December 8, 2014 (Monday)
The quarterback releases the ball. It speeds toward the receiver, who lets it slide through his hands toward the ground behind him. Just as the ball nears the ground, the defender dives toward it, scoops it up and the referee calls it an interception. 
But, was it? No, the ball actually hit the ground as the defending back appeared to receive it. He did not. And he knows it. So, the defender walks up to the referee and reports, “Sir, the ball hit the ground before I grabbed it.” What?! No, a thousand times, no. No player is coached to do that. But it’s the right thing–honesty, and all that, right? No, no, no. What counts is the referee’s call. Whatever he says is legal. That, my friends, is what we call “Legalism,” and we hear a lot about that when we are talking about the Pharisees in the New Testament. They spent their time deciding what was legal, not what was right, morally.
Once I had a Chauffeur’s driver’s license. I thought I had to have it to drive the church bus. So I showed up at the Drivers’ License office and passed the written test. Then, I had to pass the driving test. I did not show up in the huge bus; I was taking the test in a pick-up truck. The officer said, “I don’t care what you are driving, as long as it has a Commercial license plate, which it did. 
Legalism. It passed the test of law. Logical? No. I was going to drive a big bus full of people. Legal? Yes. Legalism. Translate that situation in to moral dilemmas faced by the people and you have the situation Jesus faced with the Pharisees. Legalism. Right or wrong? Who cares. What is legal is what matters. Jesus saw it differently. Honesty, fairness, compassion–these kinds of things were important to Him, legal or not.
What I have just described is the crux of the matter in Jesus’ conflict with the religious leaders of His day, and it led to His crucifixion.
In our hearts we know what is right and what is wrong, and that’s what matters to God, regardless of what is legal. It’s time we ‘fessed up to the ref’.
Oh, yes, the play was reviewed and the referee changed his call. Some day we shall give an account of ourselves to the Lord. On that day, the truth will be known. Our “plays” will be reviewed.