Tuesday, March 24, 2009

MITN XV, Verses 1- 9





















1. After that, some Pharisees and religious scholars made the trip all the way from Jerusalem for the sole purpose of critically confronting Jesus about something that they considered vital. When they found Him, they said to Him,

2. "We want to know why You allow Your disciples to transgress and violate the important rules handed down by the elders of the past! They don’t practice ceremonially washing their hands before they eat as they’re supposed to!”

3. He replied to them, “Look, if you really want to start examining the keeping of rules and regulations – especially if you actually care about their purpose - I could just as easily ask you why you transgress and violate the commandment of God for the sake of the rules handed down to you by the same elders!

4. For God gave this commandment: ‘Honor your father and your mother’, and also, ‘He who curses, reviles, speaks evil of, or abuses his father or mother, let him be put to death.’

5. But you have found a legal loophole to honoring them by saying, ‘If anyone tells his father or mother that he can’t take care of them in their old age because his money is already dedicated as a gift to God, then he is exempt, and no longer under obligation to honor and help his father or his mother.

6. So for the sake of this tradition of yours, you have ignored the Word of God, depriving it of force and authority, and making it of no effect…you have missed the point of the commandment by embracing the letter instead of the spirit of it.

7. You obnoxious bunch of phonies! Isaiah hit the nail on the head about you when he prophesied:

8.‘These people draw near to Me with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are total strangers to Me.

9. Their worship of Me is useless, for they invent self-serving commands that are obviously man-made, and then obsess over them, elevating them to the status of God-inspired doctrines’”.

25 comments:

Northern Light said...

When I read scriptures like this I always get a "human first impression" and then I get comtemplative and more "mature respectable perspective."

So, for now, here's the "first impression". Simply something like this.

Wow...Jesus surely could have said, "talk about the pot calling the kettle black".

Anonymous said...

Thank God for freedom from all the religious hocus pocus that I was under, now you have shed light to me on all of that and I am now free. I thank God for your revelation and sharing this with us because I have taught the very things that the Pharisees was teachings and thinking I was doing something but that was then and this is now. Verse 9 was like WOW that is so true, OH! that more could see it.

Donald said...

I see no difference between Jesus's confrontations with the Pharisees then and religious confrontations that occur today.

About the only difference is that today's Pharisees don't realize that they are Pharisees. Actually, that may not have changed either. The original Pharisees may have not realized that they were the Pharisees (spiritually speaking, of course).

Anonymous said...

Love the pic. To me, it says, "Decorum challenges Mercy."

1. "After that" - after the crowds touched the fringe of His garment. Fringe - the decorative border of the robe that likely dragged through the camel or other beast trodden/dung laden roads He traveled.

Criticism and confrontation seemed to be the vital issue for the Pharisees and religious scholars. (the sole purpose for Jesus is that souls have purpose)

2. This seems like hand jive; rules passed down by the elders, dirty fringe grabbers and bloody, nail punctured One's.

3. Initial reaction when I read this, was of Luke 6:38 - the part that says, "whatever measure you use in giving - large or small- will be used to be given back to you." (since they mentioned the rules of the elders, that's how He responded)

6-9 - The word Me seems to be in bold print. Maybe a subtle clue that the Word of God was present, giving an object lesson. But, because of their love of rules, forms, ceremonies and doctrines, the religious in their ilkiness, couldn't detect Life's pulse.

Northern Light said...

I read this today and liked it, so I wanted to share it!

I don't follow Jesus because I think Christianity is the best religion. I follow Jesus because he leads me into ultimate reality.

-Rob Bell

Peace,
Northern Light

The King's Cup said...

To know HIM is to LOVE HIM! To LOVE HIM is to TRUST HIM!

It is always the heart FATHER is after - Always the heart! Having one's heart is like having complete control over the rudder on a great ship. Then HE is able of guide us in all of our ways. When HE has our heart - HIS WAY becomes our ways!

BLESS HIS HOLY NAME!

The King's Cup said...

Bishop, Very, very good word yesterday!

Anonymous said...

Bishop:

The scripture just comes alive...

One of my favorite scriptures is the one about honoring your mother and father. I don't know but somehow everything that I read these days is bringing me right back to Sunday and the "G" force. We awe to be grateful to our parents for bring us here and honoring is nothing compare to what they have done for us. If you have the right attitude towards your parents, you will be blessed. Honoring our parents is a blessing. So, if even we pretend to care, there is always that underlining factor that will come out at some point if you are not being truthful. Everything will come to light at some point...

Anonymous said...

Jesus certainly had a way of getting right to the point. Verse nine makes me think of how many times that I've seen scriptures that appeared to be manipulative and heard them repeated by unlearned preachers for the same purpose.

About thirty years ago there was a local preacher to Conyers that had a radio program. He is dead now but I listened to one of his shouting sessions on a particular day when he was ranting about some drunk in his congregation that was glutonous, smoke cigarettes, worked all the time and yelled at his kids that also happened to make some negative comment about him and died of a sudden heart attack just before turning fifty. He went on and on and quoted scriptures about not doing prophets harm and touching preachers with an 'anointment'. That was funny and because of my training as a paramedic I naturally thought that it was most likely the cigarettes,stress, alcohol and overeating that killed the guy.

There is good reason to respect those who are giving the good news from their heart. Those type people probably don't want any harm to come to even people who do speak about them in some negative way. My experience in churches through the years has shown a tendacy toward leaving such teachings that appear to be working from the curse point of view and that is fine with me. I've had several people pray over me and quote a scripture concerning Abraham and say things like God will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. I was fine with the blessing part but always felt creepy about the cursing part. Even then the heart of my spirit was talking to me about staying on the sunny side of life. I'm no different from anyone else who has probably killed someone in their thoughts in a moment of anger but could never rest well until I forgave them. I'm not even comfortable with someone calling me a prophet because I don't want anyone to be afraid they will be harmed if they make fun of me or something. Heck if you let me in on the joke I'll probably laugh with you, I mean come on this earth suit we live in is pretty funny and we do some really hilarious stuff in it.

Oh well, whatever!

veriword - ruprasts, made me think of a cross between rugrats and that Russian guy that had the Zar killed. You know old whats his name that started with an R.

Good stuff Bish

JB

Larry Usher said...

The Pharisees were so bound to the laws & religious traditions that they could not relax long enough to let their eye focus on a flower or the beauty of a sunset or the mercy of a miracle or the sweet words of a prophet. It is so wonderful to hear the voice of God in a small incident that incites a word that instigates a picture of Life...the Life as only God can reveal it. Take the time to slow down and, at rest, observe God in your midst every moment as He foments a vision in your mind.

word ver: MOLANE- what most city roads need! ;)

Larry Usher said...

"The sole purpose for Jesus is that souls have purpose."

Great Izumi! Amen!

Larry Usher said...

"Thank God for freedom from all the religious hocus pocus that I was under, now you have shed light to me on all of that and I am now free."

So good Brenda!

word ver DINES, definitely will dine on that good word!

Larry Usher said...

My mantra for today:

Fill me up Lord, overflow me, pour me out!

Larry Usher said...

That guy is still alive JB, and I here he is now trying to Raz Putin!

word ver TONDUCK(the one that destroyed Tokyo in that movie...what was it?...)

Anonymous said...

Stopping by to say "Hi!", I'm on my way home now. God bless you all, hope everyone had a great day.

Anonymous said...

just a funny word ver:
happlag

Nancy said...

JESUS...that my heart would not be a stranger to you

Anonymous said...

Hey Bro Lar,

I think Bish talked about that dude once, about how many different ways the communists tried to kill him and he just kept on living and finally when he died that he sat up in his coffin or something like that. Raz Putin, thats funny and so is the veri word tonduck.

Wow, Izumi, you must have had Holy Ghost Os for breakfast..."the religious in their ilkiness, couldn't detect Life's pulse."

Yes P. Nancy, me too

Bro Donald, I think that Pharisees have conducted themselves that way ever since Adam blamed Eve for their sin consciousness and went even further to indicate there was something wrong with what God had made.

Anon at 2:50 pm "Everything will come to light at some point..." yes it does. That is what I liked about your first statement about "The scripture just comes alive... That agrees well with a blessing that Bishop often starts his sermons with, "the entrance of the word brings /gives light. Excellent thoughts friend.

JB

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Larry.

JB, I'm laughing to myself about your comment, ..."this earth suit we live in is pretty funny and we do some pretty hilarious stuff in it."

This is one of many embarrassing, but applicable to, "rules passed down from the elders", stories in context.

A few years back, I mentally prepared myself for work. Got keys? Wallet? Yep. Got Kleenex, breath mints, cell phone, sack lunch, Immodium? Check.

OK... deep breath. In the car, I made melodies in my heart. While pulling into the mall parking lot, I "armored up", quoting Ephesians 6, while sprinting to the building.

About 15 minutes into the shift, on that first day of work, I experienced sporadic chest pains. At first, no biggie; wasn't nuthin' but a thang.

But, the pain persisted. So, whenever I got a chance to be alone, I secretly, "e-shonda-lahed" between the clothes racks, commanding the enemy to loose his grip, off this child of God.

Only thing that changed was intensity. I worked the entire day, pretending to listen to customer complaints, while alternately waging warfare in my cartoon balloon.

At quitting time, I practically flew home, to anoint myself with oil & get prayer coverage from those stronger in faith.

It wasn't until I got very still, that I got a revelation.

While changing from my uniform to pajamas, this epiphany came: the underwire on my bra had broken! That's what was jabbing me all day long; not that ol' devil.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I can be obnoxious, at times. Thank You for Your mercy and grace.

Amen

Larry Usher said...

Oh Izumi!!! I have no response to that! LOL!

word ver: PALLY- it's 5 o'clock at an Italian restaurant somewhere!

Larry Usher said...

Word ver: SARMOOS- Sounds At a Ranch-Moos

Unknown said...

Verse 2, I love the way the Pharisees paradigm of control is revealed in their question, "We want to know why You allow...?"

And, again, it is clear in MITN that Jesus loves the Pharisees too! It's harder for me to see that in other translations.

Anonymous said...

That's why God gave us prayer
language, Larry!

Avatar, I meant to thank you for your comments a couple of days ago. (allergy meds - I flaked!)

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks, people...good stuff...

Thanks, Dave, for the heads up about the comma...don't know how I missed that...

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Your immediate reactions to my paraphrase-in-progress make this labor of love immensely more enjoyable...THANKS!