Student Ministries News!

This past week we looked at one of the most intense descriptions that Jesus had ever given regarding the religious leaders. In Matthew 22, He alluded to them in parables and they eventually figured out that they were the bad guys in these parables. In chapter 23, Jesus clearly made them out as the hypocrites that they were. He does not mince words, but calls them snakes, vipers, tombs filled with rotting bones, blind guides, and, of course, hypocrites.
How can Jesus do this and not be a sinner? I don't know other than to say, I'm sure He did it without sinning. I think we look at this passage and picture an angry Christ being judgmental, much like we would be or want to be when we know someone is being hypocritical. Yet Jesus would have done this out of a motive of love. He would have wanted to use His words to create relationship between the religious leaders and Himself. He would want the religious leaders to understand that by exposing their hypocrisy, they could then walk away from the hypocrisy and enter into a sweet relationship with their heavenly Father.
Sometimes we use opportunities to expose others less-than-consistent lifestyle to break relationship, to lift ourselves up, to disrespect and humiliate. Jesus could expose what was going on in people's lives because He did so with a proper motive. He also did it with a pure heart. It is important that whenever we take an opportunity to expose someones hypocrisy, we do so after strict examination of our own life. If the Spirit does not expose any hypocrisy in our own life, then maybe God's Spirit will allow us the freedom to speak out what we see in the other person's life.
One of the more familiar verses in this chapter brings the concept that if you're going to be a leader, you must be a servant. Jesus brings this concept up after exposing the religious leaders as wanting titles of respect, but desiring them out of pride.
Many religious leaders of today have used the concept of servant-hood to manipulate Christians into serving God as slaves. This misuse of Scripture is exactly what Jesus was trying to expose in this passage. To serve the King, who is also your Father, is far different from being a slave to Pharaoh. Jesus releases us from the concept of slavery. We serve our Father King the same way any prince or princess of a kingdom serves their father. We bring the character and the policies of the King everywhere we go. Anywhere that we arrive, we become an ambassador for our Father. Are we serving? Yes. Are we servants? Yes. Are we slaves? No, not in the way that religious leaders want to make us think we are.
Be careful about pointing fingers at the hypocrites in Chapter 23, because becoming religious is far easier than we would like to think.

Tonight, February 8th, the parents' life group will meet in the conference room at 8:00 pm. 

Bob Switzer