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Never Have the Pharisees as Your Example
Zee Official Writer
1205Matthew 23:25
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Bible reading for a year: [bible]matth23:1-36[/bible]; [bible]0luke18:9-14[/bible]; [bible]matth6:5-15[/bible]
Do you remember the Pharisees? They have such a unique hobby, which they try Jesus with their questions and statements that are full of judgments toward other people: “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” (Mark 2:24), “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” (Mark 7:5), they even put judgments upon Jesus Christ Himself, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” (John 9:16), “If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:39)
Our Lord, Jesus Christ, referred to the Pharisees as the hypocrites because they always wanted respect from their people, and they always wanted to look good and holier in front of people. Yet they also always put judgments and dishonors towards other people. Just like what Jesus had said that the Pharisees are like cups and dishes that seem clean on the outside, but full of greed and self-indulgence in the inside. They sought audience when they prayed or did some good deeds so people saw them as obedient, whilst what they were doing were far from their exaggerated spiritual acts.
Dear brothers and sisters, as the true people of God, we should not take the Pharisees as examples. Is it appropriate if we sing loudly to God with our greatest power, whereas we use the same voice and strength to judge and underestimate others? Is it appropriate if we use our hands to worship God, but with the same hands we hurt people around us?
There are two main principles that God has mentioned: The first is for us to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all our minds and with all our strengths, and the second is for us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). Therefore, let us, in our praise and worship to God, stop judging others like what the Pharisees had been doing, but let us start spreading love through our good deeds. That way, the Kingdom of God will be rejoiced.
Use your tongue and hands to praise and worship God by giving thanks and spreading good deeds.
