I’m still proceeding slowly through Matthew and gaining some wonderful insights. The last few days I’ve been in Matthew 23, examining the “woes” that Jesus pronounced on the Pharisees. Sadly, I see many of these same traits in myself, and so I’m trying to work through this chapter to really be sure that I get the gist of what Jesus chided the Pharisees for. In an effort to do this, I began to compile a list of what seems to be the heart attitude behind the actions that Jesus commented on…
1. Being more concerned with being noticed and important than with being helpful and serving others (v. 1-12)
2. Being more concerned with doing things the “right way” (i.e. traditions) than with people’s spiritual condition or state (v. 13-14)
3. Being more concerned with converting people to a religious system than with bringing them into a thriving relationship with God (v. 15)
4. Being more concerned with temporal, material things than with spiritual realities (v. 16-22)
5. Being more concerned with being right than with being right with God (v. 23-24)
6. Being more concerned with how people view me than with how God views me (v. 25-28 )
7. Thinking that I am better (more wise, understanding, and righteous) than others around me or that preceded me (v. 29-32)
Perhaps I’ll post some more specifics on each of these points. I find that writing usually helps me to clarify my own thinking some, but so does interaction with others so feel free to weigh in and help in the clarification process – even if you’re just a periodic reader (i.e. blog stalker) or you’ve never commented before. I’d love to hear your thoughts and observations on this passage.
Συγκακοπαθησον 