Matthew 23:25, 26 - Relationship, Not Religion.
Matthew 23:25, 26 (NIV) "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.
Matthew 23:25, 26 (NLT) What sorrow
awaits you teachers of religious law and you
Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean
the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside
you are filthy"full of greed and
self-indulgence! 26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside
of the cup and the dish, and then the outside
will become clean, too.
WORD STUDY
The Pharisees' focus on external issues lay
at the heart of their error. Who would want to
drink from a cup that had been washed on the
outside but was still filthy inside? Yet the
Pharisees lived their lives as if external appearance
were more important than internal reality. That
was the very essence of their hypocrisy, and
Jesus rebuked them for it repeatedly. [MacArthur
Daily Bible 2003]
Hypocrisy is knowing the truth but not
obeying it. Jesus repeatedly exposed the
hypocritical attitudes of the religious leaders. They
knew the Scriptures but did not live by them.
They didnt care about being holy - just
looking holy in order to receive the peoples
admiration and praise. Today, like the Pharisees, many
people who know the Bible do not let it change
their lives. They say they follow Jesus, but they
dont live by his standards of love. People who
live this way are hypocrites. We must make sure
that our actions match our beliefs. [Life
Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
What's the first word that pops into your
head when you think about Jesus? You may think:
kind, loving, God, Savior, good, powerful, mighty.
Jesus is all of those things and more. Jesus
showed his kindness in many ways. He healed people
from sickness. He called little children to come
to him (Matthew 19:14). He fed thousands. He
taught people God's truth. While Jesus spoke with
amazing kindness to nearly everybody he met, there
was one group of people he spoke harshly to -
the religious leaders. When Jesus walked the
earth, many of the religious leaders put up a false
front. They tried to look holier than everybody
else, but they had hearts that were far away from
God. Jesus wanted honesty instead of showiness.
They were fake, and he called them on it. In
Matthew 23:25 Jesus said, 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." Jesus
went on to say it's imperative to clean the
inside of the cup first, then the outside will be
clean.
Obviously, Jesus wasn't talking about
"cups." He was talking about the condition of our
hearts. Many of the religious leaders in Jesus' day
were stuck being, well ... religious. Religion is
defined as "a system of faith and worship." They did
all the "right" things by praying in public,
giving money to God's work, and memorizing the
Scriptures. Many Pharisees took pride in following God's
laws. But being a Christian isn't about following
a list of dos and don'ts. It is about having a
relationship with Jesus Christ.
Instead of outward actions, Jesus is more
concerned about our inward beliefs and purity. Saying
one thing and doing another is the ultimate sign
of hypocrisy. When you say you're a Christian,
you need to act like one. Your actions should
come from a sincere heart that wants to follow
God - not from the desire of having other people
look at you and say, "What a good person."
Take a minute to honestly assess your
motivation for doing the right things: Is it to please
God, or is it to look good to the people around
you? [Case For Christ For Kids by Les Strobel]
CLOSING THOUGHT
A mere profession of godliness is worthless.
It is he that abideth in Christ that is a
Christian Unless the mind of God becomes the mind
of men, every effort to purify himself will be
useless; for it is impossible to elevate man except
through a knowledge of God. The outward gloss may be
put on, and men may be as were the Pharisees
whom Jesus describes as "whited sepulchres" full
of corruption and dead men's bones. But all the
deformity of the soul is open to Him who judgeth
righteously, and unless the truth is planted in the
heart, it cannot control the life. Cleansing the
outside of the cup will never make the vessel pure
within. A nominal acceptance of truth is good as far
as it goes, and the ability to give a reason
for our faith is a good accomplishment, but if
the truth does not go deeper than this, the soul
will never be saved. The heart must be purified
from all moral defilement (Letter 13, 1893).
7BC951
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Matthew 7:21-23 - Having A Relationship With
Jesus Is A Must!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200606-0850.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
