April 10, 2015

The Rich Man’s Question – Part 3 of 7 – Son of Man’s Response

Mark 10:17-31 [Matthew 19:16-30; Luke 10:25-37, 18:18-30]

From the moment the rich man asked his question, Jesus saw him for who he was: outwardly pious, inwardly conceited.

This man trusted the “fear of God” instilled by culture not from experience, and he presumed himself righteous.  Like the majority of man-made gods, the man viewed his deity as far away in heaven, reachable by only the most dedicated.  Because of this, the man did not trust God’s goodness to keep promises.  In Deuteronomy 30:11-14, Moses told the people that obeying was not a difficult (ritualistic) or a hidden (esoteric) task.  The Word lay within their reach and in their heart.  A child could follow His rules.

The description of the people of Ezekiel 8 is outwardly pious, inwardly insolent.  The incorporation of other gods into the Temple gave God reason to condemn Jerusalem to destruction.  We look at this chapter and say the text lists the examples backwards.  How could waving a branch be worse then open or hidden idol worship?  Bowing to the east does seem trivial in comparison.

Accepting another culture’s description of God dilutes understanding of who He is.  If God was like “all the others,” He was not paying close attention.  Therefore, secret sins were acceptable, as long as they stayed secret.  The people of Jerusalem viewed incorporating outside religious beliefs as insignificant as long as the leaders met the national traditions.

As bad as the abominations seemed, they paled in comparison to what God considered the worst sins.  No one held their friends accountable.  The leaders were deceitful.  They taught injustice, not faithfulness.  Oppression and violence were common inside Jerusalem.  Self-centered reasoning justified wickedness.  The majority of the population no longer knew the difference between good and evil.  Because of this, they no longer worshiped God as singular.  He was simply one among many, significant only because their city held His Temple.  The people dismissed loyalty, by adding one trivial custom at a time.

And, the leaders held themselves above it all, religiously pious, outwardly clean.  Jesus saw similar sins in the religious elite of His day.  He knew their actions dictated the same outcome.  Like Ezekiel, Jesus grieved for the city that would soon die.

**Whom do I follow?  Does my religion require dependence on traditions and rituals instead of listening to God?  Do I trivialize the addition of beliefs and rituals that do not respect my neighbors or esteem the One God only?  Is my God one among many?

To be continued…

1 comment:

  1. Your first two books are (will be when published, but are now) terrific but I have a feeling this Ezekiel/Jesus book is the most powerful of them all. Well done. I want to throw away a comma, maybe a couple...well, three at the most. Great work

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