There has been so much to meditate on in Matthew this time through our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan! We're looking at a couple of verses again today, starting with verses 1-3:
1THEN FROM Jerusalem came scribes and Pharisees and said,
2Why do Your disciples transgress and violate the rules handed down by the elders of the past? For they do not practice [ceremonially] washing their hands before they eat.
3He replied to them, And why also do you transgress and violate the commandment of God for the sake of the rules handed down to you by your forefathers (the elders)?
The scribes and Pharisees were ALWAYS following Jesus around trying to trip Him up or find something to use against Him! If they would have actually HEARD what He was teaching, their lives would have been changed forever! Instead, many of them just kept accusing Him, as these did. They accused Jesus and His disciples of breaking the rules handed down by their forefathers. Jesus asked them why they were so good at keeping man-made traditions handed down by their forefathers, and NOT good at obeying the actual Word of God! In fact, He said that they even set aside the Word of God in order to obey these man-made traditions! Let's look at verses 6-9:
6So for the sake of your tradition (the rules handed down by your forefathers), you have set aside the Word of God [depriving it of force and authority and making it of no effect]
7You pretenders (hypocrites)! Admirably and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said:
8These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me.
9Uselessly do they worship Me, for they teach as doctrines the commands of men
The really sad thing is that people today are doing the same thing! They sit in churches thinking that they are saved because they've always gone to church, or because their parents were believers, or because they try to be a "good person", or even because they believe that their IS a God! James 2:19 tells us that even the devil believes that God IS, and that belief is going to do him no good! What must be done? John 3:16-18 in the Amplified Bible tells us that we must cleave to, trust in and rely on Jesus as our Saviour! Romans 10:9 tells us that if we believe that Jesus rose from the dead and confess Him with our mouth as Lord and Saviour, we will be saved! Not only that, but as a believer you can get to know the Word and walk in the same power that Jesus did! He said so in John 14:12:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
The other sad thing is when those who really are born again still sit in church and follow the traditions of their particular denomination and never find out what belongs to them as a child of the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! They don't understand that Jesus said this in John 15:7:
7If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
Don't be one who does something JUST because you've ALWAYS done it that way! Find out WHY you do it. If it's according to God's Word, keep it up! If it's not, STOP IT! Find out what belongs to you as a child of Almighty God and start living in the promises, bringing glory to HIS Name! AMEN!
Shalom in Him!
