Reading for February 6
Jesus
is standing up against the religious leaders and basically telling them they
have it all wrong. Not the message of the scriptures – that was right, but how
to go about using God’s word in their everyday lives. The rules had become more
important than the Ruler. They used God’s Word for their own benefit.
So
Jesus unleashes seven “woes” on the religious leaders.
1.
(13) shutting
people out of the kingdom of heaven
2.
(15) converting
people away from God to be like them or worse
3.
(16-22) blindly
leading people down the wrong path by encouraging them to follow man-made
traditions instead of God’s word
4.
(23, 24) paying
too much attention to what is trivial, while ignoring the real issues, like
justice, mercy, and faithfulness
5.
(25, 26) looking
good on the outside, while rotting on the inside
6.
(27, 28) acting
holy while actually covering up sin
7.
(29-36)
pretending to remember their history in order to not repeat it (for example,
killing the prophets) yet Jesus knows they are no different, for soon they will
be killing him and his followers
Jesus
concludes this chapter with such a heartfelt cry for the people of
Jerusalem. If only they would understand, if only they would turn to Him and
the truth. Even after all they have done to prevent Him from
spreading His message, and even knowing they are plotting to kill Him, Jesus
still loves and wants them to come to Him. Such love. It’s hard to imagine, but
this love is still available today, no matter what we have done in the past,
no matter how far we have wandered away, Jesus is still longing to gather us
in His arms.
Side Note:
So
you may be wondering what in the world are phylacteries. They are little leather
boxes that contain Scripture verses that were worn on the forehead and the arm,
making them look very religious. They did this in keeping with Deuteronomy 6:6-9
which say: 6 These
commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when
you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when
you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind
them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on
your gates.” The problem was, they began to
look more at the symbol and the status then at the messages contained in them. They
didn’t care about being holy only looking holy.
Jesus
points out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who lived during his time on earth,
but what about “Pharisees” who live today? Are they still here? Do we see them
in leadership in the church? Looking good on the outside, but leading a life
that is far from the holiness Jesus calls us to? My prayer for today is that
when God looks upon us, He sees Jesus living in us.
Blessings
Pastor Kathy
