Do What You Know, Know What You Do

After Jesus' deals with the religious guys in chapter 22 of Matthew, He begins to teach about them in chapter 23.  He tells the people that 1) They need to respect their position, since they have it passed down from Moses. 2) They need to do the things the Pharisees teach 3) They should not act like the Pharisees at all because they are fakes and hypocrites.

Holy cow!  What if God said those things about me?  What if when people prayed about me, God answered them and said, "Well, you need to respect Jason's position, and when He teaches the Bible, it's true so think about it.  But the way he lives?  NO! Don't be like him at all!"  That would destroy me to hear.

So what do we need to do about it?  We need to live what we know is true.  The religious guys knew truth. They spoke truth.  But that wasn't enough.  They needed to live what they knew.  Now, you may not be a religious expert.  You may not have gone to seminary and studied Greek and Hebrew.  Who cares?!  That is not the issue.  Jesus doesn't get on these guys for not knowing everything, even though they didn't know everything.  He got on them for not living out what they did know.

What is an area of your life that you know God is asking for something, and you're not doing it?  What parts of your life are you not living out?  That is the place He is concerned about.  We're all equal.  In verses 8-12, that's the point.  None of us have "arrived" or have it all together.  That's fine.  Be faithful to live out what you know and what you have.

Then you will be obedient and be called great in the Kingdom.