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How do you dress up a snake?

Tuesday, March 13, 2001

Matthew 23:1-12 (from The Message)
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.

"Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend.'

"Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven. And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them--Christ.

"Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty."

Matthew 23 is Jesus at his angriest and most disgusted. He's just getting started...he follows this with the "7 woes"..."woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites!" over and over, and finally he calls them snakes and vipers. Read it! Pick up a Bible and read this chapter. Mild-mannered Jesus hits the roof. Put what you read in your own words, apply it to your own life, like Eugene Peterson did in The Message. Good thing to do on a Tuesday.

Lord, there is no one but you to take charge of me, and to take charge of all of us. Save me from myself, save us all, give us eyes to see through our masquerades and maneuverings, to see you more clearly, love you more dearly, follow you more nearly. Day by day.



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