05.25.08
Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 3)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 2)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 3)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 4)
- Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law (Part 5)
3 – Fasting (Matt. 6:16-18)
Here’s another practice of the Pharisees that needed to be addressed. What we need to understand is that fasting, as it was practiced during this time period, was more than the absence of food and drink. The people did not wash or anoint themselves. They were – in a word – unsightly. What this did was get them (again) praise from men, because that is who this ‘show of faith and obedience’ was for. So what does Jesus teach? The fasting that is acceptable to God is one that is observed before God Himself. These folks missed the point! Take a bath and clean yourself up on the outside, because impressing men with your obedience is not what our Heavenly Father is looking for.
4 – Attitude towards wealth (Matt. 6:19-24)
Part of this teaching stems from Deut. 28 where God promises to bless people materially if they walk in obedience to His words, and discipline by reducing them to want and poverty if they were disobedient. From this comes the teaching that is recorded in their statement ‘Whom the Lord loveth, He maketh rich’.
To the Jews, riches were a sure sign of God’s pleasure and blessing. During this time (the time of Christ) the goal of life was to accumulate material things. I guess not much has changed over the years. What Jesus illustrates is that having material things as the goal of life shows our view towards what is temporary. Your stuff can be destroyed, it will decay, and it will fade. It’s just stuff! What our goal should be is to acquire things that are permanent or eternal. In accumulating treasure there is the danger that one will love what is accumulated. Just thinking that through will illustrate that a person can then easily become enslaved by the things they love. Don’t believe me? What are you working hard for? What conclusions could one draw if they examined your checkbook or your credit card statements?
Jesus teaches that it is impossible to serve two masters. If stuff is your thing, let me tell you that you are fooling yourself if you think you are serving God. And if you fall on the other side of the fence and raise your hand to say you are serving God, then you need to examine if you are enslaved by your material things. Which latitude does your attitude (towards money) take?
Jason Raymer said,
May 27, 2008 at 9:19 am
How true it is.. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I have noticed a huge change in myself over the years that I’ve attended Church on a (mostly :D) regular basis and began to take God’s word more seriously.
Once I figured out that “going to Church” wasn’t the goal of “going to Church”, and that it was only a small portion of what it meant to be a Christian, it amazed me how my attitude changed towards so many different things.
Something that I didn’t see was anything about Matt. 6:22-23.
“22″The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”
Matt 6:22-23 (NIV)
This is part of what I memorized for Youth recently and I haven’t been able to figure out how this section fits in with treasures and serving two masters… When I read it, I get the idea that if the light within you is darkness, that darkness is so great that it emanates from you in the same way that light emanates from a lamp. In other words, the darkens shines as though it were light casting darkness into the light. It’s a really great… analogy, but I keep missing the point on how it fits in with storing up treasures. Any insight?