a 365 day trip through Matthew with a key thought, prayer, focus verse and contextual verses for each day
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Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem. They asked him, “Why don’t your followers obey the unwritten laws which have been handed down to us? They don’t wash their hands before they eat.” Jesus answered, “And why do you refuse to obey God’s command so that you can follow your own teachings? ... You are hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he said about you: ‘These people show honor to me with words, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is worthless. The things they teach are nothing but human rules.’ ” ... Then his followers came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees are angry because of what you said?” Jesus answered, “Every plant that my Father in heaven has not planted himself will be pulled up by the roots. Stay away from the Pharisees; they are blind leaders. And if a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a ditch.” (NCV)
Matt. 12:1-14
Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to the place where John was baptizing people. When John saw them, he said, “You are all snakes! Who warned you to run away from God’s coming punishment? Do the things that show you really have changed your hearts and lives. (NCV)
Matt. 3:7-8
“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” (NIV)
Matt. 21:34-39 |
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November 3
How Terrible! (7) - Matthew 23:29-32
How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets, and you show honor to the graves of those who lived good lives. You say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped them kill the prophets.’ But you give proof that you are children of those who murdered the prophets. And you will complete the sin that your ancestors started.
Full Text
Key Thought
The Pharisees were the leaders seeking to honor Israel's great prophets of old. They helped erect monuments and place decorations at the tombs of the prophets of old. By their outward actions, they wanted to signify that they held the prophetic tradition in high regard and sought to live by the prophets teachings. But Jesus challenges this assumption, once again on the basis of their outward actions that betrayed an inward reality.
Jesus rebuked them and insisted that rather than honoring the teaching and spirit of the great prophets, they will complete the work their fathers did in persecuting and executing the prophets. Of course this will be most clearly demonstrated in their rejection of Jesus, who was not only God's servant and a prophet, but was also God's Son.
The challenge for us who live so many years after Jesus' life is to ask ourselves are we the people who would really welcome Jesus into our presence and our churches, or would we reject him like much of the religious bureaucracy of his day?
Today's Prayer
Almighty and holy God, it makes my blood run cold to see those who were so rigorous in their pursuit of religion living in violation of what they pursued. O Father, I don't want to be the like the Pharisees, all show and no substance, much talk and little truth. Please help me purge from my heart the duplicity and deceit that Satan would like to use to turn me away from you and blunt my influence for your. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses with Jesus
(key verses in bold)
13 “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to
enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter,
and you stop others who are trying to enter. 14-15 “How
terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are
hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to find one person
who will change to your ways. When you find that person, you
make him more fit for hell than you are.
16 “How terrible for you! You guide the people, but you
are blind. You say, ‘If people swear by the Temple when
they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by
the gold that is in the Temple, they must keep that promise.’
17 You are blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the Temple
that makes that gold holy? 18 And you say, ‘If people swear
by the altar when they make a promise, that means nothing. But
if they swear by the gift on the altar, they must keep that
promise.’ 19 You are blind! Which is greater: the gift or
the altar that makes the gift holy? 20 The person who swears by
the altar is really using the altar and also everything on the
altar. 21 And the person who swears by the Temple is really
using the Temple and also everything in the Temple. 22 The
person who swears by heaven is also using God’s throne and
the One who sits on that throne.
23 “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give to God one-tenth of
everything you earn—even your mint, dill, and cumin. But
you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—justice,
mercy, and being loyal. These are the things you should do, as
well as those other things. 24 You guide the people, but you are
blind! You are like a person who picks a fly out of a drink and
then swallows a camel!
25 “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash the outside of your cups
and dishes, but inside they are full of things you got by
cheating others and by pleasing only yourselves. 26 Pharisees,
you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean, and then
the outside of the cup can be truly clean.
27 “How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are
painted white. Outside, those tombs look fine, but inside, they
are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of unclean
things. 28 It is the same with you. People look at you and think
you are good, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and
evil. Top of Page
29 “How terrible for you,
teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build
tombs for the prophets, and you show honor to the graves of those
who lived good lives. 30 You say, ‘If we had lived during the
time of our ancestors, we would not have helped them kill the
prophets.’ 31 But you give proof that you are children of
those who murdered the prophets. 32 And you will complete the sin
that your ancestors started.
(NCV) The New Century Version, (Dallas, Texas:
Word Publishing) 1987, 1988, 1991.
Used by permission.
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