Let me repeat what I said during last night's worship service - these were not evil persons; they did not intentionally set out to act contrary to the will and word of God. Rather, over time, practices developed and they simply stepped into the role of how those before them had carried out the roles and tasks. They made assumptions - that if this was the way it had been done in the past, that is the way it ought to be done now.
The word "church" is only found in the Gospel of Matthew - not in Mark, Luke, or John. Matthew is concerned, about the structure necessary to carry out and carry forth the message of Jesus. He realizes we must organize ourselves. But he is very concerned that we don't allow the structures we set up to replace the message we are to proclaim.
I am a bit too over committed these days. 20 years in one place can translate into being asked to serve on committees and task forces. My frustration is that a lot of those meetings/discussions are searches to find a way to convince folks to do what ought to come natural to those who are actively engaged in Christian living. We meet and talk about ways to get folks to do something they obviously had rather not do! Maybe, instead of meeting to find a way to get more folks to sign up for Wednesday night dish duty we ought to be open to asking whether Wednesday night dinners are the best way for us to proclaim the message of Jesus.
The chief priests and Pharisees had practices and ways of speaking of God to preserve. They didn't mean to ignore the Word of God; they simply failed to ask whether they were doing God's will or keeping alive a system of their own making. May we never be so blind as to fail to see our acts of service through the eyes of God; may we always be prepared to accept the critique and redirect our efforts.
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