Lessons From Hypocrites
“therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them. “ Matthew 23:3
All – Jesus endorsed the scribes and Pharisees. Yes, that’s right, He instructed His disciples to follow all that they taught – but not to follow the way that they practiced. Jesus did not throw out the baby with the bathwater. He observed Torah. He implored His disciples to do the same. After all, Torah is God’s instruction for living. Those who think that they have a better way to manage life are in for a big surprise. If Jesus is Torah obedient, do you suppose that His disciples are somehow exempt?
The scribes and the Pharisees represented the best of religious devotion to God’s instruction. They knew the Scriptures. The problem was not in their teaching. It was in their practice. Jesus remarks that they lived for personal glory and honor. What they taught was correct, but it was not correctly motivated or applied. The true disciple obeys from a heart of humility. The true disciple is a servant of all.
Did you notice that Jesus does not suggest selective obedience? He doesn’t say, “Just observe those things that suit you.” He doesn’t say, “Only follow the spirit of love in your hearts.” He doesn’t say, “Just be full of grace and forget about the rest.” He instructs His disciples to follow all that the scribes and Pharisees teach. Why? Because they correctly communicated what the Scriptures taught. The problem is not the content. The problem is the application. Jesus castigates the scribes and Pharisees not for their theology but for their attitudes. When He tells His disciples to follow all, He includes the whole Torah, observed with the proper attitude toward God.
Does this make you wonder about our contemporary notion that the Old Testament doesn’t apply to us? When did we decide that Jesus really meant to ignore what the scribes and Pharisees understood as God’s instruction? When did we decide that Jesus really didn’t mean that His disciples should observe all that the scribes and Pharisees taught? When did we determine that we no longer needed to do what the Master did? Do you suppose that all of this changed when someone told you that the Old Testament was just for the Jews? Ah, but Jesus was a Jew, wasn’t He? And our father is Abraham, isn’t he?
The contemporary Christian church has been trying to practice faith in the Messiah with at least one hand tied behind its back (and maybe with a leg cut off too). Messianic faith can’t be understood, or practiced, without a full-bodied adoption of Torah, not as some sort of legalism but as God’s holy instructions for living. If you find that your experience of the Master is not providing you with daring transformation, delightful execution and a rich sense of peace and purpose, maybe you’re trying to be a Christian without being a child of Abraham. Maybe you need a change of diet. Maybe you should be eating the words of Torah. Jesus certainly did.
Topical Index: Torah
