What Sorrow Awaits You…Blind Guides | Matthew 23:13-22 | Part 4

Mat 23:16 “Blind guides! What sorrow awaits you! For you say that it means nothing to swear ‘by God’s Temple,’ but that it is binding to swear ‘by the gold in the Temple.’
Mat 23:17 Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?
Mat 23:18 And you say that to swear ‘by the altar’ is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar’ is binding.
Mat 23:19 How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Mat 23:20 When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it.
Mat 23:21 And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it.
Mat 23:22 And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne.

Quote from IVP Bible Background Commentary:

Jews were no longer allowed to pronounce the sacred name of God during this time period. By swearing lesser oaths, some people hoped to avoid the consequences of swearing by God’s name if they could not keep their vow or if their oath turned out to be mistaken. As people swore or vowed by things related to God instead of by God Himself, more and more things became substitutes for the divine name and thus became roundabout ways of seeming to swear by God while hoping to buffer the consequences.

Jesus had touched on this subject previously in Matthew 5:33-37 and he concluded that the resolution is to simply make your “Yes” and yes and your “No” a no. In other words, you are of God and a vow you make should be kept in light of God’s ways and wishes. Do not attempt to add to your vow by using His Name and do not attempt to weaken a vow by not using His name.

In the study on Matthew 5:33 I had applied this principle to modern day wedding vows and the idea of divorce being so ‘easy’ today. Now let’s look at another problem we seem to have in our culture today, financial integrity.

 Is it wrong for a Christian to go into bankruptcy or foreclosure?

The problem really starts with the agreements we make in the first place. Who were you following when you agreed to take that big screen tv on credit you didn’t have? Was it God who was leading you to that purchase? Who were you following when you bought that car you couldn’t afford or that house that was too big for your budget; self or God?

You see the problem lies at the beginning, not at the end. We need to have an abiding loving relationship with Jesus so that He is controlling our hearts and minds. Then we will be making decisions based on His thoughts and His approval. We will enter into contracts with a clear yes because we know that we have the support of God or we will say no to those impulsive buys because He knows what’s best for us. Listen to this…

Psa 37:3-8 Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust Him, and He will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.

Psa_40:8  I take joy in doing Your will, my God, for Your instructions are written on my heart.”

Psa_119:34  Give me understanding and I will obey Your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart.

What does it mean when I am a Christian and I still run into problems?

Sometimes we run into problems beyond the decisions we make. Life sometimes makes the decisions for us, but God has not left our side. He wants to be there with us, helping us especially when the times are tough and He doesn’t always immediately take us “out of the fire”. If we are forced to more and more cling to Him in tough times, do we not gain the eternal blessing of learning to rely on Him?

How we handle adversity can show even more the loving and trusting relationship we have with Jesus. Adversity can bring a greater love for your Savior and therefore it can be seen as a blessing. Did you ever consider that? Adversity can be a blessing…

There are many people today, even Christians, who think that they are owed something. They take take take, and expect that it should be given. There is a part of them that makes them feel owed because of their mere existence. They do not consider others first nor do they hold their vows to be made to God, but to be only binding as long as it is convenient to them.

Consider for a moment where we might be if God held His promises to us in the same esteem as we hold our promises to Him and to His creation…not a pleasant thought.

So, my friends, let your Yes be Yes and your No be No. Consider any promise to hold the weight of eternity in it. Walk with God through adversity and know that He will honor your sacrifice. Fall on your knees at the foot of the cross when you make a mistake and allow your loving Savior to lift you up. Do good. Love your neighbor. Keep your promises and let the one who kept the ultimate promise live in you.

Prayer:

Lord, I thank you so much for what you accomplished through Jesus. I praise Your Name today knowing that You have promised to save me if I believe in what You have done for me. Lord, I confess my unbelief and ask You to fill me with Your righteousness. I consider myself dead to sin and alive to God through Jesus Christ.

Help me now with my studies. I ask for the Holy Spirit and the Mind of Christ.  Forgive my children and cover them with Your robe of righteousness. Amen.

Related articles

• What Sorrow Awaits You…Blind Guides | Matthew 23:13-22 |Part 1 (commonmansbiblejourney.wordpress.com)

Will You Know Him When He Comes Again? | Matthew 21:1-11 | 116

'Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey's colt.'"

Mat 21:1 As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead.
Mat 21:2 “Go into the village over there,” He said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to Me.
Mat 21:3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
Mat 21:4 This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,
Mat 21:5 “Tell the people of Israel, ‘Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt.’”
Mat 21:6 The two disciples did as Jesus commanded.
Mat 21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt to Him and threw their garments over the colt, and He sat on it.
Mat 21:8 Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of Him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
Mat 21:9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around Him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the One who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!”
Mat 21:10 The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as He entered. “Who is this?” they asked.
Mat 21:11 And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” [NLT]

Will you know Him when He comes again?

We see here a large crowd, welcoming Jesus into the most important Jewish city of the time. They are praising him symbolically with palm branches and by laying their garments on the road in front of Him. They proclaim loudly their belief that He is sent from the Lord and that he is from the line of David. They praise God in Heaven for sending him. They completely miss the boat when they declare that He is a prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.

He had done many amazing things. He had healed the sick, raised the dead, turned water into wine, fulfilled prophecy about the Messiah step-by-step, and he had even faced the religious leaders of His time and won every “battle”. But, they did not know Him. They still could only bring themselves to call Him a prophet. They did not know that He was “God with them”.

How do I welcome the Messiah Jesus into my life?

I apologize for all the questions now, but in light of this passage I think we need to ask some tough questions of ourselves. And for my own sake, I will actually try to answer them honestly:

• Why do I call myself a follower of Jesus? – For me, there are many factors. He has “healed” me. He has offered me eternal life. He is the only truly trustworthy person in my life. He has offered me a life without sin – what a relief that will be. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me, and He proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt on the cross. He teaches me with gentleness and helps me to want something better.
• Do I really know Jesus as a friend, or is He just a Grand Magical Supplier of Gifts and Rewards? – I am such a selfish person in my heart. Even when thinking about Jesus I see what He did as a benefit to myself. I see the end result of what He offers me, and skip over the things that maybe should have more value. I am starting to change this way of thinking in my life. What good would eternal life be if Jesus wasn’t there to share it with? What good would healing be if death was not defeated? What good would eternal life be, if we had to live it in sin. The greatest gift that Jesus offers me is His pull toward love. He is like a magnet that draws me into a loving relationship, with Him and with others. He is a burning fire that purifies, burning away the dross of selfishness. A loving relationship with Him, under any circumstance this evil world can throw at me, is the greatest gift offered to me and to you!
• How do I stop being the “white-washed tomb” and start making the inner changes? – I am starting to realize that it is the presence of God that makes anything “good” or holy, including us. If our bodies are temples, then we must ask ourselves what was it that made the temple of the Israelites holy? It was the Glory of God. The cloud that led them also entered the temple whenever they stopped to camp. Is the “cloud” inside my temple? Who can make me clean on the inside? I now daily ask for the Mind of Christ through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. By faith I believe that I receive it and by faith I expect to be changed. My faith is not based on blind belief, it is based on the promises from God. The hard part is that the more God fills my “temple” the more I see how dirty it is…
• Will I recognize Jesus when He comes again? – I see now how important study of the scriptures is. Pastors and preachers will often stick to the popular topics to appease the crowd. They won’t tackle the tough questions for fear of looking foolish. It is so important that I study God’s Word for myself and find a real personal relationship with Him. Many will be led astray in the last days and many will accept the false Christ because he will look how they have defined him. This can be true of anyone who is not grounded in the truth. Truth is NOT what you make it; it is simply what God has made it for He is the source of ALL truth. If nothing exists that was not made from His hand then He alone is the first and final source of truth. Do you value truth in your life, or do you like being lied to for the sake of your own personal comfort?

The Israelites welcomed Jesus as the Messiah, but they did not “know” their Messiah. They had defined Him in their own minds, and teachings, and philosophies as a conquering hero who would save them from the Roman oppression. They did not see that He had come to save them from the worst oppression of all, sin. So, I ask once more…will you know Him when He comes again?

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven,

I praise You Lord for the gift of Jesus, Your Son. I praise You that You think me worthy to know as a friend. I praise You for Your Love and Mercy and Your desire to remove sin from my life. Please today indwell me with the Holy Spirit. I want to have the Mind of Christ within me today. Thank You for keeping that promise.

Lord, forgive my sins and the sins of my children. Please cover me with the robe of Jesus righteousness. Please cover my children also. Protect us today Lord. Use me today in anyway that You need me. Amen.