Unfortunately, as it was in Jesus’ day, there will always be scribes and Pharisees who are resentful and displeased that we are having such a good time. They have chosen to stand outside being critical instead of joining us as we recline around the table with Christ.
The Pharisees in question had in fact been having a little party of their own. It was not a joyful get-together like the ones that Jesus frequently attended, but rather it was a solemn and somber event. Anyone attending had to be a member, and membership requirements were stringent and harsh. Their party excluded the common person. Over time the Pharisees had developed a religious system so rigid and exclusive that most people came to believe that they could never be worthy of being a part of it. Plain old folks lived under the mistaken belief that God was way too high and holy to care about them, and even if He did know who they were, they did not stand a chance of living up to His expectations. So they labored under the false assumption that God was unapproachable.
Of course, the Pharisees were not about to tell people any different. They liked their elite little club and were contented with being very selective as to who was allowed to join. They didn’t take kindly to Jesus coming along and rocking the boat by preaching that God loved everyone right where they were. Furthermore, the Pharisees in no way cared for Jesus teaching such things as love and devotion being more important than ritual. They believed ritual and tradition proved one’s loyalty to God. The Almighty loved only those who could prove their value in His kingdom – or so they thought.
Jesus of Nazareth was challenging all of this and taking His message, His good news, to common and ordinary people. And the people were listening. The result was an increasing hostility towards Jesus from the Pharisees.
The Pharisees of Jesus’ time remind me of many people that I have met over the years. They have somehow come to view Christianity as an exclusive club and the church something to own and occupy.
During a conversation once with another minister, he shared with me what he was told by a member of a congregation that he had been called to pastor. The church member sat him down and gave him the following advice: “Pastor, don’t grow us, but don’t kill us either.” Sadly, this is the unspoken but prevailing attitude of many congregations. It explains why so many churches are in decline and failing to reach their communities for Christ. Like the Pharisees, they are extremely reluctant to let outsiders into their party, and they are unwilling to join the one where Jesus is present.
They have forgotten that the church is not made of brick and mortar, but it is composed of people who have been redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ. In Christ we discover the true meaning of the abundant life. It is not a life of grief and sorrow, but one of joy and abiding hope. People will see it in our eyes, they will hear it in our voices, and they will notice it in our attitudes. Like Jesus, let us reach out to others in His name.
(From "The Invitation: Embracing a Happier Life," by Dan Birchfield, copyright 2009)
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