|
By Barry Buzza
[other pieces by By Barry Buzza]
 "Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy-full of greed and self-indulgence! " Matthew 23:24
Who was the Lord talking to? They were the Scribes and Pharisees-the most educated, righteous-living leaders in Israel.
The Scribes were the scholars who were responsible for copying and explaining the sacred writings. The Pharisees prided themselves in keeping the Law to the smallest punctuation point. They were meticulous in observing both the Torah and the thousands of additional laws added by respected rabbis.
Why did Jesus call them hypocrites? Because they didn't get it. They didn't get the fact that what really matters to God is what is inside-not what we do on the outside. That's what he meant with the metaphor, You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.
According to the Chicago Tribune, a man named Joe from Rockford, Illinois, ran a live Internet sex site called Video Fantasy. Joe had a ten year old son. On his home computer Joe installed filtering software to limit the surfing that his son could do on the Internet.
Joe explained, "It's not that I keep him sheltered, but my wife and I pay close attention to what he reads, what he watches on TV and what he does on the computer because we have a responsibility to him to be the best parents we can."
Continue article >>
|
Joe's sense of responsibility to his son in commendable. Joe's sense of responsibility to the children of other parents (and the parents themselves!) is deplorable.
Can there be a more stark illustration of hypocrisy?
He used another strong expression when talking about a hardworking, wealthy, successful businessman, who'd just made enough money to move him early into retirement. Jesus called the diligent man a fool.
And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive.
He said to himself, 'What should I do? I don't have room for all my crops.' Then he said, 'I know! I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I'll sit back and say to myself, "My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!"'
But God said to him, 'You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?' Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."
As Solomon wrote: it's the condition of our hearts that will ultimately determine the meaning of our life-not what we do. We are called human beings for a reason. We are not human doings because success is really about being rather than doing. "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life."
Barry Buzza, a veteran pastor, is also the president of the The Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada. www.foursquare.ca
June 19/2008
|
