Resurrection Life of Jesus Church
THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
PART 58: RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY
RLJ-1959
JOHN S. TORELL
APRIL 21, 2024
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS
Jesus knew that Monday was His last day to give a final instruction, not only to His disciples, but also to the Jewish people.
The First Covenant would cease to exist when the God-man was resurrected. Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 8:7-13
RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY
Jesus openly taught about the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. While these men taught from the Torah (five books of Moses), and the God-man implored the people to obey what they said, Jesus also explicitly stated to ignore their actions because they were hypocrites. In other words, do what they say, but ignore what they do. Matthew 23:1-4
The Pharisees and scribes liked to adorn themselves with phylacteries and over-the-top fringes on the borders of their clothes to show they had special respect for the Mosaic law and impress the common people of their holiness.1 They loved places of honor at feasts and always wanted to sit on the best seats at the synagogue. verses 5-6
The Hebrew word for “teacher” is “rabbi” and these men loved to walk around the common people and listen to the honorific title denoting their authority and competence to teach. Having people salute them in such a manner implied their superiority and they craved the praise lavished upon them. verse 7
The Pharisees sought honor from a title and then got their followers to address them by it. Jesus pointed to the Messiah as the ultimate master/teacher and stated that all men are equal. There is no superiority among Christians because we are all children of God and disciples of Jesus. We are all saved by grace through faith; there shouldn’t be any pre-eminence over each other. verse 8
Jesus was not advocating that a child should not apply the term to his biological father. What He meant was that no man should be called “father” by a group of people. That designation is reserved for God alone because it denotes authority and Christians are equal.2 verse 9
The rabbis liked to be in charge; they inherently enjoyed the preeminence of directing and controlling the masses. Jesus again asserted His dominance as the Messiah. verse 10
God will exalt the humble. Therefore, any person who wants to be great, should also be a servant to others. Any proud person that entertains too high an opinion of themselves will be chastened by God. verses 11-12; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6
FALSE DOCTRINES
Matthew records how Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees. The God-man laid bare their false doctrines concerning the Messiah because they tried to convince the common people that the Son of God was an imposter, and thus preventing many from becoming followers of Jesus. Matthew 23:13
Luke stated that they had taken away the key of knowledge, inferring they had misinterpreted the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah and done all they could to prevent the common people from receiving the Redeemer. Luke 11:52
DEVOURING WIDOWS
The Pharisees claimed to be Mosaic law scholars, and for all intents and purposes, they were devout men, but Jesus rebuked their taking advantage of widows. There were few opportunities for women and they were relegated to the role of housewives. When the husband died, it was difficult for the widow to keep the property since taxes had to be paid and not all homes were owned outright. Widows saw the Pharisees as guardians, men whom they could trust, only to lose their property as these “holy men” systematically defrauded them. Matthew 23:14a
On top of that, the Pharisees made lengthy prayers, multiple hours long, ostensibly for the benefit of the widows in return for their substance. There is nothing wrong with long prayers, but Jesus condemned the manipulative intent behind them. verse 14b
Jesus promised a harsh punishment for these evil men. verse 14c
RECRUITMENT METHODS
Pharisees traveled all over the Roman Empire seeking Gentiles who could be converted to Judaism. A proselyte was a convert from a foreign nation, religion, or sect. Given that most of the Israelites subscribed to their doctrine, they left no stone unturned in the effort to increase their numbers. verse 15a
To be a “child of hell” meant the Pharisees were excessively wicked and deserved the Lake of Fire. Jesus claimed their converts were twice as evil and they too rejected the Messiah. verse 15b
1. Phylacteries (Hebrew: tefillin) are a set of small black leather boxes fastened to the head and left arm with leather straps. They contain small scrolls of parchment, inscribed with verses from the Torah. The one worn on the front of the head is smaller, than the one worn on the left arm. This custom is based upon Deuteronomy11:18. The Pharisees believed that when they walked or moved their arms, the scrolls moving inside the boxes automatically sent prayers to God.
A tallit is a fringed garment worn as a prayer shawl. It has special twined and knotted fringes.
2. This means it is blasphemy when a Roman Catholic refers to a priest as “father.”
Remember, it’s not so important how you begin your life after salvation, but how you finish it!
Do you have an ear to hear with?
