Day 54: March 21

March 21st, 2024
by Randy Eliason

SCRIPTURE READING: MATTHEW 23:1-39

SCRIPTURE HIGHLIGHTS:

Vs 3 “Therefore, do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach.”

Vs 11-12 “The greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Vs. 28 “In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Vs 37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing!”

OBSERVATIONS:
The chapter is a lengthy rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees by Jesus. Jesus rebuked them for several specific corrupt behaviors but the core problem was their hypocrisy. They did not practice what they preached. Here were the specific behaviors which received a reprimand.
· They exercised a double standard. They did not do what they demanded from others.
· Their religious practices were performative. They hungered to be honored by people.
· They hindered others from Jesus (The door to the Kingdom) and rejected him as well.
· They were zealous to make converts but since they were spiritually blind their converts were led astray from the truth.
· They were strict in their practice of the Mosaic Law but they were devoid of the character qualities like mercy and justice that should have motivated their practice. They majored on minors, and minored on majors.
· They worked to maintain an appearance of righteousness rather than living righteously.
· They expressed honor to the prophets but their hearts and actions were just as evil as those who persecuted and killed the prophets.
Jesus ended his rebuke with a cry of sadness and grief that the leaders of Israel (i.e. Jerusalem) had spurned Jesus' attempts to redeem them and restore them to the Father.

APPLICATION:
It is possible to be orthodox in our beliefs about God and be diligently engaged in religious practices, spiritual disciplines, and moral behaviors without being a true Christian. Our “Christian lifestyle” can be something that is merely performative, rather than an authentic expression of a heart captivated by Jesus.

PRAYER:
Lord, help me to never fall into the trap of going through the motions spiritually. Convict me if I have become a “professional Christian” in any part of my life. Please keep my heart soft before you so that everything I say and do will flow from a genuine appreciation for what you have done for me and an authentic desire to glorify you with my life. May I live every day full of the Holy Spirit!!

Posted in Book of Matthew
Posted in Pharisees and Sadducees, Law of Moses, Redemption, Hypocrisy