The Scribes and Pharisees – Blind Leaders

The people who returned from the Babylonian Captivity came to be known as Jews. They were overzealous to be faithful to Yahweh, and under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, religious reforms were put in place. One of the introspection they did was to study why Yahweh let them be captured and be led into captivity. They realised their failure to keep the Law (physical in nature) was the main cause for this. So they brought about strict reforms and rules to see this does not happen again. But at the heart of the reforms they missed out their failure to have a relationship with God (the Spiritual goal of the physical Law).

Everything that we do and are should flow from our relationship with God. Rituals if any, are there to inspire us to a better relationship with God, that is the reason they are there, and they do not serve any other purpose. If we right the way we engage God, then God who is personal also, promises to come and make his Home (reside-live-communicate), with us. When this happens, God’s heart becomes open to us, we understand what is right and why we need to do the right. It in no longer obligatory, but something we live and become. Get your connect with God right, and everything else falls in place, not the other way around.

To disregard God by not engaging Him in a relationship is to be blind like the Pharisees and Scribes, they knew the Law, since they had learned under teachers. But knowing things is not enough. That is the difference between lip service and believing. Ask God to come and be part of your life, teach you and be your everyday-every moment friend.