"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
— Mahatma Gandhi
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One thing I’ve come to see in my years is that for some people, choosing a “religious” path doesn’t always lead to a truly godly life. Gandhi’s observation showed the chasm he saw between Jesus' teachings and the actions of some professed Christians.
And here, I use the word “religious” to make a distinction. It’s not about a sincere journey toward God but about a performance of belief, often focused on outward appearances. These folks may be quick to preach or make their faith visible in public, but when it comes to a deeper, genuine reflection of Jesus in their hearts, the connection sometimes seems distant. It’s as if the soul of their faith is missing, buried under rituals and routines that only scratch the surface.
This realization has been hard for me over the years because I find such joy and strength in the company of genuinely spiritual people. But it’s also a reality that’s hard to escape worldly values, the lure of possessions, and the need to appear outwardly “religious” can overshadow the simple, inward pull to follow Jesus authentically. It’s tempting to fall into that, to let a show of piety take the place of real, humble spirituality. We might laugh at or pity the Pharisees from Jesus' time — that group so devoted to looking the part but missing the important aspect. But, if we’re honest, there are shades of those same Pharisees in each of us.
Their story is a cautionary one. On the outside, they were models of observance, spotless and upright, but Jesus saw them as "whitewashed graves," bright on the surface but empty within. It’s humbling, isn’t it? It’s a reminder to pause and really look within. When was the last time we each took a good, honest look at our lives considering what Jesus taught? That’s a challenging task — it means carving out time to put away religious literature and go to the source, to read the Gospels slowly, to sit with them, to meditate on their true meaning, and to ask ourselves if we’re truly following Jesus or just the appearance of him. We may be surprised by what we find, and hopefully, inspired to live with a renewed, inward authenticity.
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