Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story 23
23
BAD SPIRITUAL LEADERS
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) cared deeply about the people, so he began to warn the people and his followers about the bad-hearted spiritual leaders.
1-2“The Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the scroll keepers are leading you down the wrong path!” he said to the people and his followers. “When they speak, they represent the lawgiver Drawn from the Water (Moses), 3so listen when they speak the truth and do what they say but do not walk in their ways. They fail to do the things they demand of others 4and tie heavy spiritual burdens on their backs, too much for them to carry, but will not lift even one finger to help them.
5“They want to look important to others, so to look spiritual they wear large and fancy medicine pouches and long fringes on their outfits. 6They love to dress up in fine regalia, sit in the seats of honor at the gathering houses, 7and have people call them ‘wisdomkeeper’ at the trading posts.”
Then he turned to instruct the ones who walked the road with him.
THE GREAT WILL SERVE
8-10“Titles such as ‘wisdomkeeper,’ ‘chief,’ and ‘spiritual guide’ are not for you. There is only one true Wisdomkeeper, Chief, and Spiritual Guide—the Chosen One—and you all belong to his family. So call no one on earth by the title ‘father,’ for only the Great Spirit is truly the Father of us all. 11The great ones among you will be servant of all. 12The ones who put themselves above others will be brought down low. The ones who humble themselves will be lifted up.”
He then turned again and began to boldly confront the bad spiritual leaders.
SORROW AND TROUBLE
13“Sorrow and trouble is waiting for you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees), for you have hidden from the people the way onto the good road from above. You have failed to walk the good road yourselves, and, even worse, you have barred the way for others who were trying to find the way.
14“Sorrow and trouble will come your way, you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees), for with many words you make long empty prayers and trick widows into giving you their homes and possessions. You will come to a bad end when your fate is decided.#23:14 Most manuscripts leave out verse 14.
15“Sorrow and trouble await you blind guides with false faces, for you journey far and wide, across the great waters, to find one person who will change to your ways. When you have won him over, he becomes twice as bad as you are, a true son of the Valley of Smoldering Fire.
16“And to the blind guides who say, ‘A promise made outside the lodge can be broken, but one made inside must be kept,’ 17you are so foolish and blind! It is not the lodge that makes the promise good, but it is the Great Spirit over the lodge who sees and hears all promises.
18“Or you say, ‘A promise made before a ceremony can be broken, but one made during a ceremony must be kept.’ 19Are you so blind? Can you not see that the Great Spirit sees and hears all promises and expects you to keep them?
20-22“It matters not whether a promise is made inside or outside the lodge, or before or during a sacred ceremony. All promises on the earth below or in the spirit-world above are made before the eyes of the Great Spirit, who sees and hears everything.
23“Sorrow and trouble wait for you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees). With false faces you are careful to do what tribal law says by giving a tenth of each little herb in your garden, but you ignore the more important instructions such as justice, kindness, and honesty. 24You are spiritually blind guides, for you strain out a small flea from your water pouch, but swallow a whole moose.#23:24 Lit. camel
25“Sorrow and trouble will be your end, you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees), for you wash the outside of your cups and bowls, but on the inside your hearts are full of greed and selfish ways. 26You blind Separated Ones (Pharisees)! First clean the inside of your cup, and then the outside of the cup will become clean also.
27“Sorrow and trouble will be waiting at the end of the trail for you Separated Ones (Pharisees) and scroll keepers who hide behind false faces. You are like burial caves that have been painted white to look good on the outside, but on the inside you are full of dead men’s bones and rotting things. 28You may look good to others, but you are full of falsehood and worthless ways.
29“Sorrow and trouble will be waiting at the end of the trail for you Separated Ones (Pharisees) and scroll keepers who hide behind false faces. You put great decorated stones on the burial grounds of the prophets and the ones who walked upright—the ones your ancestors killed.
AN OMINOUS WARNING
30“You say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them when they shed the blood of the prophets.’ 31But you are speaking against yourselves, for you are admitting that you are the descendants of the ones who killed them, 32and you will finish what your ancestors started! 33You nest of poisonous snakes! How will you escape the bad end of the Valley of Smoldering Fire?
34“That is why I am sending to you prophets, wisdomkeepers, and scroll keepers. You will whip some of them in your gathering houses. Others you will nail to a cross. You will threaten them and pursue them from village to village until you shed their blood. 35Then you will be guilty of shedding the innocent blood of all who have lived on the earth from His Breath Goes Up (Abel), who was killed by his brother,#23:35 Abel was the second son of Adam and the first human to be killed by another. See Genesis 4:1-16 for the story. to Creator Will Remember (Zechariah), the son of He Will Be Blessed (Barachiah), who was put to death in the courtyard of the sacred lodge.#23:35 Lit. between the altar and the sanctuary
36“I speak truth from my heart, all these things will happen to the people of this generation.”
O VILLAGE OF PEACE!
A dark cloud cast a shadow over Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and a look of pain and sorrow came upon his face.
37“Jerusalem, O Village of Peace!” he cried out loud for all to hear. “You who kill the prophets and stone to death the ones sent to you! How I have longed to gather your children together, like an eagle gathers her young under her wings, but you would not have it. 38Look! Your house has fallen and will be left in ruins! 39I speak from my heart, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes representing the Great Spirit!’”
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Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story 23: FNVNT
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Copyright ©2023 InterVarsity Press
Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story 23
23
BAD SPIRITUAL LEADERS
Creator Sets Free (Jesus) cared deeply about the people, so he began to warn the people and his followers about the bad-hearted spiritual leaders.
1-2“The Separated Ones (Pharisees) and the scroll keepers are leading you down the wrong path!” he said to the people and his followers. “When they speak, they represent the lawgiver Drawn from the Water (Moses), 3so listen when they speak the truth and do what they say but do not walk in their ways. They fail to do the things they demand of others 4and tie heavy spiritual burdens on their backs, too much for them to carry, but will not lift even one finger to help them.
5“They want to look important to others, so to look spiritual they wear large and fancy medicine pouches and long fringes on their outfits. 6They love to dress up in fine regalia, sit in the seats of honor at the gathering houses, 7and have people call them ‘wisdomkeeper’ at the trading posts.”
Then he turned to instruct the ones who walked the road with him.
THE GREAT WILL SERVE
8-10“Titles such as ‘wisdomkeeper,’ ‘chief,’ and ‘spiritual guide’ are not for you. There is only one true Wisdomkeeper, Chief, and Spiritual Guide—the Chosen One—and you all belong to his family. So call no one on earth by the title ‘father,’ for only the Great Spirit is truly the Father of us all. 11The great ones among you will be servant of all. 12The ones who put themselves above others will be brought down low. The ones who humble themselves will be lifted up.”
He then turned again and began to boldly confront the bad spiritual leaders.
SORROW AND TROUBLE
13“Sorrow and trouble is waiting for you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees), for you have hidden from the people the way onto the good road from above. You have failed to walk the good road yourselves, and, even worse, you have barred the way for others who were trying to find the way.
14“Sorrow and trouble will come your way, you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees), for with many words you make long empty prayers and trick widows into giving you their homes and possessions. You will come to a bad end when your fate is decided.#23:14 Most manuscripts leave out verse 14.
15“Sorrow and trouble await you blind guides with false faces, for you journey far and wide, across the great waters, to find one person who will change to your ways. When you have won him over, he becomes twice as bad as you are, a true son of the Valley of Smoldering Fire.
16“And to the blind guides who say, ‘A promise made outside the lodge can be broken, but one made inside must be kept,’ 17you are so foolish and blind! It is not the lodge that makes the promise good, but it is the Great Spirit over the lodge who sees and hears all promises.
18“Or you say, ‘A promise made before a ceremony can be broken, but one made during a ceremony must be kept.’ 19Are you so blind? Can you not see that the Great Spirit sees and hears all promises and expects you to keep them?
20-22“It matters not whether a promise is made inside or outside the lodge, or before or during a sacred ceremony. All promises on the earth below or in the spirit-world above are made before the eyes of the Great Spirit, who sees and hears everything.
23“Sorrow and trouble wait for you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees). With false faces you are careful to do what tribal law says by giving a tenth of each little herb in your garden, but you ignore the more important instructions such as justice, kindness, and honesty. 24You are spiritually blind guides, for you strain out a small flea from your water pouch, but swallow a whole moose.#23:24 Lit. camel
25“Sorrow and trouble will be your end, you scroll keepers and Separated Ones (Pharisees), for you wash the outside of your cups and bowls, but on the inside your hearts are full of greed and selfish ways. 26You blind Separated Ones (Pharisees)! First clean the inside of your cup, and then the outside of the cup will become clean also.
27“Sorrow and trouble will be waiting at the end of the trail for you Separated Ones (Pharisees) and scroll keepers who hide behind false faces. You are like burial caves that have been painted white to look good on the outside, but on the inside you are full of dead men’s bones and rotting things. 28You may look good to others, but you are full of falsehood and worthless ways.
29“Sorrow and trouble will be waiting at the end of the trail for you Separated Ones (Pharisees) and scroll keepers who hide behind false faces. You put great decorated stones on the burial grounds of the prophets and the ones who walked upright—the ones your ancestors killed.
AN OMINOUS WARNING
30“You say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them when they shed the blood of the prophets.’ 31But you are speaking against yourselves, for you are admitting that you are the descendants of the ones who killed them, 32and you will finish what your ancestors started! 33You nest of poisonous snakes! How will you escape the bad end of the Valley of Smoldering Fire?
34“That is why I am sending to you prophets, wisdomkeepers, and scroll keepers. You will whip some of them in your gathering houses. Others you will nail to a cross. You will threaten them and pursue them from village to village until you shed their blood. 35Then you will be guilty of shedding the innocent blood of all who have lived on the earth from His Breath Goes Up (Abel), who was killed by his brother,#23:35 Abel was the second son of Adam and the first human to be killed by another. See Genesis 4:1-16 for the story. to Creator Will Remember (Zechariah), the son of He Will Be Blessed (Barachiah), who was put to death in the courtyard of the sacred lodge.#23:35 Lit. between the altar and the sanctuary
36“I speak truth from my heart, all these things will happen to the people of this generation.”
O VILLAGE OF PEACE!
A dark cloud cast a shadow over Creator Sets Free (Jesus), and a look of pain and sorrow came upon his face.
37“Jerusalem, O Village of Peace!” he cried out loud for all to hear. “You who kill the prophets and stone to death the ones sent to you! How I have longed to gather your children together, like an eagle gathers her young under her wings, but you would not have it. 38Look! Your house has fallen and will be left in ruins! 39I speak from my heart, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes representing the Great Spirit!’”
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