Are you good at obeying rules, policies, and the law? How do you feel if someone who is telling you the rules does not obey them? Do you want to justify your disobedience with their disobedience? Do know justifying your actions by someone else’s actions doesn’t fly?
We may experience in our jobs bosses who spout policies but do not follow them themselves. It likely burns us to the core. We wonder how anyone can proclaim a policy and not follow it. The same goes for the law and rules. It angers us to see someone disobeying when they help set the law.
We have seen in recent years more of our lawmakers, CEOs, and other leaders being held accountable for disobedience. We applaud it. We relish their squeamishness as they go before the court. We may even say, “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.” Yet, we are to continue to obey the law, policies, and rules regardless of what the leaders have done.
Jesus tells his disciples and those in the crowd to obey the Jewish leaders, even when they do not do what they teach. That makes it challenging for us when the leaders don’t set a good example to follow. Challenging or not, it is the right thing for us to do. After all, a person can state what the rules are, even if they don’t follow them. Don’t we do that? How often do we break the speed limit? How many times have we taken a little too long for lunch?
Jesus tells us to follow the teachers of God’s law, commands, and guidance, even if those teachers do not follow it themselves. It is not for their good that we follow it, but it is for our good. Obeying God’s Word brings us peace. We experience the joy of the Lord. God blesses us as we obey.
I pray we all obey the teaching of God’s Word. I pray we obey whether our teacher does or not. I pray each one of us will experience the peace, joy, love, and blessings of God through our obedience. Obey God’s Word. Learn as the teacher teaches. Be blessed by God in your obedience.
Matthew 23:2-3 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.”
Marty Pressey 