Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 226

August 13;   Matthew 15:14;   15/260(II);   ‘The Blind Leading the Blind’

Matthew 15:14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." 

The Lord Jesus would always use the Word of God to correct the Pharisees.  This was just another reason why they hated Him.  As time went on, the Pharisees taught more and more out of the books they wrote and ignored God’s Word.  This is religion.  Teaching the commandments of men as if they were the Word of God.  Religion is incredibly dangerous.  Multitudes follow the teachings of men, believing these teachings are from God, when they are not.  Since eternity is based on the truths of God’s Word, not the doctrine of men, sincere people could live all of their lives convinced that what they are taught is from God and they can be eternally deceived and lost.  The Lord said let them alone.  It is surely not that He wants these religious leaders to be separated from God the Father eternally.  Jesus knew the pride and deception they were bound by.  Only prayer and the conviction of the Holy Spirit could change them.  Jesus gives us a picture of what religion is.  Religion is like a blind man leading another blind man.  Both of them are lost and cannot see where they are going and will wind up in a ditch.  How do we help them?  Religious people are a challenge, since they have been told what they have been taught is true.  Pray for them, love them, let the character of Jesus flow out of you, kindly share the Word with them when you can.  Look for things they do believe that line up with the Word of God and use these areas to further sow the truth of the Word into them.  The healing power of the Holy Spirit is another way religious people can be reached.  Our ‘job’ is to help them, they need the truth.