Gospel Reflections #62: A Pharisee but Not Condemned

Matthew 15:3 "Why do you also break the law of God for your own lore (for the sake of your tradition)?"

What is "lore" (traditions)? I believe that superstitions and cultural norms that people have developed over a period of time. The Pharisees placed their own customs above the Word of God. The Pharisees played the role of piety, but they denied the principles of love and mercy. (The pharisaical mind is the default system of sinful human nature)

Jesus knew that "this people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Matthew 15:8), yet He did not condemn, condemn, or punish them. Jesus simply accepts us, forgives us, and has compassion for us. Jesus surrounds us with love, and Jesus takes the initiative to set an example for us. And we can only realize this in the love of Jesus.

It is the hypocrisy within us that is reflected as we continue to look to Jesus. We have kept the lore (man-made traditions) to protect ourselves and have made it less of a priority to apply God's law of love and mercy. (This is the reality of the sinful human heart. This is the way of the sinful heart, what will it see is only how to be good and right instead of God's mercy.)

We say that we want to follow God, but we have made that a distorted priority. Jesus knows all that, and He loves us. When we are touched even a little bit by that love, when we realize our hypocrisy and realize how God has dealt with us hypocrites, we know that God is already at work in our hearts.

Through our daily experiences, we are in touch with the principle of God's Kingdom, which is His mercy. And as we continue to be exposed to it, we are transformed into the likeness of God. It is all God's doing. That is God's love!

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This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, a devoted student of the Bible who passionately embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on the Gospels as a way to reach out to others and spread the message of Jesus. We're sharing her message here so that you too can experience the joy that comes from the Gospel that has filled her heart.