Apparently Jesus was really upset with the Talmud. The Talmud, up to that time had been a handbook if you will of instructions from elders about how to practice their faith. During this time, more emphasis was placed on people and what they had to say, rather than scripture.
Truly Christians don’t follow the Talmud, but we have a host, in fact a full arsenal of man-made instruction in the form of books, videos learning tapes and seminars and sermons.
We follow gimmicks of: Prosperity teaching: Faith Healers, Positive Thinking Gimmicks, Name it, Claim it charlatans and a cast of thousands. We have everything BUT God’s word.
Most sermons find some mechanism to bypass the words of Jesus. They’ll begin with some promise in the Old Testament, teach about how God zapped the enemies and then jump off into a tangent into the Book Of Revelation, once again illustrating where God is Zapping someone.
This is all done at the expense of overlooking the very words that Jesus commanded us to follow.
If preachers preached Jesus we would be required to obey the words of Jesus. NO, we are too much into understanding, into feeling good, being forgiven, being blessed or feeling guilty—anything but following the words of Christ. Heck, Jesus didn’t ask us to feel good about what we are doing, simply to obey it. Examine what he says to the priests of his day.
Matthew 15:2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Jesus was really big on this. In John 8:44 he says:
44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
We are no different for we speak of how great our Lord, Jesus is and then make excuses as to why we are not that way. We are not that way because we refuse to be. Lacking the truth, we speak of alone any other lines, denying the fact we are the same as the ones Jesus met up with in his day and time.
And so then, how do we change? We change by doing it one step at a time by obeying exactly what Jesus told us to do. Begin with service to others and continue. You’ll find the need to listen more to Jesus and less from men. The truth will set you free.
Hard Times Ministries 