Caution: Scribe Crossing

Jesus is amazing. Luke chapter 20 captures and communicates for us the indisputable words of Christ spoken in refutation of the ridiculously feeble attempts to catch Him in a moment of weak logic and reason. Incredible is the obvious hatred of Christ by the religious elite, but not surprising because untruth never looks fondly upon nor deals cordially with truth. It is just amazing to observe the authority and power mingled with grace which which Jesus categorically breaks the hypocrites down. And, as is His consistent mode of operation, Jesus takes opportunity at the end of the chapter to draw his disciples to a point of application of all that they had just been witness to. He says... "Beware of the Scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." The obvious application for me is that God reaches beyond the mere observation of my doing to demonstrate a crystal clear understanding of my being. That is, while he sees what I do He knows also why I do it. And why I do what I do matters more to Him than what it is that I do. To bask in the vanity of my own sense of religious accomplishment brings nothing but condemnation. It is not the religion that saves and sanctifies me but rather the sweetness of my relationship with Christ...