Not A Fan - Chapter 5
That would often describe the faith of a fan. On the inside their faith has grown cold and is dying, but they are determined to keep up appearances.
They had a mastery of the Scriptures and were considered expert theologians. They were especially known for their strict observance of the law. They would have received high scores for their religious rule keeping, but that’s not the target Jesus was most concerned about. Following the rules kept them focused on the outside, but who they were on the inside is what Jesus paid attention to. And the problem with these religious leaders is that, like many fans, who they were on the outside didn’t match up with what was on the inside.
Some fans are like the Sadducees. Their faith was something they were born into. It was never really something they chose. Maybe when you were born your parents handed you a mask, and you grew up acting like Christians act, talking how Christians talked, listening to the music Christians listened to; but you never fell in love with Jesus.
some fans are like the Pharisees. They would measure their faith by their hard work at learning and following the law. Their intellectual knowledge and behavioral compliance was the target they were aiming at. But even though they were saying the right things and doing the right things, it wasn’t a reflection of who they really were.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to His disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you” (vv. 1 – 3a).
I wonder if Jesus paused here for a moment. The Pharisees think, “Okay, this is more like it. He’s finally coming over to our side. He’s pointing to us as the authorities.” But Jesus continues:
But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach (v. 3b).
That’s what Christ wants in a follower — someone who isn’t pretending on the outside to have it all together. That’s one of the ways the word hypocrisy is defined, as “the act of pretending.”
The word hypocrite comes from Greek ancient classical theater. Greek actors were called hypocrites. Often, a single actor would play several different characters, and for each character, the actor would use a different mask. So when they would switch characters, they would switch masks.
We raised her in Church, but we didn’t raise her in Christ.
You hear what he is saying? We raised her to look right on the outside but didn’t teach her about the inside. We taught her to keep all the rules, but she never really had a relationship. We made her feel guilty for the wrong things she did, but somehow she missed God’s amazing grace.
We taught her to be a fan of Jesus — instead of a follower of Jesus.