June 9, 2015

Modern versions of Pharisees and Sadducees...

Luke 7: 31-35

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

'We played the flute for you,And you did not dance;We mourned to you,And you did not weep.'

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by all her children."

Personal Challenge

So, why is it that we modern Christians think that we can behave the same way that the Pharisees and Sadducees did, and not be judged by Christ accordingly? The children in the day of Jesus used to play a game of opposites. One would call out an emotion or sing a song, and all the rest would act out the opposite behavior. Jesus accused the religious elite, the saved of that day, for doing the same thing by telling everyone to do one thing, but doing something entirely different themselves. He condemned them for doing this. So, how is it that we do this today? So many Christians, even priests and pastors, claim to be followers of Christ and expound on His gospel about loving our neighbor and then rail on those who need Jesus the most: the homosexual, the mother who has aborted a child, the immigrant, someone with a tattoo, someone who is of a different faith practice, etc., or worst of all someone who brings the love of Christ to these people. Heaven forbid that on Sundays we proclaim the love of God for all of mankind, and the rest of the week we use Facebook, or our blogs, or whatever other means we have at our disposal, to demean our neighbors...especially those who are already outcasts. Jesus hung out with prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, the outcast of society, those who were lost, and commanded us to do the same. As for me, I do not want to stand before my Lord someday and be held accountable for not loving my neighbor as He loved me and commanded me to do likewise. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!