Scripture records Jesus saying, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling." (Matthew 23:37) What a heart-breaking verse this is.
It follows on the heels of 36 verses which expose the dangers of Pharisaism, and the "eight woes" which Jesus ascribes to the hypocritical behavior of this sect of men who profess to be the religious elite, but do things such as "tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but . . .are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger." (v. 4) They "devour widows' houses, and for a pretense . . . make long prayers." (v. 14) They neglect "the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness." (v. 23)
Today, the spirit of the Pharisees is alive and well within our governing bodies. For those who would protest that politicians cannot be compared to the religious leaders Jesus confronted, I would like to agree with you, but the problem is a great number of them have presented themselves as heroes of Christianity and have gone so far as to call into question the loyalty and patriotism of those who do not wear their religion on their sleeves.
Throughout the land, we see politicians who are prime examples of "don't do as I do, do as I say," who are not willing to make sacrifices while at the same time they expect the most vulnerable among us to sacrifice all. Anyone is certainly free to agree with the way current budget shortfalls are being handled, but I will warn of this: If we allow our "rulers" to go forward with their plans, the Body of Christ had better be prepared to handle a wave of homelessness, hunger, poverty and despair the likes of which have not been seen since the Great Depression.
We had better thoroughly think through what our country will be like if we allow our elected officials to continue on the path they've proposed. I know what Jesus meant when he longed to gather the children to him and let them be comforted by his love, but the Pharisees were unwilling.The days ahead can be our greatest opportunity ever to demonstrate what the Good News means; I pray we are ready.
I feel sorry for those elected who have such an opportunity do good and advance their own spirituality but choose the path of greed that invariably adds to the financial, emotional and other devastating burdens of those they have promised to represent fairly.
ReplyDeleteThe spirit is also very much alive within the corporations which the people of the world depend on for most of their needs. Does anybody really think that price gouging is moral. The only way price gouging can exist is to beat down competition and they have done that very thing. Government and Corporations share this iniquity.
ReplyDeleteHi Terry, thanks for this realisation. The political pharisees as well as the religious ones have one thing in common.
ReplyDeleteThey do not love God otherwise they would have their neighbour.
In this case every country is a collection of neighbours..... a family of neighbours.
If a head of a family is selfish..the family is sick all out .
I remember the tax- cuts debate. The rich insisted they need them more than the poor.
Now when it comes to a budget that invests in education and other social responsibilities, they deny those who pay the taxes expensively to use budget money for development.
How have the Swedes, norwegians and Danes managed to pay high taxes and keep their democracies growing ?
The need to realise that democracy must be social is very urgent. It is not the institutions that make democracy...it is the values that make democracy ...and then institutions are devised for the purpose.
Thanks Terry.
Colin Joe
Such thoughtful comments from each of you! Greed will always result in the ultimate downfall of those who practice it. Its "rewards" are fleeting, but the damage it does to those who have lost so much as a result of those who have gained disproportionally is devastating....
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