“Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.” (Luke 11:46, NIV)
PLAYING BY GOD'S RULES!
The Victorian era of history is known for being uptight and overly controlled. During that time, there were many rules about how people should interact in society and even in the home. There were rules about how a person was supposed to act, to speak, to cross a street. During the Victorian era, one how-to-do-it-right manual was Lady Gough's Book of Etiquette. In this volume, putting books by male authors next to books by female authors was forbidden - unless the authors were married.
During these COVID-19 days, people have also become enamored with making rules for others to follow. There are many stories of people being screamed at for not wearing masks while walking, wearing masks in one’s car, or covering their face when alone in the house! One man in Canada was fined for sitting in his car alone in a public parking lot. He just desired to get some sunshine and get out of the house during the COVID epidemic. The police said he was not allowed to sit in a public parking lot during the day by himself because of the pandemic. Scores of beach goers in California were evicted or cited for violating COVID rules by walking alone on a beach during the day????? A dog-walker in New York was arrested for not following adequate precautions while walking the dogs alone during the COVID lockdown. How was he going to infect anyone? How were the dogs going to get out or potty? Several of the dogs were from nurses who were needed at the hospital. Should they have killed their dogs instead of just allowing the dogwalker to take care of them? Stupid rules.
Not all rules are bad. Good laws are meant to keep people safe or to help society function. Bad rules do the opposite. They ruin relationships. They are often unreasonable. They may be used to force people to do what is wrong. The Bible contains rules or laws in order to preserve and protect life. They also explain the importance of faith and holiness. You’d think that religious people who knew the Bible would make rules that are good. Not always. The “experts in the law” during Jesus’ day were a good example of this. They knew God’s laws, but often used their influence to add caveats and other human rules or guidelines to God’s law. They thought nothing of shaming those who did not follow God’s law their way or who did not do what was popular in the day. Many made rules out of human traditions or myths and promoted them as godly requirements. This only served to distort the view of a true relationship with God.
Jesus came across a good share of religious people who used laws to damage relationships or faith. In Matthew 23:23-24, Jesus was critical of the Scribes and Pharisees who were proud of themselves for tithing but ignored rules in society about justice and mercy. In Matthew 23:25, Jesus was also critical of those who promoted laws of cleanliness but had unclean hearts. Does this sound hypocritical to you? Oh, it was. Jesus saw much hypocrisy in the religious leaders of His day. They followed certain rules but ignored others. They shamed those who would not follow certain rules while ignoring those same rules themselves. Jesus not only called them out as hypocrites, but He also condemned their understanding of God’s law.
In our scripture for today, Jesus again attempts to correct the hypocritical view of “experts in the law”. He challenged their desire to “load people down with burdens” in order to promote their own self-serving and smug religiosity. He also chastised their hypocrisy in doing so. While requiring others to follow these onerous and frivolous religious laws, these religious hypocrites would not “lift one finger to help” (Luke 11:46). It is as if these people enjoyed sticking it to others while letting themselves off the hook for their own unholy rules.
When people are given positions of power and authority, sometimes they respond with a need to control or manipulate others using rules. They may make rules to promote their own agenda. They often will circumvent these same rules when it does not suit them. After enacting stay at home orders with threats of fines, Governor of California Gavin Newsome was photographed with his family at an exclusive French restaurant only a few days later. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock advised his staff and others to “refrain from all travel” over Thanksgiving. He himself flew to see his family for the holiday. Representative Nancy Pelosi famously demanded her constituents not even get their hair done during the COVID epidemic. That is, until a video was leaked showing her doing exactly that! Some people love making rules for others that they themselves are unwilling or unable to follow.
In your walk with God, realize that you and rules may have problems with one another. Some people have a hard time following the rules. Some enjoy making rules for others to follow. The hypocrites among the faithful will blast others for not following one law of God while they themselves are good at breaking other laws of God. Like the Pharisees, some Christians go overboard by using rules as a means to determine who is faithful. Rules bring out the best and worst in us. God never meant it to be this way.
“One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself.
Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. "It's a real bad neighborhood, your Honor." the man told the mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson." LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said "I've got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions--ten dollars or ten days in jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying: "Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."(Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 91-92).
LaGuardia had to follow the law, but left room for mercy. He was forced to follow the rules of the city, but that did not stop him from finding a way to reach out to a poor family. He showed respect for the city’s laws but made sure not to ignore God’s law. Ultimately, LaGuardia fulfilled God’s justice in true holy fashion.
Human rules often are flawed. I’ve seen many courts where injustice was routinely practiced, where the rich skated by and the needy were put down. Sadly, God’s rules are often twisted by the faithful, even by those who should know better. Being truly faithful, more is required of you! Learn God’s law. Follow God’s word. Be faithful. Honor God’s law but remain open to God’s direction. Respect God’s statutes but always honor God’s Spirit. Reject human traditions that have been elevated to divine status. Love God above all else. Legalism won’t get you to Heaven. Neither will hypocrisy!
Do you tend to use rules to justify yourself or to put down others? Do you use God’s laws like a weapon? Is there a part of your thinking that is a bit hypocritical? A healthy relationship with rules is required where there is a healthy relationship with God!
During these COVID-19 days, people have also become enamored with making rules for others to follow. There are many stories of people being screamed at for not wearing masks while walking, wearing masks in one’s car, or covering their face when alone in the house! One man in Canada was fined for sitting in his car alone in a public parking lot. He just desired to get some sunshine and get out of the house during the COVID epidemic. The police said he was not allowed to sit in a public parking lot during the day by himself because of the pandemic. Scores of beach goers in California were evicted or cited for violating COVID rules by walking alone on a beach during the day????? A dog-walker in New York was arrested for not following adequate precautions while walking the dogs alone during the COVID lockdown. How was he going to infect anyone? How were the dogs going to get out or potty? Several of the dogs were from nurses who were needed at the hospital. Should they have killed their dogs instead of just allowing the dogwalker to take care of them? Stupid rules.
Not all rules are bad. Good laws are meant to keep people safe or to help society function. Bad rules do the opposite. They ruin relationships. They are often unreasonable. They may be used to force people to do what is wrong. The Bible contains rules or laws in order to preserve and protect life. They also explain the importance of faith and holiness. You’d think that religious people who knew the Bible would make rules that are good. Not always. The “experts in the law” during Jesus’ day were a good example of this. They knew God’s laws, but often used their influence to add caveats and other human rules or guidelines to God’s law. They thought nothing of shaming those who did not follow God’s law their way or who did not do what was popular in the day. Many made rules out of human traditions or myths and promoted them as godly requirements. This only served to distort the view of a true relationship with God.
Jesus came across a good share of religious people who used laws to damage relationships or faith. In Matthew 23:23-24, Jesus was critical of the Scribes and Pharisees who were proud of themselves for tithing but ignored rules in society about justice and mercy. In Matthew 23:25, Jesus was also critical of those who promoted laws of cleanliness but had unclean hearts. Does this sound hypocritical to you? Oh, it was. Jesus saw much hypocrisy in the religious leaders of His day. They followed certain rules but ignored others. They shamed those who would not follow certain rules while ignoring those same rules themselves. Jesus not only called them out as hypocrites, but He also condemned their understanding of God’s law.
In our scripture for today, Jesus again attempts to correct the hypocritical view of “experts in the law”. He challenged their desire to “load people down with burdens” in order to promote their own self-serving and smug religiosity. He also chastised their hypocrisy in doing so. While requiring others to follow these onerous and frivolous religious laws, these religious hypocrites would not “lift one finger to help” (Luke 11:46). It is as if these people enjoyed sticking it to others while letting themselves off the hook for their own unholy rules.
When people are given positions of power and authority, sometimes they respond with a need to control or manipulate others using rules. They may make rules to promote their own agenda. They often will circumvent these same rules when it does not suit them. After enacting stay at home orders with threats of fines, Governor of California Gavin Newsome was photographed with his family at an exclusive French restaurant only a few days later. Denver Mayor Michael Hancock advised his staff and others to “refrain from all travel” over Thanksgiving. He himself flew to see his family for the holiday. Representative Nancy Pelosi famously demanded her constituents not even get their hair done during the COVID epidemic. That is, until a video was leaked showing her doing exactly that! Some people love making rules for others that they themselves are unwilling or unable to follow.
In your walk with God, realize that you and rules may have problems with one another. Some people have a hard time following the rules. Some enjoy making rules for others to follow. The hypocrites among the faithful will blast others for not following one law of God while they themselves are good at breaking other laws of God. Like the Pharisees, some Christians go overboard by using rules as a means to determine who is faithful. Rules bring out the best and worst in us. God never meant it to be this way.
“One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself.
Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. "It's a real bad neighborhood, your Honor." the man told the mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson." LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said "I've got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions--ten dollars or ten days in jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying: "Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."(Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, p. 91-92).
LaGuardia had to follow the law, but left room for mercy. He was forced to follow the rules of the city, but that did not stop him from finding a way to reach out to a poor family. He showed respect for the city’s laws but made sure not to ignore God’s law. Ultimately, LaGuardia fulfilled God’s justice in true holy fashion.
Human rules often are flawed. I’ve seen many courts where injustice was routinely practiced, where the rich skated by and the needy were put down. Sadly, God’s rules are often twisted by the faithful, even by those who should know better. Being truly faithful, more is required of you! Learn God’s law. Follow God’s word. Be faithful. Honor God’s law but remain open to God’s direction. Respect God’s statutes but always honor God’s Spirit. Reject human traditions that have been elevated to divine status. Love God above all else. Legalism won’t get you to Heaven. Neither will hypocrisy!
Do you tend to use rules to justify yourself or to put down others? Do you use God’s laws like a weapon? Is there a part of your thinking that is a bit hypocritical? A healthy relationship with rules is required where there is a healthy relationship with God!