Wholehearted Love

Wholehearted Love

Wives Of Pharisees

Read: Matthew 23:25-26; Luke 18:9-12

Haley watched her husband as his eyes scanned the crowded restaurant for business colleagues or potential clients. As usual, she wouldn’t get much of his attention during their anniversary dinner. He’d sent her the usual dozen roses and given her an expensive diamond bracelet, but how long had it been since they had shared more than superficial conversation? When was the last time he had held her hand, listened to her, or looked into her eyes? Haley’s friends thought that she had it made, but if he was such a model husband, why did she feel unloved?

In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were a powerful religious/political party and were considered model Jews. They took great pride in following the laws down to the slightest detail, but Jesus condemned them as hypocrites for their lack of love. What was it like to be married to a Pharisee? Did these men love their wives as they loved God, with an outward show of ritual that bypassed their hearts? The Pharisees’ wives may have felt the same lonely frustration as Haley, whose husband concentrated more on how the marriage looked to outsiders than on building a mutually fulfilling relationship.

God doesn’t desire an empty relationship any more than a woman does. It’s easy to slip into a pattern of going through the motions of worshiping God while neglecting or even ignoring him. Our claim to love him rings hollow if we’re not taking time to talk with him in prayer, listen for his voice, obey his Word, and talk about him to others. Love Pharisee-style means nothing to a God who looks past our outward show of affection and sees the condition of our hearts.

They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Isaiah 29:13