Matthew 23:1-30
WOW, Jesus loaded up both barrels when he lowered this scathing indictment of the Scribes and Pharisees and their hypocritical ways. It seems that all of these charges fit into one of five categories as several of them overlap. As always, it is easy for us to point our fingers at the attitudes and actions of these men, but we must be very careful because our hearts are not any different that theirs, apart from Christ. It is very easy and almost "second nature" for us to slip into these same sinful tendencies. So lets guard our hearts from these ungodly ways.
THEY PREACH WITHOUT PRACTICE: In short, they were hypocrites. They had all of the head knowledge and were quick to tell others what to do but they did not obey their own teachings. They would condemn others while doing the same thing themselves. Knowing God's Word can be very dangerous. The more we learn, the more we become responsible to apply in our own lives. "To whom much is given, much is required." As we learn more we have the tendency to teach more to others. I have found in my own life that it is much easier to learn and teach than it is to consistently apply that which I have learned.
THEY WERE PROUD IN PUBLIC: The honor and prestige that came with their titles and position became their greatest desire. Public opinion and performance were the motivating factors of their lives. They were satisfied with a surface religion but had no real relationship with God. Men many have been impressed by their charades, but God was repulsed by them, for He could see their hearts. The praise of men can be intoxicating and lead us down the precarious path of pride. God wants us to be humble, readily admit our failures and weaknesses to one another and give preference to others. Any time we receive the praise of men we must be very careful to examine, and humble our hearts in order to avoid falling into the pit of pride.
THEY PREY ON THE POOR: Widows and orphans have a special place in the heart of God, as do the lost. The Pharisees were, apparently, doing something far worse than that typical problem of turning a blind eye to the widows. They were exploiting them. It is not clear how they were doing this, but they did. Maybe they were requiring the widows to do labor for them in order to receive a meager amount of help. At any rate, is seems that the widows perished in poverty while they lived in luxury. They became a stumbling block to the lost and though it seems they made great effort to proselytize, they were more concerned with counting converts than truly loving the lost. A hard heart to the needs of the poor and the lost is a danger that each of us face. There are so many needs that we cannot possibly meet them all; so we turn to indifference and before we know it our consciences are calloused.
THEY PERVERT THEIR PROMISES: Loopholes were their specialty. It seems that they created a whole system by which they could deceive others and pretend to be able to make a promise and then be justified in not keeping it. It may look ludicrous to us, but it is yet another illustration of how easy it is to justify our own sins. Rationalization is the enemy of righteousness. We become so adept at rationalizing our own sinful attitudes or actions and then pretending that God cannot see through our facades.
THEY PERSECUTE THE PROPHETS: One the one hand, they gave honor to the proven prophets of God from the past. While, at the same time, they were persecuting the prophets of the present. It is often easy to be able to point out the sins of past generations. However, it is very hard to perceive our own sins in the present. God has always, graciously, sent men as His messengers to each generation. Their messages are not usually very popular, but they are true. We must be very careful and discerning as we listen to the messengers of our day. How often do we try to find fault with our pastors on incidental issues like style, personality or even dress so that we can feel justified in disobeying the message he brings to us from God?
THEY PREACH WITHOUT PRACTICE: In short, they were hypocrites. They had all of the head knowledge and were quick to tell others what to do but they did not obey their own teachings. They would condemn others while doing the same thing themselves. Knowing God's Word can be very dangerous. The more we learn, the more we become responsible to apply in our own lives. "To whom much is given, much is required." As we learn more we have the tendency to teach more to others. I have found in my own life that it is much easier to learn and teach than it is to consistently apply that which I have learned.
THEY WERE PROUD IN PUBLIC: The honor and prestige that came with their titles and position became their greatest desire. Public opinion and performance were the motivating factors of their lives. They were satisfied with a surface religion but had no real relationship with God. Men many have been impressed by their charades, but God was repulsed by them, for He could see their hearts. The praise of men can be intoxicating and lead us down the precarious path of pride. God wants us to be humble, readily admit our failures and weaknesses to one another and give preference to others. Any time we receive the praise of men we must be very careful to examine, and humble our hearts in order to avoid falling into the pit of pride.
THEY PREY ON THE POOR: Widows and orphans have a special place in the heart of God, as do the lost. The Pharisees were, apparently, doing something far worse than that typical problem of turning a blind eye to the widows. They were exploiting them. It is not clear how they were doing this, but they did. Maybe they were requiring the widows to do labor for them in order to receive a meager amount of help. At any rate, is seems that the widows perished in poverty while they lived in luxury. They became a stumbling block to the lost and though it seems they made great effort to proselytize, they were more concerned with counting converts than truly loving the lost. A hard heart to the needs of the poor and the lost is a danger that each of us face. There are so many needs that we cannot possibly meet them all; so we turn to indifference and before we know it our consciences are calloused.
THEY PERVERT THEIR PROMISES: Loopholes were their specialty. It seems that they created a whole system by which they could deceive others and pretend to be able to make a promise and then be justified in not keeping it. It may look ludicrous to us, but it is yet another illustration of how easy it is to justify our own sins. Rationalization is the enemy of righteousness. We become so adept at rationalizing our own sinful attitudes or actions and then pretending that God cannot see through our facades.
THEY PERSECUTE THE PROPHETS: One the one hand, they gave honor to the proven prophets of God from the past. While, at the same time, they were persecuting the prophets of the present. It is often easy to be able to point out the sins of past generations. However, it is very hard to perceive our own sins in the present. God has always, graciously, sent men as His messengers to each generation. Their messages are not usually very popular, but they are true. We must be very careful and discerning as we listen to the messengers of our day. How often do we try to find fault with our pastors on incidental issues like style, personality or even dress so that we can feel justified in disobeying the message he brings to us from God?
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