Full of Hypocracy and Lawlessness

God's Prophets Demand Justice
Amos Rails against Injustice

God Is Not FooledMatthew 23:23-28 The Message

^23-24 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that’s wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons?
^25-26 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something.
^27-28 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you’re saints, but beneath the skin you’re total frauds.

For Reflection

We sometimes forget that the context of the Christ event is as important in interpreting God's intention as is the life of God's son.  The very people that God entrusted with institutionalizing and integrating the spiritual and corporeal lives of God's people were themselves corrupted by their social, religious and political positions.  Contaminated by their power and endorsed by the Roman occupation practice of using them as Roman representatives lead the Pharisees to give way to their selfish urges.

Pray

that you will not fall prey to that same trap.  Pray that the cultural influences do not trap you into confusing what is a faith practice and what is a corporeal, cultural practice.  Pray that you will not use God to justify the ungodly.  Pray that you will measure your spiritual and corporeal life by your abiding love for God and God's intention that you work for justice, peace, forgiveness and compassion.