Just Have Someone Else Do It

  Being critiqued isn’t very fun. Even when it is true on what you need to do better, it still feels like being hit with a sledgehammer. But imagine if it was Jesus swinging that hammer.

  In Matthew 23 Jesus calls out the scribes and Pharisees for their behavior. He works them over pretty good. At the heart of his message is their hypocrisy. They lack consistency. They make rules to break them. They try to look good rather than being good. But notice where Jesus starts in his condemnation.

“Therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.”

Matthew 23:3-4

  Jesus sees their error in telling others to do when they won’t. They have high expectations but low work ethics. They know what to do but expect others to do it

  Now let’s apply this ourselves. What was the last thing we complained about in the church? What fault did we find? What thing that needed to be done?

  Now let’s ask ourselves; What did I do about it? How did I act to improve or correct the thing? Was my expectation for me or someone else to do the work?

  Jesus was very critical of those that tell others what they should be doing without doing much of the work themselves.  We might want to make sure that is not our habit as well (1 Corinthians 11:31).