Jesus Condemns the Religious Leaders

Scripture: Matthew 23:13-36(NIV)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. “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. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. “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. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “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. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 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.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started! “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 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. 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. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

Devotional

Several years ago I did a sermon series on becoming an authentic follower of Jesus. As part of it, I took a video camera to southern Indiana to interview my sister-in-law, Martha FrizLanger (yep, the author of our daily poems). The backdrop of one of those sessions was the local cemetery, filled with people who had died, some with peace, some with turmoil, some with satisfaction, some with regret.

We passed through the tombstones, where people were buried six feet under. We then entered a section of mausoleums, where people were buried six feet above. We dialogued together, wondering whether the deceased had a happy marriage, a content family, a vibrant faith. We speculated about whether they were committed followers of Jesus, or just church-going people, or folks who didn’t believe in Jesus at all. Then, Martha connected this with the topic of our series, saying:

“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.” Jesus said this to point out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Martha quoted it to address the hypocrisy in our own lives.

It is troubling to be compared to a whitewashed tomb, but it is so easy to become one. The outside is what everybody sees, so we spend enormous time and money on it. The inside is what God sees, and too often we neglect it.

Think about it. What are some of the skeletons in the closet of your life? What are some of the ways that are unholy and unclean before a righteous God? In what ways does the stink of the inside not match the polish of the outside? What will you do about it?

Poem

Impressed?

What impresses me?
Tall Towers of Babel?
Flowery Eloquence of Fools?
Great Homes which will Crumble?
Rich Cloth covering Leprosy?
The Power of Deception?
Strong Muscles of a Mortal?
Endurance of the Marathoner?
Degrees and Pedigrees?

What impresses me.
Chief Cornerstone called Jesus.
Simplicity of Truth.
Foundations of Eternity.
White Garment of Righteousness.
Humility of Incarnation.
Strength of God's Promises.
Endurance of God's Love.
Wisdom of the Ages.

Podcast: Week 41

Sermon: Week 41

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