Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Song of Songs 5-6
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Luke 20:46-47
Jesus: Beware of the religious scholars. They like to parade around in long robes. They love being greeted in the marketplaces. They love taking the best seats in the synagogues. They adore being seated around the head table at banquets. But in their greed they rob widows of their houses and cover up their greed with long pretentious prayers. Their condemnation will be all the worse because of their hypocrisy.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Do you know any of those? Are you one of those? You know, people that dig into God’s word just to trip other people up? They nitpick words and phrases to get their point across and condemn everyone around them for failing to see the message those words send us from God’s word. They stand firm on their conviction that what they say is absolutely true because they pulled it from the Book. And if God said it, it must be true.
Those people are right in one respect. What God says is true. But we have to be careful not to take His words out of context. The Bible says there is no God – that is if we stop in the middle of the psalmist’s thoughts. The rest of the words around that phrase says there is no God in a fools heart.
But those people are deadly wrong in the misuse of God’s word. They play with fire when they misrepresent God using His words to guide people in ways contradictory to the plan He has for us. Remember Satan used scripture often to entice people to do wrong. He even used scripture against Jesus to tempt Him to take shortcuts to His rightful place as Lord of all nations and all people. Jesus didn’t fall for it because He knew scripture and knew the missing parts. Because He knew scripture, Jesus recognized the fallacies in Satan’s arguments and recognized him for who he was. The tempter. The adversary. A lion roaming the earth seeking whom he might devour.
Those folks Jesus talks about look good on the outside. They are members of churches. They sit on boards and councils. They determine the direction denominations will go over the next years. They collect and spend the offerings that pour into the churches in the form of tithes and offerings. They teach and preach from God’s word, but it is often a perverted message that doesn’t share what God intends His word to share.
I’m certainly not talking about every Bible scholar and every preacher who fills a pulpit. There are some great men and women sharing God’s word and doing their very best for the kingdom. But there are some that use their religious platforms for their own greed and power. They care more about the size of their wallet than they do the size of their heart. If you’re listening to God through His word, you can figure out who they are pretty quickly. His word does not steer you wrong.
Is there hypocrisy in my church? Unfortunately, I would have to say yes, there is. I can see it in the lives of some of the members. Is there hypocrisy in your church? If I were a gambler, I would bet a paycheck there are. And I would bet another paycheck that I’m not wrong in that assessment. Our churches are full of hypocrites. But that’s okay. Look who Jesus was talking to. He was addressing the scribes and Pharisees. The scholars who knew scripture better than anyone else. The leaders of the faith. They attended services faithfully. They participated in all the rituals faithfully. They gave their tithe and more faithfully. Yet Jesus called them hypocrites.
Did that stop Jesus from going to the temple to worship? Certainly not. Did it stop Him from participating in those same rituals? Absolutely not. He did them faithfully, understanding fully the reason behind those rituals. Did it stop Jesus from continuing to study God’s word and using it to support His messages to the crowds that followed Him? We see that most of His preaching took text from the ancient writings of the law given to Moses and the prophets and the writings that existed worship places of the Jews.
Jesus recognized the hypocrites wherever He went, but He still preached to them, healed them, ministered to them, invited them to follow Him. He never stopped them from being around Him to hear and witness the kingdom of God in their midsts. Jesus knew the only way to reach a hypocrite was to allow them to join into genuine, intimate worship. Until they see the difference between their fake religion and real righteousness, they will continue to fall prey to Satan’s lies. But when they draw near and listen, they have the opportunity to hear the message, make amends, repent of their hypocrisy and find their way back to God and His kingdom living.
Just stay in God’s word. You can pick them out. And when you do, be very careful that you don’t fall into the same traps they fell into. Stay rooted in the word. The whole thing, not just your favorite chapters and verses. The hypocrites will see your walk and maybe find a new way, a better way, the way of the cross.
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