The Power of Our King Over Ritual
Notes
Transcript
Theme; Jesus’ teaching that being right with God isn’t based on ritual; it comes about by having a living relationship with Jesus.
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” 12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” 14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?” 15 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before. 17 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”
Scene 1.
There are four basic approaches you can take towards God.
You can fight against his existence, we call that atheism.
You can ignore him and just live life for yourself, we could call that secularism or consumerism.
You can try to please him by your own efforts, we could call that religion.
Or you can accept that he loves you and he wants to have a real relationship with you, we call that grace.
The mission for this church is “To bring the whole Gospel to the whole person, locally, regionally and globally”
We will achieve this mission by living the Great Commission
Matthew 28:16-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:44-49, Matthew 11:1-6, Luke 7:18-23;
In obedience to the Great Commandment
Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34;
Through the work of the whole body of Christ
Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Corinthians 12:1-31
Many people see church as nothing more that than meaningless self righteous religious ritual.
Or perhaps as a waste of time.
Some even see it as self delusion, thinking that you are pleasing something that doesn’t exist.
Now I don’t know about you, but I have got better things to do with my time than waste it on meaningless, delusional, self righteous ritual.
If I am going to dedicate my life to something.
I want it to make a difference.
I want it to be worthwhile.
And there is nothing more worthwhile than a living relationship with God and dedicating your life to serving the community.
God gave each person involved in starting this church a dream.
A dream of the whole body of Christ living in obedience to the Great Commandment, living the Great Commission, bringing the Whole Gospel to the Whole Person, impacting this valley and beyond, helping people to understand that a relationship with Jesus is something thrilling and alive and worth pursuing.
You see
Scene 2. Jesus didn’t have much time for the self righteous types; he was more interested in spending time with real people.
Take a look at Matthew’s Gospel chapter 9 and verses 10 to 11.
Jesus is at Matthew the tax collectors house.
Matthew has invited all his mates around, to have dinner with Jesus and his disciples.
Matthew was a collaborator with the Roman’s.
The Romans had occupied Israel.
They had come in, taken over by force and Matthew collected their taxes from his own people, along with a little extra margin for himself.
It was a good living.
And now he decides to follow Jesus and all his tax collecting mates and their friends have come around for a farewell party.
Real people, a bit like being invited to a function at the pub when you know some of the patrons are a bit creative with how they make their money.
Jesus seemed perfectly comfortable.
He wasn’t hanging out with the acceptable crowd; he was hanging out with real people.
But the acceptable crowd, the religious teachers had a problem with Jesus not living by their standards.
Listed to how the New Living Translation puts verse 11. “But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
In their view, if Jesus wanted to be seen as a respectable teacher, he had to abide by the rules.
And the rules meant that you didn’t eat with such people.
Scene 3. When Jesus heard their criticism he presented a radical contrast between empty self righteous ritual and a right relationship with God.
Have a look at Matthew 9:12-13 (Hosea 6:6)
12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Jesus’ quick witty reply would have been seen by everyone there for what it was.
A stinging criticism of those who thought that they had it together.
He told them that seeing as they were so sure of their righteousness and the common people were so corrupted by evil then shouldn’t he be with those who were in need of healing.
Then Jesus goes on to quote from the Old Testament prophet Hosea chapter 6 and verse 6.
The Pharisees would have known this verse and the part that Jesus didn’t quote.
They knew that it came from a section of scripture where God declares his great disappointment that his people have not been sincere in their faith.
When Jesus said to them, “go and learn what this means” they would have known he was challenging their way of seeing things.
The Pharisees always brought the proper sacrifices, but they were totally lacking in compassion toward sinners.
They did all the right things, but failed to truly follow God.
Jesus was making it very clear; when mercy is lacking, then religious formalities are meaningless.[1]
The Pharisees remind me of the Emperor penguin elders in the movie Happy Feet.
There is only one acceptable way to do things, their way.
Again and again in the movie the young penguin Mumbo has a different view on life.
He challenges the established order.
He wants to bring about change.
He is a revolutionary with new ideas.
Scene 4. Jesus actually presented a picture of His Kingdom as something new, something with life and excitement, a celebration.
Take a look at Matthew 9:1-17
The disciples of John the Baptist turn up next and they wanted to know why Jesus and his disciples where partying and not fasting.
And Jesus’ reply just demolishes their view of how things should be.
Referring to himself as a bridegroom Jesus basically says it is party time; it is a time for celebration.
It is totally inappropriate to fast and mourn while the guest of honour is here.
It was right for John and his disciples to fast; their role was to call people to repent to turn away from their sin and to look forward to the new kingdom that was coming.
But now the new king is here, the bridegroom has arrived.
Let me ask; are you grief stricken on your buck’s night or your hen’s night?
Or are you excited and looking forward to the next day?
Jesus acknowledges that there was to be a time when he would be taken away.
But the good news is that we know the resurrection has occurred, he is back.
Jesus then goes on to give two more illustrations.
Illustrations to show that what he is about is new, it is fresh, it has life.
Firstly there is the illustration in verse 16 about putting a new patch on old clothing.
Jesus was not out to patch up an old system, just like sewing a new un shrunk piece of cloth on an old garment, is a waste as the garment will suffer an even bigger tear.
So trying to make Jesus’ new kingdom fit in with the old way of doing things won’t work.
Likewise putting the new wine of Jesus’ kingdom into old wineskins will not work.
How can you put something that is alive and full of vigour into an old container?
Have you ever spoken to someone who is into home brewing?
They will tell you that if they overdo it a bit the tops will burst off the bottles and fly across the room or bounce off the ceiling.
The kingdom of Jesus is just like that.
Full of life.
And in Jesus’ day wine would be put into animal skins.
New wine would ferment and expand and if it was in a new skin that was fine as the skin would stretch to accommodate the new wine.
But if you put new wine into an old skin that was already stretched.
Then it would burst.
Jesus wasn’t bothered with old traditions.
He wasn’t bothered about trying to please God by undertaking empty meaningless religious ritual.
Jesus is on about a new way of relating to God.
He is the way.
Jesus was saying to his critics.
It’s not about your rules.
It’s not about your expectations.
It’s not about ritual.
It’s about spending time with me.
Now come and join the party.
[1]Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Mt 9:10–13). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
