Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 178

June 27;     Matthew 23:27;     23/260(III);    ‘Woe’

Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

This is one of seven scathing woes, the Lord Jesus directs at the scribes and Pharisees.  If you ever want to see religion described exactly as it is, Matthew 23 is what you read.  One word describes religion, hypocrisy.  Religion is all outward.  Washing your hands.  The food you eat. Being noticed by everyone wherever you go and whatever you do.  Jesus tells them in this verse, that they look good on the outside, dressed in their religious attire and walking proudly for all to see.  Jesus then tells them that inside they are full of filth.  They were proud, arrogant, uncaring and acted ‘holier than thou’.  They wanted to kill Jesus because of jealousy.  They wrote their own religious books concerning what people should do and shouldn’t do.  After a period of time they taught their books along with the Word of God and did not know which was which.  The Lord Jesus came along and the Bible said that Jesus’ teaching astonished the people.  The Bible teaches that the people heard Jesus gladly.  His words, unlike the religious leaders were alive and helped the people.  The crowds flocked to Jesus to hear the Word.  They also came to Him from every direction to be healed.  What Jesus said and what He did infuriated the religious leaders and they knew that they had to kill Him.  John the Baptist was sent from God to introduce Jesus. John was popular to the point where many thought he was the Messiah.  When Jesus came, John humbly deferred to His Lord.  What a difference.  Religious men kill.  Godly men reveal Jesus.