Matthew 23 - Religion or Salvation?

This entire chapter addresses the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law in Jesus’ time. “1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach’.”

Jesus challenged the teachers of the law of God, pointing out to them that they might be following the “letter of the law” but have failed to see and follow the spirit of the law. They go around with a “holier than thou” attitude, applying strict punishment of the law that they themselves are not following. They only do good things to be seen doing them, for their praise and not the Lord our God’s. But before we are harsh in our judgment of them, we must first look to ourselves. Are we any different?

Do we seek personal glory for the things we have done? Do we judge others more harshly than we judge ourselves? Do we point out other’s sins while we ignore our own? Do we simply “go through the motions” of religious expectations or are we truly living for Christ Jesus? Before we berate the teachers of old, we need to check ourselves!

Our hearts and minds must be on Jesus Christ, following His example and using the Holy Spirit as a guide. We must not get so caught up in religious rituals that we lose sight of the Good News of Jesus’ salvation. We must love, support, and disciple one another, not judge and tear one another apart, or we are no better than those before us who failed and missed the glorious Kingdom of Heaven.

So, the next time you feel like judging, spend a few moments in prayer with our Heavenly Father. Ask Him to search your soul for sins against Him, give them to Him and ask forgiveness, then ask Him to help you help the one you were about to judge, for God’s will to be done and glory given to Him, not you. Amen?