Matthew 15:8-11 – “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'” 10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.'” NIV

I rarely use the NIV, but today, I found that how this is worded is precisely what I believe God would have us hear.  Jesus speaks to the Pharisees and others in Israel regarding “tradition” and “man-made rules and regulations.”  In my years of studying the Scripture, I have found that Jesus never minced words and had an uncanny way of getting to the point and doing so pointedly but always demonstrating a desire for redemption and restoration.

Here, Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah and identified a problem that is not new to today’s church but certainly exists.  Sadly, when polled, many people claim to be Christians and believe in God but do not practice what they say they believe. 

Likewise, many churches, denominations, and sects have their list of “rules and regulations” or “traditions” that they elevate above God and even the Word of God.  They believe they are honoring God and following His word but are doing so in vain because their “worship” is based on “man-made doctrine” rather than true worship of the Living God!  They justify themselves by saying things like, “I go to church, I pay tithes, I do good works, etc.” but not with their hearts.

In Matthew 23:27- 28, Jesus said, “A Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside, they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.  28 “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

I understand why some are turned off by what is often labeled as Christianity today.  I remember being told by a fellow minister about a situation he encountered.  There was a man in his community who was dying of cancer, and a number of his congregation had gathered at his house to pray for him and comfort the family. 

The man smoked and asked one of the older women in the crowd if she would light him a cigarette.  He did not ask her to put it in her mouth, just light it for him while he held it in his mouth as he could barely lift his arms from weakness.  He wanted her to hold the cigarette for him. 

She lashed at him in a shocking way.  This minister said, “God had set me free from cigarettes without me even asking Him to do so, and I am still grateful.”  He said, “I knew that she believed that smoking was a sin, but I expected more Christian compassion in the situation.”  She informed the dying man that she would rather strip naked and walk down main street than take one of the devil’s coffin nails in her hand and that he was going to hell if he did not repent. 

He said, “I thought the example she used was strange and wondered how the two related but never dared ask.”  He went to the man’s bedside, took a cigarette out of the pack on the nightstand, put it in his mouth, lit it for him, and assisted him as he smoked what was his final cigarette. 

This minister did not smoke and would prefer no one smoke.  However, the woman’s reaction did not lead the man to God or demonstrate Christian compassion.  After he finished the cigarette, he said, “I asked him if he knew Jesus.  He said, “Well, not really.  I joined the church when I was about 12, but no preacher. I guess I do not know Him.”  

This minister asked him if he would like to make peace with God, acknowledge his sins, and receive Jesus as his savior.  He looked through eyes filled with tears and said, “A few minutes ago, I would have cursed at you thinking you were like Mrs. (calling her name), but you have shown me something I have never encountered before.  You did not judge me for doing what I know you do not believe in. Instead, you showed me kindness.  I sense something in you that I do not think I have seen in church or from church people before.  I feel something that I have never felt before, and if that is what God brings to people, then, yes, I would like to know him.”  They prayed as he wept before the Lord and received Christ.  Later that afternoon, he passed away.

I am not saying this to elevate anyone, but that is the kind of compassion I received from people trying to lead me to Christ, and I have never forgotten it.  Jesus said that the person who is forgiven much loves much, and I was forgiven a mountain of sin.  How could we not show love and compassion to someone in that condition?  

If that minister had followed the way of the Pharisees, that man would never have had the opportunity to receive Jesus before dying.  I have been told repeatedly by ministers that they do not believe in “deathbed salvation.” That is their choice, but events like that remind me of God’s love and grace-filled grace. 

I pray that God will help me be that compassionate to someone on the brink of eternity.  I pray that the door to sharing God’s message of hope presents itself and that I will not fail to walk through it. 

May God be with you as you go through your day. Remember that one small act of kindness and love may be the difference between someone receiving Christ or rejecting Him.  Blessings!