They look great, all decked out in the finest clothes this world has to offer, long flowing gowns, fine jewelry, dressed to kill. Having those phylacteries, leather boxes they wore with Scripture passages in them, fringes and tassels on their prayer shawls looked splendid, ready for prayer. These were Israel's finest. The Pharisees obviously knew the law. They knew Scripture. They were devoted to God. They even sat in Moses' seat. They were the top of the world. Unfortunately, Jesus pointed out that the ones who thought so highly of themselves were like freshly whitewashed tombstones, beautiful on the outside, and a pile of dry bones on the inside. Why? Very simply, they didn't practice what they preached. I was talking the other night, and I said, "You know, the worst insult I could ever think of was being called lazy, but I changed my mind. I think the worst criticism that I could conceive of is being called a hypocrite. Somebody who says one thing then does another." That's one of the reasons that we're not so crazy about politicians, because they're all that way, right? Do as I say, not as I do. But sadly, the Pharisees were hypocrites. The most important thing in their mind was the benefits of membership. They were seduced by the lofty titles Rabbi, teacher, master, by the clothes, the phylacteries, the tassels, the silk garments, reserved seats in the front of the synagogue and in restaurants, the recognition in public, the autographs, the appearances, the skyboxes, the limousines, their exclusive gold cards.
They become so enchanted with the benefits that they forgot where the benefits came from. Lost in the myriad of jewels and reputation, prestige, status, wining and dining was the message from God. There was no good news. There was no good news. Lost amid all the offices and pomp and circumstance of the Pharisees world was the simple message of the gospel. Jesus simply knew that if we're seeking a claim and applause and awards and enjoying the party at the station, then we're probably going to miss the gospel train. And at the front of that gospel train, leading to God is the conductor of Jesus Christ Himself, who's not dressed in fine clothes. In fact, he may be wearing no clothes at all. He may not have eaten in days. He might just be in prison. In fact, if the train stops in the marketplace, we might not even recognize him. The Pharisees didn't recognize him. They called him a drunkard, a womanizer, said he hung around with the wrong kinds of folks, that he didn't wear the right clothes. They never gave him the place of honor or the best seat. They usually didn't want him around at all. Why? Because Jesus practices what they preached. They preached the law. Jesus was the law. Why? Because he said the place of honor was not the reserved seat on the front row, but the seat in the back of the bus, or behind the kettle of soup with a ladle in hand, or beside the person crouched in fear for night in the doorway, or perhaps on the floor scrubbing the toilet. Why? Because they ignored the gospel, and Jesus was the gospel.
But Jesus says the benefits abound. They come daily in the form of joy. That's what creating holy moments will do, slowly fill up your soul with joy. Wise men saw the star. They knew where it led, and they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy, Scripture says. Mary and the other Mary went to the tomb early in the morning, learned that Jesus had risen and departed, and they were filled with great joy. It's no coincidence that in Matthew, the first people to seek Jesus and the last are both filled with great joy. That joy is beyond measure. It's tax-free. Some of the wealthiest and poorest people in the world have it. It says, "You can take my house, you can take my clothes, you can take my gold card, but you can't take away my benefits." J-O-Y, joy, because the reward is either from man or it's from God. The crowd came to Jesus and said, "Your family wants to see you, your mother, and your brothers," Jesus said, "These are my brothers and sisters, those who do the will of God my Father." No special titles, rabbi, teacher, master; no privileges, skyboxes, or reserve seats, just the simple joy of membership in the kingdom of God.
