Dream Haters: Protocol Police

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Matthew 23:23-24 (NKJV)

Only six days before the Last Supper, Jesus was in Bethany among friends, including Lazarus and his sisters… as recorded in Matthew, Mark, and John. Why did it receive so much attention? 

Was it a lesson for His future church, which these followers would help establish?

Because two things happened after dinner; they involved a calling and a complaint. 

  1. The calling was a big gift from Mary. She poured costly oil on the Feet of Christ. I believe her idea came from God.

  2. The complaint about it came from Judas. Her act didn’t fit Jewish protocol, who said it should be sold to help the poor.

The King’s devious disciple (and thief) rebuked Mary’s humble and moving act.

Would the future leaders of God’s new church copy the mistakes of Jewish leaders… choosing laws and rules over love and faith? (As in… “If your work differs from church procedures, then you're certainly not working God’s way.”)

That was the Pharisaical problem:

  • Religion turned into a protocol.

  • Rules turned into the bars of a prison.

  • Worship turned into a temple visit,

  • And good news turned into perks for chief priests.

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

The King of kings said… Mary's act will never be forgotten. She didn't do it for FAME, but FAME CAME! She had a vision and did it for love!

The God of Hope gave you a vision, too: a modern world, with..

  • Christians shining in entertainment,

  • Good stories and positive examples,

  • Kids protected and innocence cherished,

  • Celebrities no longer idolized,

  • Fans (lost sheep) no longer merchandized,

  • Truth no longer seen as “relative”,

  • Morality no longer “old-fashioned,”

  • Church no longer bound by men’s protocols,

  • LOVE and OUTREACH as Christian calling cards.

Religious protocols are stale and old. Father and Son are all about newness!

'If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new' (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Dream Haters: Protocol Police (Part 14)

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban