Chronological Gospels: Matthew 23

As we pick up in Matthew 23, Jesus is rebuking the religious leaders in front of a crowd. There are quite a few important lessons here for all of us as He declares what is wrong with the way these scribes and Pharisees are behaving, leading, and teaching. He tells the crowd that because of the positions these religious leaders are in, listen and obey, but don’t mimic them for they do not, and are not willing to, do what they teach.

This is the first lesson of this week’s passage. Just because someone is in charge does not mean we should mimic their character. We should obey our leaders, but be careful not to mimic ungodly behaviors. I want to point out how much Jesus calls them hypocrites. Don’t miss this – Christ does not appreciate, praise, and condone hypocrisy. In fact, He calls out their hypocrisy and follows up by calling them a “brood of vipers”. Hypocrisy is serious business.

We all need to be careful that we “practice what we preach” as the saying goes, and that we are not falling in line with the Pharisee’s hypocrisy. As Christians, we should be following the example and teachings of Jesus, and being careful to mimic godly people in our life. In order to know whether someone is a Christ-like or un-Christ-like example, we must be learning more about Christ Himself. As we learn about the example Christ sets we will learn to tell the difference.

What stands out to you about Jesus’s rebuke of the religious leaders?

What do these rebukes teach you about Jesus?

What do these rebukes teach you about your own conduct and relationships?