Every day, another scandal is created - and another scandal is revealed - among Christian leaders.
It can be discouraging.
But then I remember these people are not representing Jesus. They are only pretending to do so.
Because Jesus was crystal clear about who represented him - and who did not.
As Jesus said (recorded in Matthew 23):
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of impurity.
In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
So you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors’ sins!
They’re hard words, but it’s so encouraging to know that Jesus clearly perceived what was going on, and directly challenged this nonsense.