Full of Hypocrisy

Day 35: Matthew 23:13-39

“So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” - ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23:28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There are really two things at play in this life:

1) Who we are.

2) What we do.

Jesus calls these religious “leaders” hypocrites. Matthew uses the Greek word hypokritēs; it can also be translated as “pretenders.”

What they were doing was coming from a place of fraudulence. This should be one of our greatest fears as Christians. It is the danger that what we are doing becomes more and more distant from who we are becoming.

Want to be a more devoted follower of Jesus? Want transformation to take place in your life? Let God do what He has always wanted to accomplish. Allow Him to transform you internally so that your obedience to Him can flow freely.

Pursue first.

Walk by faith second.

Be amazed at what God can do in your life today and every day from here on out.

SIDE NOTE ABOUT THE WHITEWASHED TOMBS:

“Tombs were whitewashed regularly at festival time to ensure that passers-by did not inadvertently touch them and so become defiled (Mishnah Shekalim 1:1; cf. Ma‘aser Sheni 5:1). This custom is generally assumed to be the background to Jesus’ words, but that whitewashing was not a mark of beauty but rather a warning of uncleanness, repulsive rather than attractive.” - France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 332). InterVarsity Press.