I often use the example of the pharisees, scribes and teachers when sharing scripture as an example of what not to do. They offer a great testimony to the faithful of our day, of what it means to be unfaithful toward God.
I look upon their lives with a certain profound wonder in that they were so blind, so idolatrous and rebellious toward God. The thought often comes as to how it was that they managed to stray so far from the truth. That when the God they worship turns up in the flesh, they know Him not.
Yet I am sure, in fact am convinced that if I were a part of the church of that day, I too would most likely have rejected Messiah.
In all fairness to the church of that day, I’m not real sure that the institutionalized church of our day is that much different. Just imagine for a moment that you’re holding a bible study in your local church and in comes a so-called prophet, followed by a well-known prostitute, and the prostitute is all over this so-called prophet. Touching him and crying over him. C’mon don’t tell me that you wouldn’t be freaked out and a little disgusted at this behaviour.
So much of what Jesus did just wouldn’t fit comfortably into the institutionalized church. Consider the pastor is preaching and a so-called prophet gets up and proclaims healing over a sick person. And that person is healed. I’m pretty sure that we would say the guy was out-of-order, he is not known to us as a healer, is not ordained with this church, and may have a demon and so what is he doing healing people in our church. Oh yeah, and umm, did he have pastoral approval for that.
Look I am part of an institutionalized church so I’m not saying that it’s all rotten. I guess what I’m hoping for myself is the recognition that we are apt to do that which has always been done by men in ages past. We are apt to fall into the same error of placing organizations above people, or doctrine and religious observance above people, of placing the traditions of man above the commandment of God, and so on and so forth.
One of the issues that Jesus challenged was this unrepentant attitude, an unwillingness to recognise ones own sinfulness. That they had said in their hearts, had the prophets come to them as the prophets of old, they would have by no means been a partakers in the shedding of their blood.
(I do not know the name of the author.) The rest of the article is at
http://fleethewrath.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/woe-to-you-hypocrites/
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