The Way - Day 255 (Matthew 23)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Matthew 23:1-12
As we have observed throughout the book of Matthew, Jesus has much to say to the scribes and Pharisees (those who had created a man-made system of righteousness). The scribes and Pharisees loved to be seen by others as they "performed" their good deeds because their motivation was selfish. They did not do good things because they loved God but rather because they wanted others to think they were spiritual. In addition to the Old Testament law, the scribes and Pharisees had also added some of their own rules and regulations by which they judged the spirituality of others. Jesus quickly became frustrated with these groups of people mostly because they believed obedience to ritual was more important that obedience with the heart. In this particular passage of Matthew, Jesus lays out his characterization of the scribes and Pharisees - He unveils the real issue. He began by telling the listeners that the scribes and Pharisees enjoyed sitting in Moses' seat (the highest position of authority in educating the people in the Old Testament law) because they could tell people what to do (23:3). But, Jesus says that His disciples should not be like them because they tell others what to do without obeying it themselves. Furthermore, Jesus tells His followers in verse 4 that the scribes and Pharisees create heavy burdens for people, meaning that their "extra" rules and regulations cause people frustration with their spiritual life. The reason these additional laws created discouragement was that they were not from God. I am a firm believer that we should ALWAYS follow God's laws and everything revealed in His Word, but I am totally against adhering to a set of man-made conditions for spirituality. In verses 5-7 Jesus exposes the real heart of the scribes and Pharisees - they wanted to feel better about themselves and they wanted others to think they are close to God. Closeness to God begins with humility, it begins by being a servant to others (23:11). We are never closer to God than when we have admitted our weakness and our inability to please Him on our own. The promise is very clear in verse 12 - those who humble themselves will be exalted and those who exalt themselves will be humbled. Don't walk around appearing that you have God and life all figured out, but rather evidence humility before Him each day as you depend on His mercy and grace.

Matthew 23:13-39
This passage is a continuation of Jesus' condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees. Instead of trying to focus on every verse, I would rather center on just a couple verses that sum up the whole of what Jesus is trying to say. The scribes and Pharisees were guilty of following the minute details of the law, but failing to recognize the weightier matters of the law (23:23-24). Jesus mentions particularly that they ignored justice, mercy, and faith. Even though they obeyed the small areas of the law, they did not understand the underlying morality of it; in other words, they obeyed out of habit instead of obeying from the heart. Jesus goes a little further with His words - you cleanse the outside of the dish, but inside are full of extortion and self-indulgence (23:25). They were so consumed with what people perceived them to be on the outside that they didn't care about the condition of their heart. In verse 27 Jesus even compares them to whitewashed tombs which looked good from the outside but in reality were full of decay on the inside. Outward change never affects the heart. The scribes and Pharisees appeared righteous from the outside, but inside they were full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (23:28). I believe we live in a day where the outward is more important than the inside. We are consumed with other people's perception of us so we go to great lengths to maintain our status; however, without a right heart attitude, outside change means nothing. Jesus wants us to inwardly love His law because that is what ultimately changes us. Consume yourself with God's Word and allow that to change you.
 
Dear God, change me from the inside out.