In The Word
Read: Matthew 23:23-39
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guiltof your fathers. 33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?
34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Grieving over Jerusalem
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Our Lord continued with His discussion of the established leadership. He called them hypocrites, serpents, and brood of vipers. These are strong words used by our Savior. The leadership was more concerned with how they looked in the eyes of man instead of how they looked in the eyes of God. They followed some of the teachings of God’s Word but neglected other principles of God’s Word; this made them hypocrites. We, too, must be careful to not only follow part of God’s Word but all of it. I have watched many people be up in arms about one aspect of God’s Word, but I would have knowledge of how they neglected other parts of that same Word. When someone does this, it actually blinds them from the truth. In their eyes, they are doing well because of one area of obedience. But in their pride, they can’t see how God views them. God doesn’t just see the outward expressions of obedience but the inward motive and condition of the heart. We must deal with all aspects of God’s truth, starting with our heart and ending with our outward expressions. When we walk in deception of our true condition, we end up leading people down the same road. Our lives end up poisoning others with false hope and death instead of healing and life.
You know how you look in your own eyes, but do you know how you are viewed in His? Look with your eyes into the whole Word of God and see how He sees. If you are willing, He will help you.