Hypocrites - Not!

For Saturday, November 11, 2023:

Matthew 23:27-28 NLT, Jesus speaking: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Jesus had no time for hypocrites. In Greek, it’s “hypokritai,” describing an actor, someone pretending to be something they are not. But Jesus said to let your “yes” mean yes, and your “no” to mean no. In other words, honesty is always best. And don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought!

I believe the Pharisees didn’t understand the call of their mission. Rigid enforcement of “the law” had become their goal, rather than offering forgiveness, restoration and reconciliation like Jesus did. They purported to do the Lord’s work, but had lost sight of the target. Jesus likened them to “a whitewashed tomb, which outwardly appears beautiful, but within is full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.”

Read your Bibles – Jesus always gave sinners a chance to straighten things out, no matter the error. He’s known for offering second chances and do-overs to the repentant. And that’s still true nowadays!

There’s a time in each of our lives “before” Jesus, and a time after Jesus. Jesus told us to take a “Mulligan” on the first part. Go through the radical transformation Jesus offers on that dividing line in our lives. We may make more mistakes and need more forgiveness, but now we have a heavenly solution!

Blessings!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship