Matthew 15: 3-6;  23: 3  & 18: 1-4

(7. Legalism develops into a religion of experts.)

15

3-6    Jesus confronted the religious experts: "Why do you ignore the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?  For God said, Honor your father and mother, and whoever speaks evil of father or mother should be put to death.  Yet you say that if someone will say to father or mother that anything of mine that might have helped you has been made into an offering to God, then you do not have to honor father and mother."  You invalidate the law of God for the sake of your tradition!  You are hypocrites!
 

23

3     Jesus said that the religious experts "tell you what to do but they do not do themselves what they teach."
 

18

1-4    Jesus called upon his disciples to resist being religious experts and to become like children.  In answer to the question of who is the greatest in service to God, Jesus took a little child to himself and stood the child in their midst.  "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted (turned around) and become like children, you will not enter the realm of heaven.  Whoever then humbles yourself as this child is the greatest in the realm of heaven."

On to No. 8

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