Briefing: Have you ever gone home at the end of your shift thinking that our society has reached an all-time low? Have you come to the place where you think most people are just bad all the time?

Dispatch (Assignment): How do you measure how good of a person you are? Read Matthew 15:1-20.

On the Street: Are you a good person? By whose standards do you judge yourself? Who is your measuring rod?

In the Jewish system, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were not only the religious leaders but the lawyers and politicians. They were the heads of the Jewish government as well as the religious system. These were not just the big wigs but the big wigs from the capital city of Jerusalem.

The ultimate Jewish officials were coming down to the smaller town to deal with Jesus. Can you imagine the egos that were present when they arrived? They would be looking down their noses at Jesus and His disciples. They were there to observe and listen, hoping to catch them violating any kind of Jewish law.

They find what they believe is a flaw and confront Jesus. I wonder how long they had to follow Him before they thought they had something? I’m sure they thought they had Jesus cornered like a little kitten, only to discover the Lion of Judah. Jesus responds by telling these leaders of their law breaking. The difference is that the Pharisees and the chief priest were breaking God’s law. Man can be held to God’s law but God can’t be held to man’s law. It’s a chain of command issue.

We can’t get caught up in this way of thinking. We, as law enforcement, are especially susceptible to looking at the criminals we deal with and think that we are better than them. This is flawed thinking and is exactly what Satan wants us to do.

If you insist on comparing yourself to someone, try comparing yourself to Jesus. That is how much we fall short of getting into heaven by ourselves.

Highlights from this Read: The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were from Jerusalem. These were the Big Dogs! They were called in to find fault with Jesus. The Pharisees and chief priests are the weeds of Matthew 13:24-30. They will try one more time to stump Jesus in Matthew 26:59-60. The Pharisees probably don’t realize it but Isaiah spoke of them in Isaiah 29:13.

Investigational Resources: Zechariah 10:2-4 is where we learn what is meant by bad shepherds. Isaiah 29:13 is the verse that Jesus quotes in verses 8 and 9. Also see Mark 7:1-23.

Officer Safety Principle: The only way for us to be clean is by being covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.

from The Gospel of Matthew Through the Eyes of a Cop
©by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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