Origins (of Hypocrisy 2)
Woes to Scribes and Pharisees
'The greatest among you shall be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.'
-Jesus of Nazareth, Judean countryside, 1st century
written by Matthew
[This is the 10th message of this series]
Jesus preached the gospel of love and reconciliation. But I wasn't sure if He wanted the hypocritical scribes and pharisees (teachers of the law and religious leaders of His day) to be included, as He describes them as vipers (and a spawn of hell from the writings of Matthew above).
[The passage above is a continuation of where we left off from the preceding message]
Contrast
Jesus taught with authority. He used illustrations and stories of everyday things to make people understand. He made common occurences into teachable moments.
He lived what He taught and backed up His supernatural claims with manifestations of divine power.
And He did so with compassion and love, all of which are totally the opposite of what people were used to with their hypocritical teachers, who Jesus said for them to do as they say, but not do as they do.
Prominence
Their teachers and leaders wanted the recognition, the honor and the prestige of their positions. Yet wanted only a symbolic recognition for the God they claim to serve. Everything they did was for showmanship and the accolades of men.
Did Not Call Attention to Himself
Jesus was born and grew up in humble circumstances. He did not try to call attention to Himself and instead, lifted up the Father and the Holy Spirit. The way He lived His life was a reflection of His teaching. He came as a willing servant and His words and His actions line up.
He ushered in the new model for teachers and for servant-leadership.
Good News
He left planet earth better than when He arrived. He dismantled religiosity and the class system. He did not look at what a person looks like, at gender, age, color, status, creed, ability or disability.
And He did so with compassion and love, all of which are totally the opposite of what people were used to with their hypocritical teachers, who Jesus said for them to do as they say, but not do as they do.
Prominence
Their teachers and leaders wanted the recognition, the honor and the prestige of their positions. Yet wanted only a symbolic recognition for the God they claim to serve. Everything they did was for showmanship and the accolades of men.
Did Not Call Attention to Himself
Jesus was born and grew up in humble circumstances. He did not try to call attention to Himself and instead, lifted up the Father and the Holy Spirit. The way He lived His life was a reflection of His teaching. He came as a willing servant and His words and His actions line up.
He ushered in the new model for teachers and for servant-leadership.
Good News
He left planet earth better than when He arrived. He dismantled religiosity and the class system. He did not look at what a person looks like, at gender, age, color, status, creed, ability or disability.
He turned the world upside down (or right side up). He is the only person to cause humankind to mark time or their calendar, dividing them into events which happened after Him (A.D.) from those before (B.C.).
Gospel of Jesus Christ
He brought hope to the hopeless. He brought joy to the joyless. He brought freedom to the captives and the suffering. He brought sight to the blind and healing for the sick. He conquered death to give us new life in Him and then life everlasting.
This is the gospel, the good news of the Kingdom of God.
He brought hope to the hopeless. He brought joy to the joyless. He brought freedom to the captives and the suffering. He brought sight to the blind and healing for the sick. He conquered death to give us new life in Him and then life everlasting.
This is the gospel, the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Church of the Lost Sheep 2012
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