The scribes and Pharisees had been regarded as the best in
terms of piety, education, and wisdom.
However, in Matthew 23:13-29, Jesus called them “blind” five times and
“hypocrites” seven times. His final denunciation also described them as blind
hypocrites:
·
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the
righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not
have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you
witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the
prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood
of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you
prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and
some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,”
(Matthew 23:29-34)
Why did Jesus call them “hypocrites?”
·
They had honored the martyred prophets by
building them tombs.
·
They claimed that they would never kill the
prophets.
·
But, this was the very thing they had been doing
and would do to Jesus.
How could they have been so blind to their hypocrisy? The
deceptive power of sin, an abomination before God:
·
And he [Jesus] said to them, “You are those who
justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted
among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15)
Why an abomination?” It is a refusal to come the truths of
God’s light and a rejection by His creation to love their Creator.
What then does God expect of His children? In His prayer to
the Father, Jesus gave us a preview of
how He felt about His beloved but stumbling disciples:
·
“…they have kept your word. Now they know that
everything that you have given me is from you. For I have given them the words
that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that
I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.” (John 17:6–8)
They had believed and had kept His Word. However, as our eye sees, it seems that they had consistently failed. Nevertheless, out Lord saw something else in them, and what He saw made all the difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment