Jesus couldn’t win with those Pharisees. In Matthew 12, they whined because there was a law about picking grain on the Sabbath, and his disciples did. (How many calories do you think? Just asking!)
Later, they whined because he hung out with the not-so-socially-welcome. Let’s face it. The Pharisees were snobs about their status and their religion
It’s one thing to fraternise with your enemy (in my case it is extra calories). It’s quite another to fraternise with folks who are not ‘socially’ acceptable. Or is it?
If we truly examined ourselves, would we find that we are just like the Pharisees? For example, we all pray for revival, but are horrified if the unwashed and unlovely show up. Are we willing to fraternise with them, or only with the people who look just like us?
Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer. (Matthew 23: 1-3, MSG)
Prayer – Lord, give us hearts to fraternise with the right folks. Amen
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