#3 The Rich Man’s Question – Outwardly Pious

The description of the people of Ezekiel 8 is outwardly pious, inwardly insolent. The incorporation of other gods into the Temple gave God reason to condemn Jerusalem. We look at that chapter and say the text lists the examples backward. How could waving a branch be worse than idol worship? Bowing to the east does seem trivial in comparison.

Accepting another culture’s trivial description of God dilutes understanding of who he is. It lets us think of him as “all the others.” He could not pay close attention. Therefore, secret sins were acceptable, as long as they remained hidden. The people of Jerusalem believed the incorporation of outside religious beliefs was insignificant as long as the leaders met the national traditions.

As bad as the abominations seemed to Ezekiel or us, they paled in comparison to what God considered the worst sins. No one held their friends accountable. The leaders were deceitful and taught injustice, not faithfulness. Oppression and violence were common inside Jerusalem. Self-centered reasoning justified wickedness. The majority of the population no longer knew the difference between good and evil. Because of this, they no longer worshiped God as singular. He was simply one among many, significant only because their city held his Temple. The people dismissed loyalty by adding one trivial custom at a time.

And, the leaders held themselves above it all, religiously pious and outwardly clean. Jesus saw similar sins in the religious elite of His day. He knew their actions dictated the same outcome. Like Ezekiel, Jesus grieved for the city that would soon die.