"Modern Day Hypocrites"
Bible Reading: Matthew 23, Luke 20-21
Discussion
The Greeks had a word for those that would perform in the theater as actors pretending to be something they were not; the word was hypocrite. In Matthew 23, Jesus begins to be very critical of the Pharisees because they are simply just pretending to be something they are not. Notice the harshness of Jesus' rebuke. righteous to others"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So, you also outwardly appear ,but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23. 25-28) Sadly, we don't have to be a Pharisee to fall into this rebuke. Today, many of us within the church are doing a pretty good job at pretending to be something we are not. Social media has provided for us a platform in which we can ensure we give off the identity we want others to see. To the outside world we want others to see only the good that we have, while at the same time trying to hide all the ugly things we have within our lives. In a sense, we can become no better than the Pharisees in that we only want people to see what we pretend to be, never revealing that we are still full of dead men's bones. The advice Jesus gives to these Pharisees is still revealing for us today. First clean up the inside, then the outside will follow!
Discussion
The Greeks had a word for those that would perform in the theater as actors pretending to be something they were not; the word was hypocrite. In Matthew 23, Jesus begins to be very critical of the Pharisees because they are simply just pretending to be something they are not. Notice the harshness of Jesus' rebuke. righteous to others"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So, you also outwardly appear ,but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (Matthew 23. 25-28) Sadly, we don't have to be a Pharisee to fall into this rebuke. Today, many of us within the church are doing a pretty good job at pretending to be something we are not. Social media has provided for us a platform in which we can ensure we give off the identity we want others to see. To the outside world we want others to see only the good that we have, while at the same time trying to hide all the ugly things we have within our lives. In a sense, we can become no better than the Pharisees in that we only want people to see what we pretend to be, never revealing that we are still full of dead men's bones. The advice Jesus gives to these Pharisees is still revealing for us today. First clean up the inside, then the outside will follow!
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