Reading through the Gospels we witness Jesus on multiple occasions spit fire on the Pharisees - the religious sect. Black and white is their view of God, believing they do exactly as He would have them to. Yahweh, in bodily form, dumps a bucket of gray paint all over their white-washed parade.
Rules. More rules. Rules on top of rules. They just keep piling up! In attempts to keep the folks in line, a religious spirit is formed, and God’s people are yoked hard and heavily burdened. Do the Pharisees still seek Holiness or have they developed a hunger for status gain? I imagine there to be a mix. How much has really changed?
Last night I watched the Super Bowl with some friends. Yay, Chiefs! Twice, I saw one of those ‘He gets us’ commercials (or whatever they say). Usually, these consist of a depiction of people whom the world or even the Church deems unloveable. Get this though. I came across a poll for how different demographics view this bit. Swarms of Liberals see these as money better spent on problems more important, while a comparable number of Conservatives envision them as a Liberal ploy to excuse sin. As for me, I spy an opportunity to find out where I truly stand with Jesus’ heart for people.
He lashed out at the religious sect. He was a friend to sinners. I know this. You do too. We all would say we agree. And yet… And yet when confronted with a picture of the person(s) with a matching message on national tv, we jump straight into ‘but’ mode. Why?
I’ve done a lot of rethinking on things. Especially as of late. I won’t get into all of it here. But here’s something I ponder from time to time. Jesus instructs us to be careful with our words. “Steer clear of cussing!” clergy warned me ten thousand times. Fair enough. I’m not one with a reputation for sporting a potty mouth. I value my education. Though, on occasion… I’m familiar with the phrases.
But is this really what Jesus meant by cursing? I think back to the Pharisees and their rules. The rules in which they thought were God’s but completely missed the heart of the matter. I know soooo many believers (and have been one) who keep track of words you cannot use (mostly cultural) and yet with the ones they say you can, use them to manipulate, or even condemn. Oh well! At least they didn’t say “x, y, or z”. You may not have called your brother a “blankety, blank, blank”. But you did infer him as being a “fool”. What was the motive? And which did Jesus Himself place the greatest emphasis upon?
I’m not on a mission to break our tongues free from the bonds of intelligent speech. This is merely a primer. Not a topcoat. I guess I feel that as the burden of religion is lifting off of me, I care to share the load, or lack thereof, with others as well. There are so many areas where I believe, like the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or even Job’s goofy friends, we see God as black and white. A checklist of dos and don’ts. I believe He wants to say, as He’s already inferred through His word, how there’s so much more in the in-between.
Perhaps, the gate is narrow not because of how difficult it is to check the list, but because of how hard it is for man to see and live between two extremes (a religious spirit). Thanks for listening!
sure enjoy getting to know you thru your writing Ken; a dear difficult brother has a line I like..’one good question is worth a million answers’. Your writing reflects such.
All of us have our learning curves which translates for me as we all learn and experience revelation spiritually on different scales. So often for me the subtle prompting of Jesus’ words usher in a private A ha moment as I realize the tension you describe is an inside one, usually at a point I am still moving out from under..I re read a favorite verse recently that fits what you are touching on. Hosea 2:14-21. (The whole chapter is good) but it’s where Jesus’ heart enters where the back n white mentality reigns inside.
I have been observing my human tendencies of reverting to logic (the fruit of the knowledge of good & evil) instead of that of the Spirit when it comes to discernment. It brings me to this thought that perhaps Adam’s ‘sin’ was his choosing to rely on his own understanding instead of that of unwavering trust face to face. (do you think this came as a surprise to the Lord?)
Others may not comment bro but they chew on your insights… esta mui bien!!
Thanks Ken!