The 'Green' Pharisee
Nov/30/2009 16:23
In light of the recent Climategate email leaks, the Sunday Times Online ran an article about the Hollywood elite lecturing the world about their carbon footprints, lifting the lid to expose the Pharisees of Green. In true Sunday Times form, they left no stone unturned, no jet manifest unscrutinized, no hypocritical detail interned to expose the eco-hypocrites.
“There was Sheryl Crow, who had called upon the public to refrain from using more than one square of toilet paper per visit... It was revealed that while Crow travelled in a biodiesel tour bus, her 30-person entourage followed in a fleet of 13 gas-guzzling vehicles.”
“John Travolta notoriously encouraged the British public to do its bit to fight global warming — after flying into London on one of his five, yes, five private jets (one of which is a Boeing 707). In 2006 his piloting hobby produced an estimated 800 tons of carbon emissions, more than a hundred times the output of the average Briton, according to the Carbon Trust.”
“Jennifer Aniston told reporters that to save the Earth’s precious water resources she brushes her teeth while in the shower. But she also flew a hairdresser to Europe to accompany her on a recent publicity tour for the film Marley & Me.”
As I was reading the article it reminded me of Jesus’ words to the religious hypocrites during his earthly ministry:
The sad irony is, in one way or another we’re all hypocrites desperate for God’s grace through Jesus Christ. As Christians however that doesn’t give us a pass on hypocrisy. As Jesus taught, it is our job to first squeeze out the hypocrisy in our lives so that we can speak into the lives of others. A lesson apparently our Hollywood schoolmarms have not learned:
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Thank you Jesus for your continual, living reminder to first rid ourselves of hypocrisy before speaking to others. It just looks bad when we don’t.
“There was Sheryl Crow, who had called upon the public to refrain from using more than one square of toilet paper per visit... It was revealed that while Crow travelled in a biodiesel tour bus, her 30-person entourage followed in a fleet of 13 gas-guzzling vehicles.”
“John Travolta notoriously encouraged the British public to do its bit to fight global warming — after flying into London on one of his five, yes, five private jets (one of which is a Boeing 707). In 2006 his piloting hobby produced an estimated 800 tons of carbon emissions, more than a hundred times the output of the average Briton, according to the Carbon Trust.”
“Jennifer Aniston told reporters that to save the Earth’s precious water resources she brushes her teeth while in the shower. But she also flew a hairdresser to Europe to accompany her on a recent publicity tour for the film Marley & Me.”
As I was reading the article it reminded me of Jesus’ words to the religious hypocrites during his earthly ministry:
“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’”
The sad irony is, in one way or another we’re all hypocrites desperate for God’s grace through Jesus Christ. As Christians however that doesn’t give us a pass on hypocrisy. As Jesus taught, it is our job to first squeeze out the hypocrisy in our lives so that we can speak into the lives of others. A lesson apparently our Hollywood schoolmarms have not learned:
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”
Thank you Jesus for your continual, living reminder to first rid ourselves of hypocrisy before speaking to others. It just looks bad when we don’t.
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