"Woe To You...Hypocrites!"

Consider the religious climate that existed when Jesus was on the earth. The scribes and Pharisees pretended to be loyal teachers of God's Law, but in reality they filled people's minds with human teachings that drew attention away from God. The scribes and Pharisees scrupulously insisted on the letter of the law, but they ignored fundamental principles that reflected love and compassion. In public they pretended to be devoted to God, but in private they were full of badness. Their deeds never measured up to their words. Their objective in doing things was "to be viewed by men." They resembled "whitewashed graves, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful but inside are full of uncleanness." Boldly exposing their hypocrisy, Jesus repeatedly said to them: " Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" - Matthew 23:5, 13-31.

If you had lived in those days, like other honesthearted people you might have been truly sickened by such religious hypocrisy. (Romans 2:21-24; 2Peter 2:1-3) But would you have allowed the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees to embitter you to the extent that you would reject all religion, including that which was taught and practiced by Jesus Christ and his disciples? Would that not have been to your advantage?

Next time: "Keep Your Eyes Open"