The "Tough Love" of Jesus
You serpents, you viper's brood, how do you think you are going to avoid being condemned to the rubbish-heap?...Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You murder the prophets and stone the messengers that are sent to you. How often have I longed to gather your children round me like a bird gathers her brood together under her wing--and you would never have it. Now all you have left is your house. I tell you that you will never see me again till the day when you cry, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Matt. 23:33-39, Phillips.
Some church members are just plain tough in their condemnation of others. Their concern is with purity, right conduct, correct music, and sanctified diet. They have no problem speaking their minds. And the result is that young people quit attending, new members get discouraged, and anybody with any spiritual sense begins to pray for the souls of such "righteous ones" and for the continued existence of true religion in the congregation.
Here we need to realize the difference between being hard and tough for the kingdom of God and exhibiting tough love in the spirit of Christ.
One of the unfortunate aspects of having only the written word is that it leaves us without the facial expressions and voice tonality. I can say the same thing in a spirit of love or one of meanness and harshness. It may be the same words, but the sense that comes across is totally different. We learn from Matthew 23 that Jesus ranks among those who are not afraid to confront error. But we also glimpse the spirit in which He did so.
When we are tempted to play the role of "spiritual storm troopers" we need to ponder the verses that highlight the spirit in which Jesus set forth the rebukes of Matthew 23. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,...! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings" (verse 37, RSV). It was in love and caringness that Jesus made His final appeal to the Jewish leaders to leave their false religiosity behind and turn to "the weightier matters of the law"--"justice and mercy" (verse 23, RSV). And it was with a broken heart that He realized that the majority of them would not change (verse 37).
With that rejection comes the foreshadowing of two events. One was the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem with it (verse 38). And the second was His own return in the clouds of heaven (verse 39).
Lord, we have been sobered by the strong words of Jesus in the face of false ideas about religion. But we have been given hope by the spirit of love in which He spoke them. Help us to have both genuine religion and a proper spirit.
You serpents, you viper's brood, how do you think you are going to avoid being condemned to the rubbish-heap?...Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You murder the prophets and stone the messengers that are sent to you. How often have I longed to gather your children round me like a bird gathers her brood together under her wing--and you would never have it. Now all you have left is your house. I tell you that you will never see me again till the day when you cry, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Matt. 23:33-39, Phillips.
Some church members are just plain tough in their condemnation of others. Their concern is with purity, right conduct, correct music, and sanctified diet. They have no problem speaking their minds. And the result is that young people quit attending, new members get discouraged, and anybody with any spiritual sense begins to pray for the souls of such "righteous ones" and for the continued existence of true religion in the congregation.
Here we need to realize the difference between being hard and tough for the kingdom of God and exhibiting tough love in the spirit of Christ.
One of the unfortunate aspects of having only the written word is that it leaves us without the facial expressions and voice tonality. I can say the same thing in a spirit of love or one of meanness and harshness. It may be the same words, but the sense that comes across is totally different. We learn from Matthew 23 that Jesus ranks among those who are not afraid to confront error. But we also glimpse the spirit in which He did so.
When we are tempted to play the role of "spiritual storm troopers" we need to ponder the verses that highlight the spirit in which Jesus set forth the rebukes of Matthew 23. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,...! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings" (verse 37, RSV). It was in love and caringness that Jesus made His final appeal to the Jewish leaders to leave their false religiosity behind and turn to "the weightier matters of the law"--"justice and mercy" (verse 23, RSV). And it was with a broken heart that He realized that the majority of them would not change (verse 37).
With that rejection comes the foreshadowing of two events. One was the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem with it (verse 38). And the second was His own return in the clouds of heaven (verse 39).
Lord, we have been sobered by the strong words of Jesus in the face of false ideas about religion. But we have been given hope by the spirit of love in which He spoke them. Help us to have both genuine religion and a proper spirit.
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