DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- JUST ANOTHER PHARISEE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – JUST ANOTHER PHARISEE

"Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, " 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?' "– that they might accuse him.  Then He said to them, 'What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.' Then He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.'  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other."  (Matthew 12:9-14).

Those pious Pharisees – always looking for something to entrap Jesus, whether it was His disciples plucking heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath (as in verses 1-8) or healing a handicapped man on the Sabbath.  They strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel, and Jesus confronted their hypocrisy.  They would violate their own traditions when it suited them, but when it came to meeting the needs of people, they were incensed.  

However, it pricks my own conscience when I think of how much I sometimes value my own pet ideas and ignore the value of people around me.  I will stand firm on my own soap-box, while overlooking the needs of the people I am trying to convert to my point of view.

It is hypocritical of me to preach love, while at the same time treating people with disrespect.  It is hypocritical of me to condemn the sin in another person's life while ignoring my own short–comings.  It is hypocritical of me to talk about the soon return of Jesus while living like He is never going to return.

May God help me to be a person of integrity whose actions correspond to my speech.  Otherwise, I am just another pious Pharisee.

Love, Dad