Sunday morning devotions...Matthew 15:12-14...
Today's verses are Matthew 15:12-14 which read,
Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?" But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Jesus had been talking (I won't saying debating because I don't think it is ever a debate when Jesus is talking) with the Pharisees about tradition. The Pharisees had made an exception to God's rule about honoring your father and mother, commandment number 5. Jesus calls them out on this. The Pharisees had created some ceremonial reason why they were not doing what the law said to do and then were using it as an excuse to make themselves look holy in the process. I think this would be the definition of a hypocrite.
The disciples are afraid for Jesus and the power that the Pharisees had over who they are was strong enough that even the disciples wanted to limit Jesus in what He said and who He said it to. "Let's not offend the Pharisees (the seemingly holy ones) because then we would be in big trouble."
Jesus answers with the very short parable and labels the Pharisees again as "blind guides" and their result. The word for "blind" is more like clouded vision or in a mist or in smoke. So they are clouding up the true message or the true way. It leads to both of them, guide and follower, falling into a pit, into the deep.
How important to make sure that the guides you are following are following Jesus. How important that they cherish and uphold what Jesus says. How important that they don't get to the point that you defend them because you don't want to offend them even though you know what Jesus said about the matter.
There are guides in our lives, many at times, and some come and some go in and out of our lives but the One constant should be the Lord Jesus Christ and everything is laid up against Him. He trumps them all.
Pastor Adam
Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?" But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Jesus had been talking (I won't saying debating because I don't think it is ever a debate when Jesus is talking) with the Pharisees about tradition. The Pharisees had made an exception to God's rule about honoring your father and mother, commandment number 5. Jesus calls them out on this. The Pharisees had created some ceremonial reason why they were not doing what the law said to do and then were using it as an excuse to make themselves look holy in the process. I think this would be the definition of a hypocrite.
The disciples are afraid for Jesus and the power that the Pharisees had over who they are was strong enough that even the disciples wanted to limit Jesus in what He said and who He said it to. "Let's not offend the Pharisees (the seemingly holy ones) because then we would be in big trouble."
Jesus answers with the very short parable and labels the Pharisees again as "blind guides" and their result. The word for "blind" is more like clouded vision or in a mist or in smoke. So they are clouding up the true message or the true way. It leads to both of them, guide and follower, falling into a pit, into the deep.
How important to make sure that the guides you are following are following Jesus. How important that they cherish and uphold what Jesus says. How important that they don't get to the point that you defend them because you don't want to offend them even though you know what Jesus said about the matter.
There are guides in our lives, many at times, and some come and some go in and out of our lives but the One constant should be the Lord Jesus Christ and everything is laid up against Him. He trumps them all.
Some of our guides at times need to be let go; to be separated from because following Jesus doesn't lead to a pit but to paradise.
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