JESUS AND HIS REDEFINITION
OF RELIGION
Matthew 6:1-4; 23:1-12
The Pharisees had done a
number on the religion God had given Israel. When Jesus came for His sojourn,
Judaism bore little resemblance to what God had made known through Moses.
Outward show replaced inner conviction, selfish and prideful priorities made a
mockery of selfless, humble service, and a cold impersonal formalism overshadowed the place of the personal
touch. Jesus would not stand still for such perversion. His aggressive
reinterpretation of religion sought to bring Israel back to the true ways of
the Father. It was only in seeing God’s true intentions that the Jews would
have come to see their Messiah (i.e. Jn. 5:39-47). What was true for Israel
then is every bit as much true today for the church!
Jesus’
Inward Emphasis:
1. The Pharisees majored on outward show and thus neglected the heart
of religion (Matt. 23:27-28; Lk. 18:9-12).
2. Jesus looked first at the heart (Mk. 12:28-34; Matt. 15:16-20;
Matt. 6:21; 15:8; 19:8).
¨ The Great Commandment and its companion commandment stressed inner commitment as the first priority of religion (Mk. 12:28-34).
¨ Evil also begins in the heart, not in a sinful action.
¨ The condition of the heart and its priorities are what determines success and failure in religion (Matt. 6:21; 15:8; 19:8).
¨ True religion begins with the heart.
Jesus’
Emphasis On Selfless, Humble Service:
1. The Pharisees engaged in a basically selfish and prideful practice
of religion (Matt. 23:4, 6-12; Jn. 11:47-48).
2. Jesus taught humility and self-denial (Lk. 9:23; 14:25-27; Matt. 11:28-30; 20:20-28).
¨ There was no second step in religion until the first step of self-denial had been taken.
¨ No priority of selfish concern could stand ahead of Jesus.
¨ Jesus was Himself humble and selfless in His leadership and example.
¨ He accepts nothing less in His followers.
¨ True religion accepts nothing but service that is offered in humility and selflessness.
Jesus’ Use
Of The Personal Touch:
1. The Pharisees were detached from the people, cold and most
impersonal (Matt. 23:4; 9:9-13).
2. Jesus believed in the personal touch (Matt. 8:1-3; 14:13-21; Jn. 4:4-26).
¨ He touched a leper.
¨ He healed and fed a multitude.
¨ He was found in the company of sinners.
¨ He went where there were people in need of God’s care.
¨ True religion touches real people with real needs.
Jesus remains the perfect
interpreter of true religion. All we do must be held up to His clarifying
light. When the heart serves with a humble, selfless commitment that touches
the lives of real people, proof is given that Jesus is at work. Any spirit that
would elevate the outward over the inward, choose selfish and prideful
expressions instead of those of humility and selflessness, and remain aloof instead
of touching the world, this spirit is of the antichrist—that which opposes
Christ!
Is our religion most commonly
thought of in terms of what goes on in a church building, or mostly in thoughts
of our daily expressions of Christlikeness (think of where the Gospels most
commonly picture Jesus and where the Epistles most often visualize Christians)?
Is our religion usually
impacted more by whether or not we get what we want, or by what we see as being
best for others (think of where the Gospels and the Epistles put their
emphasis)?
Is our religion touching
people in a regular, Christ-honoring way, or do we talk more about impacting
people than in actually making contact (think of the impact that Jesus and the
early church had on real people)?
As Jesus redefined religion
for the Jews under the Law of Moses, perhaps we need to let Him redefine
religion for us under the Law of Christ?
ESJ
4/9/00
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