Woe to you Blind Guides

Matthew 23:16-22: “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ “You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? And ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.”

Wow. Anyone can see here how mad Jesus is that the Pharisees have been twisting things to get away with whatever they wanted to. Not only that, but by saying only vows made on gold and offerings had to be paid and vows made on the temple and the altar didn’t, they were showing that the material things were more important than God. No one can pull a fast one on God however; a vow is a vow, regardless. Just because someone doesn’t want to do something doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to be done. God knows the heart, and whether or not people are out for their own gain, or out to serve Him.

Reflection

1. Why did Jesus call the Pharisees “blind guides?”
2. Why do you think Jesus became angrier with Pharisees than with the people who were outcast as “sinners?”
3. How often do you create exceptions to rules to get away with what you want?

Take the Next Step

Look closely at your life. Are there any ways in which you’re trying to escape responsibilities? It could be escaping responsibilities for something you’ve done wrong, or trying to get out of a promise you’ve made. Maybe you didn’t technically lie to your parents. Maybe it’s borrowing money from your friend and never paying it back. God isn’t fooled; we can’t hide anything from Him. I want to encourage you to please God in all your actions and not go through life seeing what you can get away with.