“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” Matthew 23:24
Cannonball Contest! That was the bait line I used to try to excite 2 of my grandkids to help me with a small problem. The last tropical storm left my swimming pool filled to the top, so I thought the line would motivate the kids to help remove some of the water. But looking at the pool, there were THOUSANDS of little tiny bugs laying dead on top! So I grabbed a strainer to clean it up!
Pool screen comes in various sizes, and I had the smallest and tightest screen available. But somehow, a tiny species of gnat managed to get in between the screen mesh anyway. When I tried to find out WHY, the explanation was more gross than the carnage! Having been attracted to the water, their dead bodies lay floating on top, needing a cloth filter to screen them out.
As I was skimming the pool, I thought about this Bible verse and Jesus’ confrontation of the Pharisees of His day. Being legalistic, they would do things intending to SHOW that they were completely obeying the Law. But Jesus saw their dead works and called them out! This verse is a perfect metaphor for the ridiculous, and made me think about the ‘swallow-ability’ of my own life!
The rules and laws we live by have changed drastically since I was a kid. The major theme of change seems to yield laws allowing greater permission for doing things previously unacceptable. Sadly, swallowing camels seems to have become the norm. But now I am convicted that too much focus on camels has led me to forget about the basics of paying attention to the smaller details!
I think God is not as much interested in my opinions of how the world is going as He is about MY own heart as I move through it. While on earth, Jesus never took a public stand against slavery. He DID, however, command that slaves treat their masters with honor! WHAAAAA? He didn’t condemn those who attacked His people, but DID command that His people love their attackers!
When I get to Heaven, and yes, I WILL be there, I will be graded on how well I loved the unlovely and reacted to the ridiculous! Calling out evil in those doing it doesn’t’ seem to win them over to Jesus’ side. Loving them in action and word seems to be what Jesus was trying to say. Trying to get God to swallow my life of righteous indignation at a world gone bad isn’t going to go down well.
What are YOU trying to get God to swallow about YOUR prickly life?
