October 1st~Religious Hypocrisy

John 5:1-47


Mark 2:23-28

Matthew 12:1-8

Luke 6:1-5


Mark 3:1-6

Matthew 12:9-14

Luke 6:6-11

Matthew 12:15-21

Jesus had several confrontations with the religious leaders of the day — the Pharisees and Sadducees. These men disliked and disapproved of Jesus’ teachings and miracles for several reasons. It appeared to them that He did not respect their religious laws. He also claimed to be equal to God, which, in their eyes, was blasphemy. Of course, they didn’t like it either when Jesus pointed out their religious hypocrisy. Since these groups played a role in the story of Christ’s ministry, it is imperative that we understand who they were and what they believed.

To be a Sadducee, one had to be a priest. The name came from a priest named Zadok, meaning “righteous.” The Sadducees acknowledged only the written law of Moses as binding; therefore, they strictly followed the letter of the law. If Moses did not teach it, then nothing else mattered. Thus, Jesus offended them when He said, “You set your hopes on Moses; but, if you had believed Moses, you would believe in Me, because Moses wrote about Me” (John 5:45-47).

The Pharisees, on the other hand, were made up of scribes. Their name meant “pious ones” or “separated ones.” Their purpose was to keep the law of God from becoming corrupted, as it had in the past. Thus, they not only kept the letter of the law, they added their own rules to ensure that they would not come close to breaking the laws of Moses. Because of their super pious policies, they separated from society. They also took it upon themselves to watch for those who would not only break the law but who would dare confront or corrupt it with false teaching or “illegal” actions. Thus, the Pharisees were famous for being hyper-legalistic.

Therefore, the battle lines were drawn and, in our reading today, Jesus stepped over them. The issue was the purpose and meaning of the

Sabbath. “Is it legal to do good deeds on the Sabbath,” Jesus asked. No one would answer Him. He knew that they would rather not be guilty of “breaking the law,” even if it meant that they were doing good for someone else. Therefore, Jesus made a point to heal people on the Sabbath, which, of course, angered both groups. He pointed out their hypocrisy, “The Sabbath was made to benefit people. People were not made to benefit the Sabbath; and, I, the Son of Man, am the Master of the Sabbath!” (Mark 2:27, 28). The war was on!

Daily Reflection

Oftentimes we follow the letter of the law and miss the spirit of the law. We say one thing with our words and, then, betray ourselves with our actions. We strain to dot our religious “I’s” and cross our “T’s” but we completely miss the heart of God, the purpose and point of it all. We are so mindful of going through the religious motions that we become legalistic robots and judgmental jerks. Legalism and judgmentalism kill love; and love is the heart of Christianity.

Have you ever fallen into this trap? Explain.

Can you imagine being so concerned about following religious rules that you miss on a chance to bless someone else? The Pharisees were more concerned about their Sabbath traditions than helping a lame man! “It is illegal to carry your sleeping mat” they said (John 5:10), the mat that he had been confined to for 38 years! Watch out, lest you too become so consumed with your piety that you miss ministering to the people around you!

BiAY.org | Day 274 — 91 Days to Go