In the first part I wanted to look at what Jesus said to do, and point out that what the church is doing doesn't quite match what Christ instructed. So if you haven't figured it out, this part will show who I think the modern church is modeling itself after.
23:13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in.
23:14 23:15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
23:16 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
23:17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
23:18 And you say, 'If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.'
23:19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
23:20 So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it;
23:21 and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it;
23:22 and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
23:24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity.
23:26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.
23:28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
23:29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
23:30 saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
23:31 Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
23:32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
To me those charges are something of history, but quite applicable to what the modern church is currently doing. How many modern churches have a contract to tithe as part of their membership? How many modern churches have become harbors of hatred against those who are living alternative lifestyles? How many put more emphasis on outward appearances and trying to look hip and cool? And finally, how many modern churches have a bunch of extra rules and traditions to "help" you live a more holy life?
Jesus didn't want us to get caught up in all of this foolishness, He wanted us to be better than this. He pointed out what mattered, and over the years the church has forgotten. It is time for us to reawaken to the true message of Christ and get back to what we are supposed to be about, building the kingdom.
Those of us that realize the mistakes that the church as a whole has taken need to stand up and call out this hypocrisy from within. We need to stop looking the other way when a christian makes hate-filled comments about a group and instead remind them we are messenger, not the judges. We need to realize that our own sins are just as bad as the "big" sins that are so frequently preached on.
Perhaps instead of saying, "If we only this would happen, we could reach out to people" we should say, "How can I, with all this that God has blessed me with, further serve His Kingdom?"
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