So, I haven't finished reading today's chapters, yet, but I came across something that made me think. So, I'll try to get right into it, but I'm not sure how effectively I'll be able to communicate my thoughts.
"Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 'Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders?...' And He answered and said to them, 'Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?'" - Matthew 15:1-6
Okay, so, I took out the bits and pieces that spoke to me, but here is the gist of the whole conversation: The scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus and called Him and his disciples out for not washing their hands before they ate. But, Jesus came back and called them out for dishonoring God's commandments in the name of pursuing holiness. In this bit of scripture, Jesus used the commandment, "Honor your father and mother," to bring to light the fact that the scribes and Pharisees were hypocrites. They were telling their parents that they have nothing to give them because they gave what they had to God. So, they were using God as an excuse to not give back to their parents.
This conversation stuck out to me because it has been a long time since I've been thinking that we, as a Church (i.e. the body of Christ), have a lot of this stuff wrong. Having been formally trained in language, I have at least a small idea of how language changes between translations. I have seen word studies and scripture studies and, one of the main reasons I always buy study Bibles, it always brings the verses alive in a new light for me when I see the direct translations. Most of the Bibles we have are translations of translations and when you look at the original language that it was written in, and try to understand the original intent and the intended audience - it can completely change the meaning of what, at first seems pretty straight forward.
But, I stumbled upon this train of thought - what if we have it wrong - when I started looking around at the Church from an outside perspective. I've talked a lot to non-Christians (those have been some of my favorite and most memorable conversations) and the feedback I got from those conversations initially made me ashamed to associate myself, not with Jesus or God, but with those of us who are more often the scribes and Pharisees than the disciples that we think we are. It took a couple of years before I could give someone a straight, "Yes, I'm a Christian," answer when they asked. I would normally go with, "Well, I believe in Jesus and God, but I'm not a Christian, per se."
The bottom line for me is that if church and religion was working, then the world would be saved. But, it doesn't. We are the Pharisees thinking that we have to follow all of these rules and regulations, when at the end of the day, I believe God just wants us to respect each other, love each other, support and uplift each other, and just be all-around good people to each other. He doesn't expect us to be perfect - He made us perfect via Jesus' perfect sacrifice. But, He does expect us to just do what we know is the right thing to do, and do what we think is the right thing to do when we don't know for sure.
Be good to each other. Go find that person or people that you've had a grudge against for so long and just apologize. Even if you weren't in the wrong, just apologize and come to an understanding. If you have a spouse, go tell them that you love them...and mean it. If you have children or parents, go spend some time with them. When you go in to work (or school) remove yourself from the gossip and drama, and be a reliable co-worker/student, and friend. Be consistent, be reliable, be on time, be respectful. Just be...yourself. I truly do believe that people are good at their core. We just too often hide our core so deep that we don't even recognize it ourselves.
Lord, I love You and praise You. I ask that You give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand. I pray for passion. I pray for a clear and known direction. I thank You for provision. I thank You for Your Son, and I ask that You fill each of us with the knowledge of who we really are in You. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
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