Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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DENOUNCE HYPOCRISY AND ACCEPT CHRIST

Matthew 23:1-12
" They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them" (Matthew 23:4)

God through Jesus Christ intervened in the history in a particular historical time to mold, reshape and reconstruct it for the purpose of God. But the corrupted minds rejected him and branded him as a man of
evil spirit and madness. When Jesus started to dismantle the corrupted religiosity they tried to annihilate Christ. Jesus confronted the corrupt practices of the religion, politics with a ministry which affirms life and human dignity. His powerful teachings shook the foundations of many corrupted system, including religion.

During Jesus’ time corrupted spirituality, faith practices, teachings were legalized through corrupted systems and it was taught and brought into practice through Temple of God. Corrupted faith and its practices are dangerous as corrupted political system. They will try to silence or suppress any voices against such systems (it is a reality all the times).

Corrupted religiosity and its practices will destroy the very intention of our existence on this earth. Jesus teaches a few fundamental lessons through his prophetic words

1. Life and witness should go hand in hand with our faith, spirituality and words

2. Lead a spiritual life to do the will of God (don’t use spirituality and temple of God to show off yourselves

3. Our responsibilities should be used to serve the People of God (it is not to exploit or dominate others)

4. Don’t make exclusive claims about ourselves as we are imperfect in the sight of God(Don’t think we are ‘big’, ‘learned’, ‘powerful’)

Jesus denounced all kinds of evil powers which controlled human minds and systems. We will be only free when we come out of all such evil influences. Spirituality helps us to see and do things from the perspective of God and people. Corrupted spirituality corrupts our minds and perceptions and it blinds our inner eyes through which we see only us and our world. Corrupted spirituality search for power, fame, honor, and encourages us to become masters not servants.

Christ demands us to come out of all kinds of hypocrisy. Christ calls us to break the walls of all corrupted systems including spirituality and compels us to participate with God in the reconstruction of the corrupted systems and its advocates. We are called out to undo the teachings and practices of hypocrites. Denounce hypocrisy and accept Christ in the midst of corrupted spirituality and systems.

Prayer: Lord, help us to change our Hippocratic attitudes. Lord help us to see things from the perspective of the struggles of your people. Amen

Rev.Sajeev Thomas, London

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