Right action, wrong heart

As we have been in the Man Up series at church, it has caused me to read the gospels in a new light. I have seen many paintings and pictures of Jesus in books where Jesus is holding a butterfly for a child or has a fluffy lamb hanging over his shoulder. Although our God was absolutely compassionate and he loved children, this imagery can sometimes make people forget that Jesus was a man - and a man that got angry!

In reading Matthew 23 today, Jesus was indignant against the Pharisees. He called them blind guides, hypocrites, full of greed, self-indulgent, wicked, snakes and brood of vipers in front of his disciples and the crowds! Well…that wasn’t very politically correct, was it?!

What angered Jesus so much that he would choose such harsh words? After all, these were people who were teachers of the law, tithing faithfully, attending church regularly and memorizing scripture. What could be so bad about that?

He summed up the totality of the problem in verses 25-26 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”

What made the man -- the protective, firm, and indignant man -- rise up inside of Jesus?

Right actions with wrong motives.
People who put on the façade of holiness but were filthy on the inside.
Insincerity.

And most especially, all of these attitudes inside the place that is called the House of God.

They could fool other people into thinking they were righteous, but the one person they couldn’t fool was God. He knows the hearts of all men.

I would encourage you to read this article about church politics: http://www.michaelkreynolds.com/?p=1026

It is humorous, but also a good reminder of the pitfall of doing things inside the church with the wrong motives. As Christ followers, let’s make sure we are checking our hearts. The right thing with the wrong heart might please man, but it doesn’t please the Lord.

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Don't settle,
Mel Miller