Post #4424724

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. -Matthew 23:23-28 Looking holy is not the same as being holy. For the jews, a man with a big phylactery publicly counting his seeds for tithing looked holy; for us today, it is standard pastoral or monastic nonsense. One "looks" holy with vestments, monastic habits, tassels, and the tranquil expression given by contemplative prayer and fasting. Extra points for having a scraggly beard and tired eyes - you know the bit. None of those things are commanded for us yet Christians all over the world are happy to emulate the Pharisees this way. People back then were no different from people today, obsessed with aesthetics but devoid of Godly substance. But Jesus is having none of it. He wants you to be a Pietist. He wants us having a transformed character that truly seeks to BE good, not just look the part. Yes, we are justified - declared righteous - by faith alone. But once we are justified, it is the task of a Christian to seek that inner transformation that we may be better than we once were. This is not done by fasting, mystical meditations or wearing funny clothes. It is done by heeding Christ's rebuke in this passage. One must seek justice, mercy and faithfulness. A Christian must expunge from himself all greed, self-indulgence, hypocrisy and lawlessness. He must regularly engage in those habits of charity, forgiveness, confession, and obedience to the Decalogue. Then the man's heart, clothed with the righteousness of Christ, is adorned and decorated with sanctification; these are far more worthy of our efforts than fancy robes or home prayer shrines. Ask the Holy Spirit for help embarking on this pilgrimage, and you will find yourself avoiding pharisaism (both in the ancient and modern varieties).