The definition of a TRUE leader!

Today I read Luke 15-17. Luke 15 begins by stating that all the sinners(irreligious Jews) were coming near to Jesus. "Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." As I read that I just stopped for a second. As I read the gospels it has really been laid on my heart to grasp the problems of the pharisees. Here's why...

The pharisees had a better knowledge of the law than anyone in their day. Many of them would memorize the Pentateuch and large segments of Old Testament scripture. As a pastor one day we all know that I am called by the Lord to " Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."(2 Tim 2:15) This is my occupation as a man of God. To be a man who displays the truth. That means I not only know it but I live it through a life that is above reproach. It must even characterize my life so much that my family is held to the same standard as I am. I not only must show that the truth is evident in my life, but that all those who I lead are consistent in following the truth. It is a serious issue. God says that teachers will be judged "twice as strictly"(James 3:1) and that not many of us should aspire to that occupation because we all stumble in many ways.

So what was the pharisees problem? If they knew the truth back and forth why did Jesus constantly rebuke them?

It is easy to misunderstand Jesus rebuttal of the pharisees. Many people have associated judgment period with the pharisees. I will make a corrective statement to another Christian and they will point me to scripture where Christ rebukes the pharisees for their judgement. In this case it is easy to misinterpret what the text is communicating. Many people try to use the pharisees to rule out judging period. In attempt to justify their lifestyles and actions they will call believers who rebuke their sin a pharisee. But lets remember something. Jesus said to the pharisees, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Following up on the removal of the "log", Jesus states that when the issue is removed, that they will see clearly to help remove the issue from their brothers eye! Lets not miss that part! We are called to judge Christians! In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul clearly states that we are to hold those in the church to the standard of the Word of God.

As I read that verse it clarifies the question I have regarding the pharisees. That question is, what is the log? If they knew the truth back and forth what was the log? What was the problem? I think the text of Luke 15 really hits the nail on the head so I want to do my best to exposit its meaning.

So, we see sinners coming to Jesus and Him openly receiving them and being in their midst. The pharisees followed this notion with grumbling amongst themselves saying "This man receives sinners and eats with them." I want us to stop here for a second and think about something. The pharisees in this statement reveal their hearts about who they think they are. They identify the "irreligious Jews" as the sinners. They fail to recognize that even they are sinners. The pharisees display here how they see themselves. They view themselves as sinless. By labeling the irreligious Jews as sinners, they are putting themselves on a pedistool that removes the word sin from describing their nature. In essence the pharisees have put themselves on the level of a perfect God. This is why they hated Jesus. They saw themselves as so holy. They became their own god. In the pursuit of seeking to know the truth they elevated themselves to a place of holiness where no human belongs. It is interesting that later on in this passage Jesus after sharing the parable of the lost sheep makes a sarcastic reference to them. "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." You see, the pharisees really thought in their hearts that they were righteous and in no need to repent. How could they study the truth for so long and miss it?!

In the sight of God we are disgusting. We are wretched sinners who are headed for hell in our sin. The pharisees missed the entire point of the gospel. If only they would've embraced humble hearts and walked away from their pride! I think its interesting how Jesus chose to come to the earth in this time. obviously He predestined it to happen that way, but it proclaims the glory of God to see the time in which He decided to send his son. He came at a time in which the truth of the Gospel would be most magnified. Here are the pharisees who everyone thinks got it, and Jesus comes and says ya they do all the right things, but their insides are filled with "dead mans bones." God doesn't care about the fruit if its not coming from the right heart. The pharisees painted a perfect picture of MAN-MADE righteousness. The fact that Jesus came when he did shouted the notion that ""THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE"(Romans 3:10). The fact that Jesus came to earth when He did was extremely effective in pinning the religious leaders to down to say that humility is the mark of a true follower of God.

So what does GOD-MADE righteousness look like? If the pharisees are not what we aspire to be, than who is our aspiration. The man who we aspire to be like was standing right next to them. He was God himself who was displaying for us what true perfection is! True perfection in the state of humanity means absolute humility...

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, althought He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phillipians 2:3-11

Did the pharisees regard others as more important than they? absolutely not! They were so doused in themselves and their own interests that they lived a false gospel of pride. Jesus even says in Luke 16:14 that the pharisees "were lovers of money" right after stating that "You cannot serve God and wealth"(Luke 16:13).

Heres the entire point...The pharisees pride was the core of all their problems. Their elevation of themselves made the claim in their lives that they were god. "If we say that we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us."(1 John 1:8) Realizing the truth of the gospel means that we demote ourselves to NOTHING and make Christ EVERYTHING. This is why service is crucial in the life of a pastor. The true leader is defined by selflessness. As a pastor I not only have to know the truth, but to live the truth. This means following Christ's example and emptying myself. I walk in the truth when I am a servant. I walk in the truth because I have realized who I am (a worthless vessel of wretched sin headed for hell) who has been granted Gods love and eternal life and been made into a vessel for His glory!!

Less of us and more of Him...That is what our lives should proclaim! Let us grasp this simple truth of the misunderstanding pharisees so that we do not fall into the same pit. The pharisees although they knew the Word of God missed the heart of God. We read His word to know Him and His heart. A heart that has come before God in the absolute humility of the truth is one that can really grasp the truth of the Scripture. The application that this text today has in my life is tremendous. As I continue on in the pursuit of the truth in order to teach others what it really means to know Jesus, my prayer is that my heart might be one of humility. That I would be characterized like Christ in the service of others. If I fail to speak the truth without love as Ephesians 4:15 commands I become a pharisee. True love that should accompany the truth of the Word is sacrificial love. The word agape in the Greek defines this type of love for us in the New Testament in reference to Jesus. Agape is the sacrificial love that Jesus showed us on the cross. The last thing a pastor should be is a pharisee. May the teachers of the truth today recognize the fatal flaw of the teachers in Jesus time, embrace agape love, and teach the church to live in this way!