Pharisees

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.- Matthew 16:1

Sometimes I fear that we read the Word of God as we would any other story: enjoying the action, the dialogue, cheering when we like what it says and skipping the parts that bore us or are hard to swallow.

It's easy to read the story of Adam and Eve, for instance, and shake our heads, saying things like, "It's all your fault Adam!" without taking a moment to consider our own disobediences. Without pausing to internalize the lessons.

We read about the Pharisees, as they try time and time again (read: Matthew 9, 12, 15, 16, 19, etc) to trap the Lord, to question him and to insist that he prove himself. These were the people who knew the Word of God the most! And here, in front of them, was the Son of God, the Living Word, and they were busy plotting how to trip him up.

It's easy to read about that and proclaim our judgement. Or to dismiss it entirely and move on to a more exciting story. Maybe one with a bear that eats kids or maybe some walking on water.

I pray a lot for the youth of our church. Countless times God has told us where we are going and what we are destined to be, but I admittedly struggle with the how we'll get there. I read about the early church and wonder where along the line we lost what they had. What's stopping us from the next level?

It seems to me that the modern day church might have its own battle with modern day Pharisees, people who know the Word above anyone else, people who claim to center their lives around religion. People who have Jesus, the Son of God, right in front of their faces but seem to totally miss the point.

"Show us a sign! Make church fun! Entertain us! Don't require too much of us!"

Take a moment to pause today and reflect. Am I a modern day Pharisee?