Text: Matthew 23:23-32
Theme: Hypocrite Religion
Greetings: The Lord is good and his love endures forever!
Introduction:
Today, we would meditate and understand what doesn’t mean hypocrisy, and how Pharisees and scribes were hypocrites, and where we stand in our spiritual life.
Matthew 23 has Eight Woes of the religious leaders in contrast to the eight beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-11.
The eight woes are recorded in Matthew 23:13-33
The eight woes are addressed to the teachers of the law and Pharisees. Woes for keeping people out of the kingdom of heaven; for teaching their converts the same hypocrisy that they themselves practiced; for blindness; for their hypocrisy in the practice of tithing; for scrupulously cleaned on the outside but left dirty inside; for looking beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead; and for Jesus knew their evil hearts.
V.13-15: Three woes on Hypocrisy in religiosity
V. 16-22: one woe on Hypocrisy in surety
V. 23-24: one woe Hypocrisy in charity
V. 25-28: two woes are on Hypocrisy in purity
V. 29-32: one on Hypocrisy in ethicality
Jesus spoke harshly not of personal irritation but of divine warning and condemnation. “Such series of ‘woes’ are familiar in Old Testament prophetical texts (Isaiah 5:8-23, Habakkuk 2:6-19).
I would like to leave with you three qualities of hypocritical religious marks:
Preaching without practise (Matthew 23:1-4)
Publicity without simplicity (Matthew 23:5)
Praises of men without reality (Matthew 23:6-7)
1. Preaching without practise (23:1-4)
The word Hypocrites comes from the Greek: hupokrites. It is split as hupó = under, indicating secrecy, and krino = to judge. It describes the one who acts pretentiously, a counterfeit, a man who assumes and speaks or acts under a feigned character.
In 536 B.C, Thespis introduced an individual who replied to the chorus (a group of male dancers and singers) during the festival of Dionysius held every spring in Athens. This individual wore a mask and was called the hupokrites. It primarily refers to a stage-actor. A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something which he or she is not. In spiritual life it refers to an estranged godless life away from God, and living with negative ethical implications.
In Jewish thinking “a hupokrites is an ungodly man, an ungodly man is a hupokrites”
Jewish Religious Leaders were the Great Pretenders! Prior to Jesus’ condemnation of the religious hypocrites, they followed him try to trick Him with questions about divorce (Matthew 19:3), about His authority (Matthew 21:23), about paying taxes to Caesar (Matthew 22:17), about the resurrection (Matthew 22:23), and about the greatest commandment of the law (Matthew 22: 36).
Voltaire stated that we ought to judge a person by his questions rather than his answers.
The scribes and Pharisees did many things that are not right. They are leaders and have all the knowledge at those times, but they do a lot of damage to the people. Jesus pronounced the above eight woes on the religious leaders of His day. They preached without practise.
He called them blind guides (Matthew 23:16), snakes and brood of vipers (23:33). We are called to practice true godliness, sincere love, and enduring faith.
Doing long prayers at the houses to impress people (Matthew 23:14). They are good proselytes and not good practitioners. (Matthew 23:15). They are the blind people and leading the blinds (Matthew 23:16-22). In those days, traditions played a big role and controlled the people; it was not the Scripture that controlled them, but the tradition.
“God appointed the Jews to make borders or fringes upon their garments (Numbers 15:38), to distinguish them from other nations, and to be a memorandum to them of their being a peculiar people; but Pharisees were not content so had a larger than ordinary, to answer their design of making themselves to be taken notice of; as if they were more religious than others.”(Matthew Henry).
2. Publicity without simplicity (23:5)
The Pharisees and scribes were interested on publicity for a simple things. Like some religious leaders look for publicity for every small act of charity.
They practiced tithe mint and dill and cumin but have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. Convenient theology, selective religious practices (Matthew 23:23).
This verse lets us know that even though you choose to do small things that people don’t need to see, you make it significant to be known because of the aroma (even when you choose to do small things, you choose them such that people will notice you).
Because you choose to do small things, you pick the things that you do not need to invest your time to do, but they look big because of the smell and the aroma. People walking by can smell them, but actually, you did nothing significant.
They observed smaller duties, but omitted greater. They avoided lesser sins, but committed greater (Matthew 23:24). Pharisees were seeking places of honour among the community, title of honour among the community.
They are also the spiritual sons of Satan: those who reject and defy God and His Son (John 8:43–44).
3. Praises of men without reality (23:6-7).
They are compared to a vessel that is clean washed on the outside, but all dirt within (Matthew 23:25, 26);
To a whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness (Matthew 23:27).
This was an idiom for hypocrisy—just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be.
They appeared outwardly righteous to men, but inwardly they are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. There was a continuity of enmity, hypocrisy, duplicity. External motives and inducements may keep the outside clean, while the inside is filthy;
but if renewing, sanctifying grace make clean the inside that will have an influence upon the outside, for the commanding principle is within. The Lord looks inside the heart and mind. In the church people walk in beautiful dresses inwardly unclean.
This call to accountability speaks to a contemporary issue of hypocrisy within the church, reminding believers to embrace genuine faith and avoid the pitfalls of performative piety.
Living authentically in accordance with the teachings of Christ is crucial to fulfilling our calling as His followers. Jesus' strong condemnation of the leaders highlights the danger of allowing external appearances to overshadow true internal transformation, aligning with the biblical principle that God desires truth within our hearts (Psalm 51:6).
They pretended a deal of kindness for the memory of the prophets that were dead and gone, while they hated and persecuted those that were present with them. It was the blackest part of their character. God is jealous for his honour in his laws and ordinances, and resents it if they be profaned and abused; but he has often expressed an equal jealousy for his honour in his prophets and ministers, and resents it worse if they be wronged and persecuted.
But now they honoured the relics of the prophets, they built their tombs, and garnished their sepulchres. He essentially declares that they are compounding their collective guilt by continuing a pattern of rejecting and persecuting those sent by God, particularly pointing to their ancestors who had slain the prophets.
It's extremely common for people to look at prior generations and state ‘if I were there, I would not have made that mistake’. In this way, we deny that human nature is to be as sinful and blind as those who rejected Jesus in the first place. We sin according to our times. Jesus pointed out their hard-hearted rebellion against God, they become participants in the same crimes as their forefathers.
Conclusion:
Practice before preach
Simplicity without publicity
Be real.
