This week, I will reach out to people rather than withdraw.
It’s easy for people to turn “loving God” into a weapon against people who don’t seem to measure up.
Am I a disciple? Or am I a Pharisee?
In Matthew 12:1-14, Jesus and his disciples munched a little grain along the road. But the Pharisees — the most religious people of their day — called the disciples on a technicality. (They were supposed to rest, because it was the Sabbath — and picking grain was “work”).
Jesus offered a shoulder-shrugging kind of reply: You may have your Old Testament memorized, boys, but you don’t seem to get the meanings. You don’t seem to be living in the spirit of it. God says he’s more interested in your being merciful than in your following all the ritual regulations.
Next, Jesus met a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue (Matthew 12:9-14). He healed the man — and the Pharisees objected again, on technical grounds. Jesus, however, urged compassion. The supposed spiritual leaders had made their church a rule-following place. Jesus wanted it to be a love-sharing community. So to demonstrate, he marched into their church — and broke one of their rules — and did something helpful and loving.
Was it always like this? Probably not. The religious people had started out wanting nothing but to love God. But along the way, without even realizing — because they saw God’s design as a bunch of rules to be broken ... because they saw sin as stuff God doesn’t want you to do or he gets angry, instead of stuff that shortchanges us, which breaks God’s heart — their spiritual situation shifted right under their feet. They lost the heart of their faith, they lost their love for people. They got more caught up in their religious rules and regulations than they did in the redemptive potential of people ... who are God’s favorite thing in the universe!
Christ calls us to love God and love each other, because this is how we’re designed to be the happiest and most effective. But if this is so, then what is Satan going to dedicate himself to? Convincing us not to love each other — for whatever reason! And what will be the cleverest reason he can use to deceive us into not loving each other? The seemingly good, seemingly sensible, seemingly righteous reason. The religious reason. He will trick us into embracing a negative view of a person or situation, and justify it to ourselves as the virtuous view.
Am I a disciple? Or a Pharisee? If I have adopted any belief or value that leads me to keep people at a distance, or break off relationships, or separate myself from others — even if it seems to have come from a good or sensible source — I need the Spirit to filter that belief or value!
My Prayer for the Next Seven Days... Lord, when I feel myself worrying about people following your rules instead of just entrusting them to you ... when I find myself resisting doing good, or resisting the opportunity to express love ... I will search for the source of that resistance, and I will turn that hard-boiled part of myself over to you. Amen.
It’s easy for people to turn “loving God” into a weapon against people who don’t seem to measure up.
Am I a disciple? Or am I a Pharisee?
In Matthew 12:1-14, Jesus and his disciples munched a little grain along the road. But the Pharisees — the most religious people of their day — called the disciples on a technicality. (They were supposed to rest, because it was the Sabbath — and picking grain was “work”).
Jesus offered a shoulder-shrugging kind of reply: You may have your Old Testament memorized, boys, but you don’t seem to get the meanings. You don’t seem to be living in the spirit of it. God says he’s more interested in your being merciful than in your following all the ritual regulations.
Next, Jesus met a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue (Matthew 12:9-14). He healed the man — and the Pharisees objected again, on technical grounds. Jesus, however, urged compassion. The supposed spiritual leaders had made their church a rule-following place. Jesus wanted it to be a love-sharing community. So to demonstrate, he marched into their church — and broke one of their rules — and did something helpful and loving.
Was it always like this? Probably not. The religious people had started out wanting nothing but to love God. But along the way, without even realizing — because they saw God’s design as a bunch of rules to be broken ... because they saw sin as stuff God doesn’t want you to do or he gets angry, instead of stuff that shortchanges us, which breaks God’s heart — their spiritual situation shifted right under their feet. They lost the heart of their faith, they lost their love for people. They got more caught up in their religious rules and regulations than they did in the redemptive potential of people ... who are God’s favorite thing in the universe!
Christ calls us to love God and love each other, because this is how we’re designed to be the happiest and most effective. But if this is so, then what is Satan going to dedicate himself to? Convincing us not to love each other — for whatever reason! And what will be the cleverest reason he can use to deceive us into not loving each other? The seemingly good, seemingly sensible, seemingly righteous reason. The religious reason. He will trick us into embracing a negative view of a person or situation, and justify it to ourselves as the virtuous view.
Am I a disciple? Or a Pharisee? If I have adopted any belief or value that leads me to keep people at a distance, or break off relationships, or separate myself from others — even if it seems to have come from a good or sensible source — I need the Spirit to filter that belief or value!
My Prayer for the Next Seven Days... Lord, when I feel myself worrying about people following your rules instead of just entrusting them to you ... when I find myself resisting doing good, or resisting the opportunity to express love ... I will search for the source of that resistance, and I will turn that hard-boiled part of myself over to you. Amen.
Matthew 22:36-39
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
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