BIBLE LESSON

“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.” — Matthew 23:25

Jesus taught by word and example, and so did the religious leaders of his day.

However, when the religious leaders taught the Law of Moses and expected others to comply with their laws and traditions, they did not always practice what the preached.

So, Jesus warned the crowds and his disciples not to follow their bad examples.

Everyone is an example of one kind or another, of what to do or what not to do, and Jesus wanted the crowds and his disciples to follow good examples and be good examples.

Worse, perhaps, are the hypocrites Jesus warned. Hypocrites try to appear as someone they are not. Jesus warned the hypocrites He met that they would experience anguish and distress in the future if they did not change.

Like a dishonest person who wants to take advantage of someone’s trust to steal from them, they made themselves appear on the outside as trustworthy and faithful.

To avoid God’s just judgment, we need to clean ourselves on the inside.

To clean ourselves, we need to ask Jesus to turn us from self-centeredness to God-centeredness, to wash us clean and fill us with His Spirit; then, there will no longer be any room for selfish ambitions.