Before we explore what Jesus is saying in these verses,

There are three issues that need to be addressed
First:
- belonging to a church family can sometimes be devastating
• I’ve met people whose first real family was their church
◦ it became their lifeline, until one day it fractured
◦ an angry and hostile faction split the church
• those on sidelines were so disillusioned, and so hurt,
◦ they never ventured into another church
◦ their church became their second destructive and dysfunctional family
- a similar sadness occurs when we discover a particular religious leader’s true colors,
• when the mask comes off and the real person is exposed
◦ maybe they were with us during a difficult time,
◦ maybe they quoted scripture and prayed with us
but now we see them for what they are