Elites

Elites

Matthew 21:14-16, NLT

The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. 15The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant. 16They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’”

Setting the Scene

That “the blind and the lame” came to Jesus in the Temple is significant. Usually people with those conditions were excluded from Temple worship based on laws stemming from 2 Samuel 5:8. But Jesus, the Messiah, welcomed them there and “healed them.” Then some children in the Temple began shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.”

The “leading priests” were mostly Sadducees (the wealthy, upper-class, priestly party among the Jewish political groups). The “teachers of religious law” were usually Pharisees. These two groups had great contempt for each other (see Acts 23:6-10) and seldom agreed on anything. But Jesus’ actions in the Temple united the enemies against him.

The exact timing of these events is not clear, but certainly they happened in the same day. Jesus entered the Temple and observed the buying and selling and general chaos, and he drove everyone out. Next, the outcast “blind” and “lame” came to Jesus, certainly stepping around the overturned tables and other clutter, and he healed them. Then some children began shouting. All of these events were observed by the religious leaders. They were supposed to be in charge, yet there was Jesus, encroaching on their territory. Who did he think he was?

The blind and lame knew. But these religious leaders missed the Savior.

Getting Personal

When have you felt on the outside in a religious setting?

In what ways are you part of the “in crowd” at your church?

When have you stood in judgment like those religious leaders in the Temple, feeling disgusted by someone’s less-than-kosher actions?

We can wonder how the religious leaders could be so blind to their own Messiah, but we can do the same. Wrapped in our own religious robes (righteous words and actions, biblical knowledge, position in the church), we can easily dismiss or even judge outsiders. It could be a visitor asking a pointed question in Sunday school, a baby crying in a worship service, a family from a different social class, a teenager’s clothes and assumed attitude—anyone who might threaten the status quo. We can become the condescending elites.

Talking to God

Seek the Lord’s generosity and openness toward all types of people. Ask him to give you his love for others, so that you will avoid the pitfalls of condescending disapproval or easy dismissal of people God loves.