In The Word
Read: Matthew 23:23-39
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he 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.