As we come to the conclusion of the seven woe's Jesus pronounced to the Pharisees, we see the final one in Matthew 23:29-32. Here, Jesus reminds them that even though they think they would not have murdered the prophets of the Old Testament, they were just like their ancestors and would finish what they started. Here, Jesus was alluding to the fact that they would be the ones calling for the crucifixion of Jesus shortly. In essence, Jesus is saying that their problem was that they were ignorant of their own spiritual condition.
Today, we can see how this pharisaical attitude can creep in to our heart and lives today. It is so easy to get swept up with everything "religion" that we never stop to take a good hard look at ourselves. We get so busy going about our "church business" of attending worship, shaking hands, singing songs, praying prayers, giving offerings, and keeping up appearances, that we neglect our actual spiritual condition. We have replaced "spiritual" with "busy." As long as we stay busy at church, we can ignore the elephant in the room.
As a side note, after reading this I couldn't help but think of the Christians of old that many highlight and promote today. They were men and women who were inventive, unsatisfied with status quo, and willing to try new and different ministries, outreaches, etc. Yet today, we stone (via social media) those who have that same attitude today!As a child of God, lets not ignore our true spiritual condition by "staying busy" in church. Busyness does not equate righteousness.
I've followed through the series and find that much remains the same as when Jesus walked through Israel. I know that at the very first you told us not to take this personally. I imagine you did not have one specific individual in mind during the study - but I think we do need to look at ourselves, taking the lesson very personally. I'm reminded of what I read recently about lighthouses -- that they don't go running around looking for people to rescue, but remain consistently available, always prepared and ever vigilent for opportunities. Following God's calling - being obedient to His message - will place us where He wants us to be, doing what He wants us to do, without directing what anyone else should be doing. That's God's responsibility. Thanks for a good study.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words and good thoughts you have added to the discussion!
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