I stepped into Matthew in a small village in Romania. I walked through the temple of the Pharisees, dripping with tradition andlegalism. I walked with the Gentiles full of desperation for God, love,
humility, and grace.
We learned very quickly the two major churches of Romania.
The Romanian church was filled with many “ceremonially clean hands” and
“polished silver cups”. The church members are placed under what Jesus
describes in Matthew as a “heavy load, hard to bear, placed on their shoulders”
and the Pharisees would “not lift a finger to help bear them.”
This heavy load is the law. The long list of scrolls placed
on their forehead and left arm to remind them what they are bound to; always
before them. The sheep in this fold are not allowed to wear earrings; women
must wear headscarves, and long skirts. No one is allowed to smoke, or have a
single sip of alcohol. One man among us was corrected for having his hands in
his pockets; it is a sign of disrespect, of course. The list goes on and on of
rules, regulations, and traditions.
Every person is extremely cautious of what others think of
them, their appearance: the “outside of the cup”.
Reading through Matthew 23 Jesus addresses the Pharisees in
such a way:
“They tie up heavy loads, hard to bear, and place them on
men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to help bear them.
They do all their works to be seen of men; for they make wide their
phylacteries (small cases enclosing certain Scripture passages, worn during
prayer on the left arm and forehead) and make long their fringes [worn by all
male Israelites, according to the command].” (V.4-5)
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders
(hypocrites)! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces; for you
neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow them who are about to go in to do
so. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees (hypocrites)! For you swallow up widows’
houses and for a pretense to cover it up make long prayers; therefore you will
receive the greater condemnation and heaver sentence.”
He calls them hypocrites seven times within the chapter, and
“blind fools or guides” five times. He also calls them “children of hell”, “serpents”, and “spawn of vipers” all
within chapter 23.
people of their time. They followed the law strictly, and carefully. They were
considered the “most holy”, “most religious”, and supposedly followed God.
door of the kingdom of heaven to the world. These are the people that call
themselves Christians and defile the name of Christ. These are the men and
women who “clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but within they are
full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self-indulgence.”
with religion I was in my life. I spent years, literally years, “purging my
life of sin” and polishing my silver cup. I became heavily involved in church
“activities,” I threw out CDs, DVDs, half my wardrobe, and friends. Even after
turning twenty-one I refused to drink, and by the end of my “new makeover” my
swimsuit had turned into a ‘wetsuit’. As I polished my cup and did my best to
look the part of a “Christian” my cup became full of crap. I was FULL of pride,
judgment, and a critical spirit. I was so puffed up with pride that I felt I
was better than others who were “less modest”, watched bad TV, and had a beer.
It wasn’t until I came on this trip that I took a look
inside the cup and just about died.
God cares a whole heck of a lot more about what is on the
inside of the cup, than the outside.
I watched people on my squad that had a beer or two, swore
once in awhile, and dressed “immodestly” by “my standard” and fought like crazy
not to judge them, or consider myself better. At the beginning I felt like I
had something to teach them, some revelation to impart. Now, I realize I was
just a prideful prick who was on an ego trip. I watched how they worshipped the
Lord with their whole heart. I watched them pour out love, and grace on others
like I had never seen. I saw their heart for God and their desire for intimacy
and knew nothing else mattered! I was so humbled. Their cups weren’t filled
with pride and judgment, but peace, grace, and love. God showed me His heart
for them and I was broken.
The gypsies, gentiles, and sons and daughters of God, can
come to God, as they are to worship Him: tattooed, pierced, a bloody mess, but
their heart is pure before their Maker. They worship God unhindered by
religion, legalism, and tradition. They are committed in love and intimacy, not
obligated by duty or expectations.
I have been incredibly blessed by this freedom, and liberty.
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty which Christ has made
us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
God looks at the heart. He knows our heart. No, this is not
a license to sin, but it is a message of grace.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are
not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under
law but under grace? Certainly not!”
We do not abuse
our liberty, but it gives us freedom to walk in grace and in His love, not out
of duty, but an overflow of worship.
