Snitcher!!!

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” ~ Matthew 5:20
 
Dried blood oozed from the left side of his forehead. As a large amount of it was visible on a white washcloth he used to put pressure on that wound with his slightly, trembling hand.

As I cleansed the wound, I already knew it needed to be sutured. Having no doctor in the facility during the night, he needed to be brought by the deputy to the county’s ER. I applied a clean gauze to keep the pressure on and to keep the wound dry and clean.

He didn’t remember much. He just remembered waking up, as a couple of deputies were assisting him to rise up from the cold floor where he had fallen. He complained of slight dizziness. His crime was committing an injury to his spouse.

Inside the prison, despite being violators of varying kinds of crimes, some inmates just don’t like those who commit abuses: physical abuse and sexual abuse, especially with children. They are ready to hit those offenders [if known], even to the point of killing them.

The jail’s classification system always try their best to put inmates into those housing where there would be lesser complications with other cellies [cell mates]. But sometimes, no matter how careful they are, there would always be someone who will find out and then, tell others. They are known as “snitchers”.


[photo credit: dlibrary.acu.edu.ac]


There were 3 religious societies of Judaism in Jesus’ times: the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. The Pharisees were often the most influential and vocal among them.

The name “Pharisee” in Hebrew means separatists, or separated ones. They were known as chasidim, meaning loyal to God or loved of God. But the irony of it…they made themselves the most bitter, and deadly opponents of Jesus Christ and His message.

The Pharisees, perhaps, meant to obey God, but eventually they became so devoted and extremist in very limited parts of the Law [plus whatever they added to it]. Doing so, they became blind to the Messiah when Jesus was in their very midst. They saw His miracles, they heard His Words. But instead of receiving it with joy, they did all they could do to stop him.

To the point of killing Jesus because He truthfully claimed to be the Son of God. They were the snitchers in Jesus’ time!

Self-righteousness is not righteousness. God’s true people are to live according to His Word, not just to a certain part that is convenient or to one’s own liking.
 
"How many observe Christ's birthday! How few his precepts!O! 'tis easier to keep holidays than commandments."~Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1757






7 comments:

  1. Love the Benjamin Franklin quote. We must each examine our reasons for doing what we do.

    Blessings, hugs, and prayers, andrea

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  2. I find this especially interesting because I've ran into so many Christians during my life who are super into being "separate". I've frequently noted these folks to be rather self righteous. However, Andrea makes a great point above, that we each must examine our reasons for doing what we do....so who am I to judge them?

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  3. "Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with (Mahatma) Ghandi he asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?"


    Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."

    The compelling story of why he felt this way is here:
    http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/552.htm

    Pilate, too, was faced with this CHRISTmas dilemma. Christ had said: "I Am the Way, the Light, the Truth".

    Later, Pilate stared at him in the eyes and proclaimed:
    What is truth?"

    Um,.....he was staring directly AT Truth and did not recognise Him.
    There is a little "Pilate" in each of us.
    There is a little "Ghandi" in each of us.
    There is the potential for the Holy Spirit to enlarge our hearts to TRUTH, and make Emmanuel dwell every day of the year in us, not just December 25th.

    Merry Christmas Rosel.

    Ephesians 1:15-23 (WOW!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great comparison! I smiled at the B. Franklin quote, too!

    Hope you can feel my love and prayers this December.

    Hugging you!
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  5. How simple and stunning..."Self-righteousness is not righteousness." In fact, it's judgement. Another great post, my dear sister in Christ!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Another great post. I hadn't thought of the Pharisees as "snitchers" before, but it was a good analogy.

    ReplyDelete

"Faith is taking the first step even if you don't see the whole staircase..."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

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