Today was fire drill day at work which is always an intriguing exercise. My office building is extremely large, housing over 1200 employees. In order to ensure everyone is accounted for, we all have designated assembly areas at the back of the rear parking lot.
This would be a perfectly acceptable arrangement were it not for two things. One, my team exits in front of the building, and two, in the center of our rear parking lot is the largest generator I have ever seen. The thing is huge. Massive. One might even say, Herculean. And to power such a monstrous beast, there is an above ground storage tank filled with hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel.
Now let me ask you this question if I could. If you have just run out of a burning building, are you going to walk all the way around said building and head towards a giant vat of diesel, or are you going to get the heck out of dodge and head the other direction? As for me and myself, I chose the latter.
When we reached our assembly area our supervisor said something about us needing to step it up in an actual fire. I then advised him that if said fire ever does occur, he’s going to need to take my attendance by waving at me across the street, cause I ain’t drinking that Koolaid.
He assured me that we would be perfectly safe. After all, this tank was made to be fire resistant, and there were safety valves in place to prevent an explosion. I advised him that this was the same thing BP said about the Deep Water Horizon and look where that got them. He could hardly argue my logic. After all, there are some situations where you throw out ritual and go with common sense.
In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus and his disciples are walking through a field on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry so they picked some grain and ate it while they walked along. The Pharisees were incredulous and demanded that Jesus do something about it. We find his reply beginning in verse three.
3 He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." *
The Pharisees were concerned about ritual. For them, salvation was found in the acts that we perform. In this passage, Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 and reminds them that God is interested in our hearts, not in our rituals. So many times it seems that we get in this mentality that if we do the right things or say the right things or somehow just read enough verses than maybe, just maybe we can impress God enough to gain His favor. Jesus is reminding us here that it isn’t about what you do or how you measure up, it’s about your heart.
When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus answered ‘'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:37-40) *
Amazing isn’t it. You follow these two simple commands and EVERYTHING else will fall into place. Don’t run from a burning building only to seek shelter next to a gas tank. Give God your heart and let Him handle the rest.
Prayer: My prayer for you today is that you will not be so caught up on the ritual of church that your forget the true purpose for worship.
Scripture: Matthew 22:37-40, Matthew 12:3-8, Hosea 6:6
* New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica