees and teachers of the law and carefully records them. It is a bit of the 'but for the grace of God, there go I....'
It is a hard chapter to read when I think of it in personal terms. I would be crushed to hear these words, but Jesus only has a short time on earth - and He is trying to get through to these 'leaders' who are pursuing Him trying to find something to kill Him for. In reality, the only people Jesus was ever hard on were 'spiritual leaders' who were religious phonies. These were men who professed to stand up for the teachings of the Torah - and for the laws passed down through oral tradition - lots of laws. They taught ethics - but didn't practice them, obviously. Their walk and their talk didn't line up. Jesus calls them out...not their followers, but them, personally. He was able to do that because He could look into their hearts.
They are beautiful china cups on the outside - and full of sludge and grime on the inside. They are the ones who 'speak for God' to their generation - and they are whitewashed caskets - - clean-looking on the outside, and dead inside. They do not represent God well. In fact, they don't represent God at all. Jesus words to them are brutal.
Jesus can say that. As I said, He looks at their hearts - and He looks at ours. What does He see? It's all about what is on the inside - not what people see on the outside.
I am wounded by the cruelty expressed by some who claim to be followers of Jesus. Just recently I saw a report on television of people holding placards who were declaring to grieving families that the deaths of their sons in the war was God's judgment. I was appalled. Jesus would never have done that.
And - I've seen a couple of video clips posted by one person on Facebook lambasting the leader of a church in Seattle - a church I checked out pretty carefully because of what was posted, and found it to be teaching accurate theology. I believe the statements of the FB posts are absolutely wrong - not only in what they are doing, but what they are saying. These 'protestors' stand outside the church and tell the congregants that they are going to hell - - and that their pastor is wrong. Their indictment spreads to all of Christianity, and though bits of what they say is true, much of what they say is not true - and how they say it is wrong. But how do I address my concerns to them, and not be guilty of the same thing? They come across as angry. I don't want to reflect the same trait.
We are told to speak the truth in love. I Corinthians 13 tells us what love is. Love would lead us to pray for those who despitefully use us. Sometimes love must also speak up - - but love is not spoken through castigations on a megaphone or bullhorn.
If we want to assess if the Spirit of God is in someone's life, we only have to remember the list of what will be portrayed. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience (longsuffering), goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. I find that is enough challenge for me to work on in my own life...and I believe our lives speak a lot more loudly than words.
So - since I am sensitive today for the Body of Christ - the church - which meets in buildings that we also refer to as 'church' I will just say, I am glad to be part of a body of believers - a segment of the church universal - - who call ourselves Christian (Christ-ones) and who sincerely try to honor God by living intentionally for Him in community. A church that knows it is people who are the church - even though the structure has been gifted with the same name. A church that has a ministry that reaches out locally, and reaches clear around the world. A church that is comprised of people who love and serve the Lord, who make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ. Some plant. Some water. Some harvest.
The reality is, I am out of my comfort zone often in the body of believers I worship with - but that's O K. Someone asked me recently what I like about my church, and my reply was "That they offer HOPE along with help." That hope is extended both locally and long distance. It is a clear hope in the reality of a Savior who cares.
Some in the body are further on the path toward whole and healthy; some are broken and being restored; but the Word of God is proclaimed, lives are touched, some are healed physically; the Holy Spirit's presence is evident. They (We) are by no means perfect - but what I see is a lot of love poured out: nurturing, caring for, reaching out. Some 'go' and some are called to support them - but we are all called to be His light to a hurting world, and our faithfulness touches others' lives.
No one lives to himself. When one part of the body hurts we all hurt. Those going through a horrible battle with cancer touch my life in their commitment and faithfulness to the Lord in the face of extreme challenge. Those who give up 'normal' life and go to foreign mission fields touch my life with their 'sold-out' commitment. Those who stay when they'd rather go because that is what God directed them to do touch my life. Those who take food to someone who needs it touch my life. Those who serve in the food bank touch my life. Those who serve the children, or keep the bathrooms clean, or type the weekly bulletin touch my life. We all have a part in the body wherever that body meets when it meets in Spirit and in Truth. God's body is huge - and universal - and there are many parts.
I hate to hear about one part of the body pouring lye on another part. It is ultimately self-destructive. There is so much hurt in the world to address. We are called to minister to the hurting, not hurt the helping. And - we don't have God's ability to look on the heart, so we have to be very, very careful about trying to step into His very capable shoes.
There is a little song I learned as a child that says: "You've got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, don't mess with Mr. In-between." Positive encouragement. Positive reinforcement. And being very, very careful about trying to be someone's Holy Spirit.... When He does ask me to speak, it is done with fear and trembling...and very personally.
I love Jesus' compassion even after all he said. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem...how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing...." Just like a mother hen who will sacrifice her life for her chicks, sheltering them under her body to protect them from fire, soon He will demonstrate His love in the most palpable way. His analogy using a mother hen as his example is not lost on me.
"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." Already Jesus is foretelling his Second Coming! Lord, come into our hearts in such a way that our segue to eternity will be seamless. Lord, there is so much to be done to turn men's hearts to you. Help me be faithful in my part of Your story. Help me to do to/for others what I would like to have done to/for me, to faithfully follow Your leading and be obedient to Your call on my life. Thank you for Your amazing love and grace.
Humor for today:
A Sunday School teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was robbed, beaten, and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would grasp the drama. Then she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?"
One little girl finally broke the hushed silence. "I think I'd throw up."
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