Woe To You Scribes And Pharisees - Part 12
Jesus called them hypocrites. The term “brood of vipers” was not meant to hide anything. They were like venomous snakes, preying upon the people.
Woe To You Scribes And Pharisees - Part 12
When cleanliness is filthy.
As Jesus railed against the greedy and corrupt spiritual leaders of His day, He pointed out the fatal error of their hypocrisy.
Matthew 23:25
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.”
If you know anything about the Jewish religious rituals, you might know how important it was to clean things. This was particularly important when it came to cups and plates. There were countless laws about how and when to wash utensils.
Jesus knew all about these laws. He also knew that it didn’t matter how often you washed a cup or how hard you scrubbed the outside of it. If the inside was still dirty, the sparkling-clean outside didn’t matter. It was just for show.
The cup, Jesus said, was just like these fake leaders. They dressed themselves up in expensive robes, wore fancy adornments and made themselves into quite a spectacle. But, they were masking the truth that lay inside their hearts. They looked spiritual, acted spiritual, used spiritual words and said spiritual things but it was all a sham. Inside, they were unchanged, uncaring, greedy, corrupt thieves taking advantage of the weak.
Jesus called them hypocrites. The term “brood of vipers” was not meant to hide anything. They were like venomous snakes, preying upon the people for personal gain and self importance.
God does not want pretenders. He is offended by pretense, showiness and fake spirituality. What is important to God is your heart.
When the heart is bad the mind and body follow its lead. Clean the heart and the rest will become beautiful on its own. That’s what God is after.
Psalms 51:17
“A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
