Hello everyone.
I have recently started a new study of the book of Deuteronomy. I hope to share with you some of the things I am learning along the way in this study. In Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people of all that had happened over the years since leaving Egypt, as he prepares them for the upcoming conquest of the Promised Land.
Today, I will be looking in Deut. 1:19-46. Moses retells the story from Numbers 13 and 14, where Moses sends twelve spies to explore the Promised Land. After their report, only Joshua and Caleb stand up and say, "we can take this land." The other ten give a discouraging report that the people buy into, and rebel against God, refusing to go up and take the Promised Land that God had given them. God punishes them for their lack of faith and their disobedience by making them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until that generation, save Joshua and Caleb, have died off.
Here is what I want to focus on. After the negative report of the ten spies, Israel responded like this, "The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt with fear. They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky.'" Deut. 1:27-28) The Israelites looked at the situation, rather than God, and concluded that God must hate them. In verses 29 -31, Moses stands up for God and remind the nation of all that He had done for them, saying, "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt before your very eyes and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place."
So, God is carrying them as a father carries his son, but they are saying to God, "You hate me." Maybe, your children have, at some difficult moment, perhaps when you are making them do something difficult, said that "You must hate me." It has happened to me. If it has happened to you, then you understand that nothing could be further from the truth. I don't hate my boys at all, I love them and want what is best for them. As parents, we are always looking out for their best interests, but that is not always the easy road that they would like it to be. In the heat of the moment our children can forget everything good we have ever done for them and focus on this one difficult moment and conclude, "You hate me!"
We can be the same way, We may look at our particular circumstances and be tempted to think, "God hates me," or "God is punishing me." But just like we care about our children deeply, God cares about us. The Israelites had forgotten very quickly all that God had done for them to bring them to the edge of the Promised Land. We must make sure that we don't forget all that God has done for us to bring us to the point that we are now. He has carried us this far, like a father carries a son, and He will continue to carry us into the Promised Land. What we view as punishment may be God's disciplining hand, but we can know for certain that God's loving concern is ever present and we have yet another opportunity for God to carry us through a difficult situation.
Tom
Saturday, June 3, 2017
Monday, February 20, 2017
The Greatest
Hello everyone.
I am continuing my study of Matthew. I saw this recently in Matthew 22. An expert in the law asked Jesus, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?" (22:36). We are all familiar with the reply. Jesus answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest command. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments." (22:37-40) I want to focus on the last part of this statement, that all of the Law and Prophets hang on those two commands.
OK, first we can obviously see that both of the these two commands are about love. The first one is about our love for God, and the second is about our love for other people. These two things are inseparable. But what Jesus is telling us here is not love love is important, but that it is absolutely necessary. Imagine love were a nail that has been driven into a wall. If all of the Law and the Prophets, (not part,but all) hang on that nail, what happens if you pull the nail out. The Law and the Prophets fall, don't they? Without love, true Christianity falls apart.
Paul echoes this thought in I Cor. 13:1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." Without love, we are at best, nothing, and more likely, some annoying noisemaker, whose sound slowly diminishes into nothing. It is sad that in our modern world, so many people who claim to be Christians, are such hate rather than love. Instead, we are called to love people the way we love ourselves.
In my experience, loving people can be hard. I mean, some people are easy to love, but many other people are not. But the call of Jesus and true Christianity is to love them any way. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone followed these two greatest commands.
Tom
I am continuing my study of Matthew. I saw this recently in Matthew 22. An expert in the law asked Jesus, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?" (22:36). We are all familiar with the reply. Jesus answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest command. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hand on these two commandments." (22:37-40) I want to focus on the last part of this statement, that all of the Law and Prophets hang on those two commands.
OK, first we can obviously see that both of the these two commands are about love. The first one is about our love for God, and the second is about our love for other people. These two things are inseparable. But what Jesus is telling us here is not love love is important, but that it is absolutely necessary. Imagine love were a nail that has been driven into a wall. If all of the Law and the Prophets, (not part,but all) hang on that nail, what happens if you pull the nail out. The Law and the Prophets fall, don't they? Without love, true Christianity falls apart.
Paul echoes this thought in I Cor. 13:1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." Without love, we are at best, nothing, and more likely, some annoying noisemaker, whose sound slowly diminishes into nothing. It is sad that in our modern world, so many people who claim to be Christians, are such hate rather than love. Instead, we are called to love people the way we love ourselves.
In my experience, loving people can be hard. I mean, some people are easy to love, but many other people are not. But the call of Jesus and true Christianity is to love them any way. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone followed these two greatest commands.
Tom
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
In Whose Image?
Hello everyone.
I have continued my study of the book of Matthew and I am now up Matthew 22, where Jesus asked about paying to Caesar. I have read this story many times. This time, while reading a commentary on Matthew called Be Loyal by Warren Wiersbe, I read a connection that I had not seen before. I want to share some thought about it.
I'm sure you are familiar with the story. The disciples of the Pharisees, teamed with the Herodians, attempt to trap Jesus in his words. Asking about paying taxes to Caesar, they think that if Jesus answers that they should pay taxes to the Romans, he will be in trouble with the people, and if He says that they shouldn't, he would be in trouble with the Romans. But as they always did, they underestimated Jesus, and He turned a o-win situation into a victory. He has them show him a coin, and asks, "Who's image is it?" The coin has Caesars' image on it, and Jesus says, "So give back to Caesar, what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's."
Here is the point Wiersbe made. While Caesar had placed his own image on the money, God, back in Gen. 1:27 had placed his own image on us. So, if I am understanding properly, we should pay our taxes (give to Caesar what is Caesar's), but more importantly, we are to give our selves to God, in whose image we carry. I don't know if those who heard Jesus say this, made that connection or not, but certainly his answer was good enough that they left. But whether they made the connection or not, we certainly can.
For me, this is a good time to think about such things. As I go into a new year, I always make some resolutions. Sometimes I do a good job keeping them, sometimes I do not. This year, I have to ask myself what can I do to better declare the image that I bare.
Tom
I have continued my study of the book of Matthew and I am now up Matthew 22, where Jesus asked about paying to Caesar. I have read this story many times. This time, while reading a commentary on Matthew called Be Loyal by Warren Wiersbe, I read a connection that I had not seen before. I want to share some thought about it.
I'm sure you are familiar with the story. The disciples of the Pharisees, teamed with the Herodians, attempt to trap Jesus in his words. Asking about paying taxes to Caesar, they think that if Jesus answers that they should pay taxes to the Romans, he will be in trouble with the people, and if He says that they shouldn't, he would be in trouble with the Romans. But as they always did, they underestimated Jesus, and He turned a o-win situation into a victory. He has them show him a coin, and asks, "Who's image is it?" The coin has Caesars' image on it, and Jesus says, "So give back to Caesar, what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's."
Here is the point Wiersbe made. While Caesar had placed his own image on the money, God, back in Gen. 1:27 had placed his own image on us. So, if I am understanding properly, we should pay our taxes (give to Caesar what is Caesar's), but more importantly, we are to give our selves to God, in whose image we carry. I don't know if those who heard Jesus say this, made that connection or not, but certainly his answer was good enough that they left. But whether they made the connection or not, we certainly can.
For me, this is a good time to think about such things. As I go into a new year, I always make some resolutions. Sometimes I do a good job keeping them, sometimes I do not. This year, I have to ask myself what can I do to better declare the image that I bare.
Tom
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Behold, your King
Good morning everyone.
As I have continued my study of Matthew, I have reached the triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21 and I wanted to share some thoughts about it. You are probably familiar with the story. Jesus sends two of his disciples into the village to get a donkey and her colt. Jesus rides into Jerusalem and the crowds come out placing their cloaks and palm branches in the road so that Jesus could cross over them on his borrowed donkey. As he did they shouted things like, "Hosanna to the Son of David!," and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
There is a lot going on here. First, Jesus is showing himself to be king. He is entering Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, which says:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus knows this prophecy and by riding into Jerusalem in this manner is declaring himself to be king, the fulfillment of this scripture.
The people have apparently caught because the are receiving him with their cloaks and palm branched the way that they would receive a king. Plus they were shouting "Hosanna!" as Jesus rides in. According to Biblestudytools.com, the phrase "Hosanna' means something like "Praise God, we are saved." This crowd in Jerusalem really believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that he was on his way to save them. Meaning that he, as their king, would drive the Romans out once and for all and that he would return Jerusalem to the glory that it had in the days of King David.
We all understand, now, that this was not the kind of king that Jesus was going to be. He is a spiritual king, not a physical one. He did not return Jerusalem to its former glory. What must the following week been like for these people, when nothing went according to the visions that they had in their heads at this moment. This Jesus did not drive out he Romans, in fact, the first thing he does is overturn tables at their own temple, stirring up trouble with his own people, not the Romans. Eventually this king is executed by the Romans he was supposed drive out. Nothing matched their expectation.
But I want us to imagine for a moment that Jesus came into Jerusalem and did exactly what the people were expecting that he would. How would things have been different. Jesus drives the Romans out and assumed a position of kingship in Israel. Israel resumes it former glory, perhaps becoming even greater than before, matching Rome in power. This certainly would have been welcomed by this crowd. He would have even won the Pharisees over most likely, and Jesus would have gone down in history as the greatest Jewish king ever, surpassing even David.
But what would this mean for us. It would be a great story for the history books, but not such a great story for our spiritual well-being. We understand now that because of Jesus' death on the Cross, we have hope and a future in heaven. Without that death, we do not. So ultimately things are better off for all of us that Jesus went against everyone's expectations and did not become an earthly king. I have thought this a lot recently as some things have not turned out the way I expected them too, and the way they turned out were deeply concerning to say the least. Maybe you can identify. So never-the-less, no matter what happens, I must choose to trust God in circumstances like these, because Jesus is still King, and God is still in control, and things will ultimately work out for my best interests. I hope this helps you in some small way when the circumstances don't make sense and you can't see where God is going to trust Him any way.
Tom
As I have continued my study of Matthew, I have reached the triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21 and I wanted to share some thoughts about it. You are probably familiar with the story. Jesus sends two of his disciples into the village to get a donkey and her colt. Jesus rides into Jerusalem and the crowds come out placing their cloaks and palm branches in the road so that Jesus could cross over them on his borrowed donkey. As he did they shouted things like, "Hosanna to the Son of David!," and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
There is a lot going on here. First, Jesus is showing himself to be king. He is entering Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, which says:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus knows this prophecy and by riding into Jerusalem in this manner is declaring himself to be king, the fulfillment of this scripture.
The people have apparently caught because the are receiving him with their cloaks and palm branched the way that they would receive a king. Plus they were shouting "Hosanna!" as Jesus rides in. According to Biblestudytools.com, the phrase "Hosanna' means something like "Praise God, we are saved." This crowd in Jerusalem really believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that he was on his way to save them. Meaning that he, as their king, would drive the Romans out once and for all and that he would return Jerusalem to the glory that it had in the days of King David.
We all understand, now, that this was not the kind of king that Jesus was going to be. He is a spiritual king, not a physical one. He did not return Jerusalem to its former glory. What must the following week been like for these people, when nothing went according to the visions that they had in their heads at this moment. This Jesus did not drive out he Romans, in fact, the first thing he does is overturn tables at their own temple, stirring up trouble with his own people, not the Romans. Eventually this king is executed by the Romans he was supposed drive out. Nothing matched their expectation.
But I want us to imagine for a moment that Jesus came into Jerusalem and did exactly what the people were expecting that he would. How would things have been different. Jesus drives the Romans out and assumed a position of kingship in Israel. Israel resumes it former glory, perhaps becoming even greater than before, matching Rome in power. This certainly would have been welcomed by this crowd. He would have even won the Pharisees over most likely, and Jesus would have gone down in history as the greatest Jewish king ever, surpassing even David.
But what would this mean for us. It would be a great story for the history books, but not such a great story for our spiritual well-being. We understand now that because of Jesus' death on the Cross, we have hope and a future in heaven. Without that death, we do not. So ultimately things are better off for all of us that Jesus went against everyone's expectations and did not become an earthly king. I have thought this a lot recently as some things have not turned out the way I expected them too, and the way they turned out were deeply concerning to say the least. Maybe you can identify. So never-the-less, no matter what happens, I must choose to trust God in circumstances like these, because Jesus is still King, and God is still in control, and things will ultimately work out for my best interests. I hope this helps you in some small way when the circumstances don't make sense and you can't see where God is going to trust Him any way.
Tom
Monday, August 8, 2016
I Desire Mercy
Hey everyone.
It has been a pretty crazy summer for me and my family. Since the end of the school year,we have driven to St Louis, spent four days with my Mom and Dad, went to the Reach Conference, closed on a house, moved and spent a week a Teen Camp. We are all pretty tired.
Anyway, I have been studying something in Matthew 12 that has really moved my heart and I want to share it with you. In Matthew 12:1-8 we see that Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath and picking and eating grain. Jesus received some criticism from the Pharisees for this, because picking a few heads of grain and rubbing them in their hands would be considered "harvesting" and "winnowing" on the Sabbath. this was forbidden by Rabbinic law because they sought to make it absolutely impossible to break the Sabbath by making almost everything unlawful on the Sabbath. God's plan for the Sabbath was that it was a day of rest, and was designed to help people. The Pharisees, however, had made Sabbath laws such a burden for everyone, that no one was helped by it. As they usually did, the Pharisees were missing the point.
As Jesus makes his defense, he makes three references to the Old Testament. First, he talks about David and his men eating the consecrated bread in I Samuel 21. He also makes reference to the priests offering the sacrifices on the Sabbath. This is labor, but the priests are held innocent. The third O.T. reference is the one that I want to focus on. Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6. He says to the Pharisees, "If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent." Jesus quotes from Hosea the prophet, which tells the story of God's incredible love for Israel and the mercy he extends towards them. What I learned was that this was the second time that Jesus had quoted this same scripture to the Pharisees. Back in Matthew 9:13, as the Pharisees are asking Jesus's disciples why he eats with tax collectors and sinners, he tells them to go learn what this means; "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." So first he tells them to learn what it means. They clearly do not. The second time, he tells them that if they understood, they wouldn't treat people the way that do. The Pharisees were big on sacrifice, small on mercy.
It strikes me that this concept must be pretty important if God says it in Hosea and Jesus quotes it, not once, but twice in Matthew. So then, what does it mean. Is Jesus down on sacrifice? I don't think so. God commands sacrifice in the Old Testament, and I believe that He is pleased with us when we sacrifice today for contribution, Special Contribution or sacrifice our time to serve others, or to further the kingdom. But think about this, if what God really desires is mercy, but he is not down on sacrifice, then in what high esteem does God hold mercy? The Pharisees extended very little mercy, and Jesus called them on it twice. This is a game-changer for me. God is looking at my relationships. Does he see mercy being extended? Do I extend mercy to my family? Do I extend it to those in my ministry? Do I extend it to my students? Do I extend it to the poor, by serving them? These are the questions I am asking myself. I have seen how anger has not produced the behavior I desire in others (The Bible (James 1:20) is right about that one), so I am going to try being more merciful for a while and see how this works.
Tom
It has been a pretty crazy summer for me and my family. Since the end of the school year,we have driven to St Louis, spent four days with my Mom and Dad, went to the Reach Conference, closed on a house, moved and spent a week a Teen Camp. We are all pretty tired.
Anyway, I have been studying something in Matthew 12 that has really moved my heart and I want to share it with you. In Matthew 12:1-8 we see that Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath and picking and eating grain. Jesus received some criticism from the Pharisees for this, because picking a few heads of grain and rubbing them in their hands would be considered "harvesting" and "winnowing" on the Sabbath. this was forbidden by Rabbinic law because they sought to make it absolutely impossible to break the Sabbath by making almost everything unlawful on the Sabbath. God's plan for the Sabbath was that it was a day of rest, and was designed to help people. The Pharisees, however, had made Sabbath laws such a burden for everyone, that no one was helped by it. As they usually did, the Pharisees were missing the point.
As Jesus makes his defense, he makes three references to the Old Testament. First, he talks about David and his men eating the consecrated bread in I Samuel 21. He also makes reference to the priests offering the sacrifices on the Sabbath. This is labor, but the priests are held innocent. The third O.T. reference is the one that I want to focus on. Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6. He says to the Pharisees, "If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent." Jesus quotes from Hosea the prophet, which tells the story of God's incredible love for Israel and the mercy he extends towards them. What I learned was that this was the second time that Jesus had quoted this same scripture to the Pharisees. Back in Matthew 9:13, as the Pharisees are asking Jesus's disciples why he eats with tax collectors and sinners, he tells them to go learn what this means; "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." So first he tells them to learn what it means. They clearly do not. The second time, he tells them that if they understood, they wouldn't treat people the way that do. The Pharisees were big on sacrifice, small on mercy.
It strikes me that this concept must be pretty important if God says it in Hosea and Jesus quotes it, not once, but twice in Matthew. So then, what does it mean. Is Jesus down on sacrifice? I don't think so. God commands sacrifice in the Old Testament, and I believe that He is pleased with us when we sacrifice today for contribution, Special Contribution or sacrifice our time to serve others, or to further the kingdom. But think about this, if what God really desires is mercy, but he is not down on sacrifice, then in what high esteem does God hold mercy? The Pharisees extended very little mercy, and Jesus called them on it twice. This is a game-changer for me. God is looking at my relationships. Does he see mercy being extended? Do I extend mercy to my family? Do I extend it to those in my ministry? Do I extend it to my students? Do I extend it to the poor, by serving them? These are the questions I am asking myself. I have seen how anger has not produced the behavior I desire in others (The Bible (James 1:20) is right about that one), so I am going to try being more merciful for a while and see how this works.
Tom
Sunday, July 3, 2016
An invitation
Hey everyone.
As I have continued my study of Matthew, I spent a couple of days looking at Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus says there, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Now I have read that passage many times but this I got more from than I ever had before. Maybe because this time I was both weary and burdened. I like it that Jesus provides rest. It is not necessarily physical rest, I am still physically tired, but a spiritual rest. I am not carrying the same burden that I had been, because I was able to entrust that burden to Him.
But what I really want to focus on is how Jesus is really extending to me an invitation to come and learn from Him. He is offering to teach me gentleness and humility. These are things that I need. It reminds of Philippians 2:5-11, where Paul writes that Jesus was humble to the point of making himself nothing, and that we are to imitate Him in our relationships. I find this very challenging personally. My instinct is to make myself something. I love to be recognized. I crave it sometimes. I need to learn humility from Jesus. In the past, I have been praised for my patience with my students. I would be patient and gentle with them then go home and blow up at the people in the world that needed my love and patience most. I need to learn gentleness and humility from Jesus. So I am looking at Jesus, but I am also looking at myself to see where I came better "make myself nothing," to be a better husband, father and person. And as I strive to become more like Him perhaps I can have a bit more of that soul rest.
Tom
As I have continued my study of Matthew, I spent a couple of days looking at Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus says there, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Now I have read that passage many times but this I got more from than I ever had before. Maybe because this time I was both weary and burdened. I like it that Jesus provides rest. It is not necessarily physical rest, I am still physically tired, but a spiritual rest. I am not carrying the same burden that I had been, because I was able to entrust that burden to Him.
But what I really want to focus on is how Jesus is really extending to me an invitation to come and learn from Him. He is offering to teach me gentleness and humility. These are things that I need. It reminds of Philippians 2:5-11, where Paul writes that Jesus was humble to the point of making himself nothing, and that we are to imitate Him in our relationships. I find this very challenging personally. My instinct is to make myself something. I love to be recognized. I crave it sometimes. I need to learn humility from Jesus. In the past, I have been praised for my patience with my students. I would be patient and gentle with them then go home and blow up at the people in the world that needed my love and patience most. I need to learn gentleness and humility from Jesus. So I am looking at Jesus, but I am also looking at myself to see where I came better "make myself nothing," to be a better husband, father and person. And as I strive to become more like Him perhaps I can have a bit more of that soul rest.
Tom
Saturday, May 14, 2016
A Surpassing Righteousness
Hey everyone.
Recently I have been studying through the Sermon on the Mount. As I studied, I read Jesus' statement in Matt. 5:20, where he says, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of Heaven." Since I very much want to be in the kingdom of Heaven, I took some time to think about this scripture. Since my righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees, it made me ask the question, "How righteous were the Pharisees?" Well, the answer to that question depends on who you are asking.
If you ask a Pharisee, the answer that you would get would probably be something like this, "It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to surpass my righteousness. God and I are really tight." In his own eyes, the Pharisee was very righteous, but his legalistic brand of righteousness was based largely on following regulations, while totally missing the heart of the scriptures. That is why Jesus said of them in Matt 23:23-24, that they tithed even their spices but neglected the heart of law, ideas like justice, mercy and faithfulness. They seemed very righteous, but totally missed the point.
Jesus' audience was probably taken aback by this statement, thinking "How could I possibly be more righteous than they are?" But, had they asked Jesus how righteous the Pharisees were, they may have been surprised by his answer. It may have been something like this, "Well, to be honest, they are not very righteous." Their self-righteous way of thinking completely missed the point and purpose of the law and Jesus spent three years pointing that out.
With that in mind, I ask the question, "Can my righteousness surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and thereby I can enter the kingdom of Heaven?" The answer to that is unequivocally "Yes!" As I continued the study of the Sermon on the Mount, I began to compare two standards that Jesus was laying out. One I will call the Righteousness of the Pharisees. The other I will call Surpassing Righteousness, a righteousness of the heart.
Jesus immediately starts spelling out the difference. In Matt. 5:21-22, it says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment." Here we have two standards. One says, "Do not murder." This is a good standard, but to be honest, I have have found it incredibly easy to obey. I have never even been tempted to murder anyone. Jesus's command to not get angry with our brother is much harder to obey. Controlling our anger is much, much harder than controlling our impulse to murder people. That is because dealing with our anger goes back to our hearts and what is coming out of them.
It is interesting that the Pharisees would have undoubtedly agreed with the command "Do not murder," yet they certainly had murderous intentions. They were plotting to kill Jesus, and ultimately handed him over to the Romans to be killed. They plotted to kill Lazarus. They killed Stephen. To make them happy, Herod killed James. How could they justify all of this murderous intent? Easy, when your righteousness is bound up in legalism rather than the heart, you can justify just about anything. I believe that we are drawn to legalism, because it's a whole easier than really examining our hearts and changing ourselves on that level. That we need God for.
So, what does this mean for us? First, we have to understand that Surpassing Righteousness is about our hearts before God, and not our strict adherence to some code of laws. Obey the laws, but first give God your heart. The Pharisees obeyed the laws they wanted to obey because in actuality their hearts were far from God, (Mark 7:6) making their own desires their standard. Second, we can know Surpassing Righteousness, the one that allows us to enter the kingdom of Heaven, is possible. The Righteousness of the Pharisees, actually sets the bar pretty low. For example, I know that I can continue to not murder people. When I give God my heart, I can also learn to control my anger, too. So seeking the Surpassing Righteousness allows me to enter the kingdom of Heaven and makes me a better person, as well.
Recently I have been studying through the Sermon on the Mount. As I studied, I read Jesus' statement in Matt. 5:20, where he says, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of Heaven." Since I very much want to be in the kingdom of Heaven, I took some time to think about this scripture. Since my righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees, it made me ask the question, "How righteous were the Pharisees?" Well, the answer to that question depends on who you are asking.
If you ask a Pharisee, the answer that you would get would probably be something like this, "It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to surpass my righteousness. God and I are really tight." In his own eyes, the Pharisee was very righteous, but his legalistic brand of righteousness was based largely on following regulations, while totally missing the heart of the scriptures. That is why Jesus said of them in Matt 23:23-24, that they tithed even their spices but neglected the heart of law, ideas like justice, mercy and faithfulness. They seemed very righteous, but totally missed the point.
Jesus' audience was probably taken aback by this statement, thinking "How could I possibly be more righteous than they are?" But, had they asked Jesus how righteous the Pharisees were, they may have been surprised by his answer. It may have been something like this, "Well, to be honest, they are not very righteous." Their self-righteous way of thinking completely missed the point and purpose of the law and Jesus spent three years pointing that out.
With that in mind, I ask the question, "Can my righteousness surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and thereby I can enter the kingdom of Heaven?" The answer to that is unequivocally "Yes!" As I continued the study of the Sermon on the Mount, I began to compare two standards that Jesus was laying out. One I will call the Righteousness of the Pharisees. The other I will call Surpassing Righteousness, a righteousness of the heart.
Jesus immediately starts spelling out the difference. In Matt. 5:21-22, it says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment." Here we have two standards. One says, "Do not murder." This is a good standard, but to be honest, I have have found it incredibly easy to obey. I have never even been tempted to murder anyone. Jesus's command to not get angry with our brother is much harder to obey. Controlling our anger is much, much harder than controlling our impulse to murder people. That is because dealing with our anger goes back to our hearts and what is coming out of them.
It is interesting that the Pharisees would have undoubtedly agreed with the command "Do not murder," yet they certainly had murderous intentions. They were plotting to kill Jesus, and ultimately handed him over to the Romans to be killed. They plotted to kill Lazarus. They killed Stephen. To make them happy, Herod killed James. How could they justify all of this murderous intent? Easy, when your righteousness is bound up in legalism rather than the heart, you can justify just about anything. I believe that we are drawn to legalism, because it's a whole easier than really examining our hearts and changing ourselves on that level. That we need God for.
So, what does this mean for us? First, we have to understand that Surpassing Righteousness is about our hearts before God, and not our strict adherence to some code of laws. Obey the laws, but first give God your heart. The Pharisees obeyed the laws they wanted to obey because in actuality their hearts were far from God, (Mark 7:6) making their own desires their standard. Second, we can know Surpassing Righteousness, the one that allows us to enter the kingdom of Heaven, is possible. The Righteousness of the Pharisees, actually sets the bar pretty low. For example, I know that I can continue to not murder people. When I give God my heart, I can also learn to control my anger, too. So seeking the Surpassing Righteousness allows me to enter the kingdom of Heaven and makes me a better person, as well.
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