Pretending
(S) Scripture
6He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
7They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'[a]
8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
Mark 7:6-8 (NIV)
(O) Observation
Jesus challenges the Pharisees with their hypocrisy. The Pharisees were condemning the disciples for not following the traditions of the faith. Jesus uses a quote from Isaiah to describe them. They "honored with their lips but their hearts were far from God. You have let go of the commands of God and hold to the traditions of man." What an indictment. This is the height of hypocrisy. This is quite a condemnation of these men and their faith practice.
(A) Application
Actors pretend to be someone they are not. "Actor" and hypocrite" come from the same root word. I wonder how many folks are pretending in their faith. How often do we hear people who talk a good game but whose actions are not consistent with their words. How many fall into this place that Jesus described; " 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
How many of the things we hold "sacred" are traditions and teachings of man and have little or nothing to do with the commands of God? I cannot think of anything worse than to have Jesus look at me and say, "you honor me with your lips but your heart is far from me." I do not want to be a pretender or hypocrite. Today I will check my heart and make sure it is close to God and that my lips honor God out of that heart.
(P) Prayer
Lord, thank you for forgiving my sin and allowing me to be close to you. Fill me with the oly Spirit and let me walk close to yu today. Let me words and life honor you. Amen
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