Who Makes the Rules?

Who Makes the Rules?
Have you ever played tag or hide-and-seek and changed the rules in the middle of the game? (Maybe you weren’t the one who instigated the rule change every time, but you probably did it at least once!) How often do you get into a situation today where you want to change the rules to fit your current circumstances? Did you notice how, as people kept changing the rules, that the game no longer became fun to play?

There is a lot of discussion going on these days about a group who would fit a definition of “secular progressives”. One of their root tenants is that each person makes their own rules as they go along and what’s right for me may not be what is right for you. One of their problems is that they don’t want to play by God’s rules. Another is that they often want to force me to play by their rules whether those are my rules or not.

In Matthew 15:1-20; and Mark 7:1-23, Jesus is challenged by some Pharisees who think He is not playing by the rules. He advises them that they don’t make the rules and they are not playing by God’s rules!

Pharisees Think They Make the Rules! – Matthew 15:1-2; Mark 7:1-5
Like many people today (secular progressives and immature Christians) the Pharisees challenge Jesus because He isn’t playing by their rules. They have found some trivial matter (how they wash their hands) that Jesus doesn’t do like they think He should and they are trying to force their standards on Him. The real point is that they are looking to find fault with Jesus so they can excuse themselves from believing in Him as God’s Son, the promised Messiah.

The world often makes rules that do not respect Christian values, but are resistant to God’s rules! They want to force us to live by or accept their (immoral and unchristian) standards, but are unwilling to allow us to influence them to live by our standards. Isn’t that hypocrisy? They want to justify their sin and keep us from telling them that it is wrong.

How many times have you tried to tell someone else how to live their life or handle a situation? How many times have others tried to tell you how to live your life? Even though we may be Christians, we still often get caught up in deciding for others about how they should live. Often times, our “rules” are beyond what the Scriptures teach.

Jesus Says God Makes the Rules! – Matthew 15:3; Mark 7:6-9
Jesus answers the Pharisees by quoting from the prophet Isaiah. He accuses them of breaking God’s rules and substituting their own. They get offended at Jesus’ reply because to them, their traditions are more important than what God’s Word teaches. They have conveniently packaged the Mosaical Law with all sorts of additional interpretations so they won’t have to obey it the way it is written. Sounds like some Christians today who want to re-write the Bible to make it gender neutral or take out the miracles of Jesus.

How often do we conveniently justify our divorce, anger, hatred, judging of others, breaking a traffic law, etc. just because we don’t want to admit our sin? What kind of witness are we for Christ when we make the rules instead of seeking to follow His? If we act just like the world, then why should they want to believe in our Jesus?

Jesus Proves His Point! – Matthew 15:4-9; Mark 7:10-13
Before the Pharisees can say anything to defend their errant behavior, Jesus cites one of traditions that the Pharisees use to justify their being disrespectful of their parents that are in total disregard to God’s Law. They have created a loophole where they don’t have to obey the Mosaical Law (which was given by God)! They think that they can make the rules!

As Christians, we want to be right before God. Often, in our sincerity, we will discover some point and immediately take it to others as though salvation is based on compliance to this newly discovered behavior. Or we will judge another person’s behavior simply because it is different than our own. Though we are well meaning, we have stepped beyond God’s Word to impose our standards on others.

Jesus Says All Sin is Self-Centered! – Matthew 15:10-20; Mark 7:14-23
Sin originates from temptations that occur in our minds. That doesn’t mean that the mere thought is sinful unless you dwell on it. However, the temptation passes through the mind before the body acts on it. Hence, Jesus’ point! We don’t sin by eating because that is processed and passed through. However,

Have you ever noticed what is in the middle of sIn? I have yet to find a sin that is not selfish. If you find one, let me know (and I’ll probably prove to you that it is as selfish as all other sin.) When we get self-centered, we will justify our actions every time. How does God view your actions?

“Getting To Know Jesus” will help you get through the trials and hard times of live as you see what Jesus went through and how much He cares about you. Call, email or write and let us tell you how you can start a “Getting To Know Jesus” Bible study group in your home or church.

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