FEBRUARY 2 READING…Matthew 23
You can call Matthew 23 the chapter of great warning to religious leaders who do not faithfully follow God and His commandments. They are just religious, and in being so they use their trusted position to abuse the people of God. Just think of how you would respond if someone you trusted hurt your children, or grandchildren. What would be your reaction? What would you do to bring them to justice? It is one thing for people to be corrupt on their own..but when they hurt the innocent, then they have gone too far, and must be brought to accountability. People expect their Pastor, to faithfully follow the Lord and serve His people. They expect their Pastor to live the things that God has commanded. They come to their Pastor believing that he will righty teach them about the Lord, and the things of the Lord. Sadly, in every generation there are religious con-men using and abusing God’s people. What will the Lord do to these lost abuser’s of people’s souls?
Jesus use the word “woe” toward the Pharisees and Sadducees, as an expression of both deep anger, and impending judgment upon them. What would bring the Lord to this point? Look at what Jesus pointed out in our reading. They tell people to observe the things of God, while not doing it themselves. They make following the Lord difficult and burdensome. They do their “good works” to be seen by others. They love their titles, and seats of prominence in the church. They actually have missed heaven, and shut it up for others with their false teachings. They are hypocrites. They do not lead people to the Lord, but they do what they do to get people to follow them…again causing people to miss salvation. They warp and pervert the word of God. The boast of their piety, their tithing, and their keeping the law…mostly to impress others. These things, and more, caused Jesus to stand against the religious then, and those like them today. Jesus describes this kind of Pastors (religious leaders) as…whitewashed tombs filled with dead men’s bones, and vipers. Jesus pronounces judgement on them and their followers. Our reading ends with Jesus weeping over Jerusalem and its lost condition. I believe Jesus weeps over our country and it’s lost condition…and I believe Jesus will bring judgement upon the hypocritical religious leaders today who are leading people astray.
Please share your thoughts from today’s reading.
TOMORROW'S READING…Matthew 24
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