Blind Guides
Pastor Rick continued the Matthew 23 series this week, covering two more of Jesus’ seven woes against the Pharisees. His main points were simple but urgent: be careful who you follow and be careful what you prioritize. Jesus called the Pharisees “blind guides” — spiritually blind men who couldn’t recognize the Messiah standing right in front of them. Pastor Rick walked through warnings from Matthew 7, 2 Peter 2, and Acts 20, reminding us that not everyone who claims to speak for God does so faithfully. He urged the church to be like the Bereans, searching the Scriptures daily to test what they hear.
The second point hit just as hard. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for tithing down to their garden herbs while neglecting “the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.” In other words, they strained out gnats while swallowing camels. Pastor Rick cautioned against putting religious activity above the people we’re called to serve, noting that pure religion — as James 1:27 says — means caring for the fatherless and widows, not just checking boxes. He also addressed tithing head-on, encouraging the church to trust God with the first 10% and see if He won’t open the windows of heaven.