Mat 23:1-39
Then spake Jesus to
the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying,
The scribes and the
Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe,
that observe and do; but do NOT ye after their works:
for they SAY, and DO
NOT.
For they bind heavy
burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they
themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
But all their works
they do for to be seen of men:
they make broad
their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the
uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be
called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
But be not ye called
Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
And call no man your
father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
Neither be ye called
masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
But he that is
greatest among you shall be your servant.
And whosoever shall
exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be
exalted.
But woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against
men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering
to go in.
Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a
pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one
proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than
yourselves.
Woe unto you, ye
BLIND guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing;
but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
Ye fools and BLIND:
for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
And, Whosoever shall
swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is
upon it, he is guilty.
Ye fools and BLIND:
for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Whoso therefore
shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
And whoso shall
swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
And he that shall
swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth
thereon.
Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and
cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and
faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Ye BLIND guides,
which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and
of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Thou blind Pharisee,
cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of
them may be clean also.
Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres,
which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones,
and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also
outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity.
Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets,
and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the
days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of
the prophets.
Wherefore ye be
witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the
prophets.
Fill ye up then the
measure of your fathers.
Ye serpents, ye
generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Wherefore, behold, I
send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall
kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and
persecute them from city to city: That
upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood
of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew
between the temple and the altar.
Verily I say unto
you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto
thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen
gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Behold, your house
is left unto you desolate. For I say
unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord.
*******
Imagine this taking
place, imagine Jesus talking to the MULTITUDES and His Disciples, speaking out
so harshly against the established RULERS of their people. There were the very
powerful, important men who gave them their laws, their rules and established
their way of life. These men did indeed put burdens upon people. These men did
establish followers of their ways, not God's. These men abused their positions
horrifically and they did it in the name of God.
These men were BLIND
fools. These men were blind to the
TRUTH. These were those who claimed to
be closest to God. They preached and taught from the scriptures all the time.
People were taught to admire these men, to revere them. Just as people today
are taught the same.
We are taught to
believe in our leaders, our rulers, our pastors, priests, ministers whoever
they may be. We assume they know the truth and are sincere about wanting to
teach the truth but that's NOT always the case. We are accountable for
following those we choose t follow. If you are following a deceptive liar you
are accountable for that. We are to ONLY truly follow our Gods- The Father, The
Son, The Holy Spirit, and no other, no man.
More on this
tomorrow. Our Savior gave these admonitions for a reason and they are very
applicable for us today.
Please Father,
please help us to understand to know Your truth, Your love in all things!
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