Pharisee Hypocrisy

In Matthew 23 Jesus gives his most scathing rebuke of the Pharisees. Seven times in this passage he calls them hypocrites. Three are illustrations of their hypocrisy, A garden v.23, a dish v.25, and a white-washed tomb in v.25. The other four references are descriptions of their hypocrisy: 'You're a hypocrite because...' Of these four descriptions, one stands out as a great risk for believers today. Its found in v.13, "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men..." (NAS) By their rules, regulations and strict oversight they made the kingdom of heaven unreachable. Impossible to attain. Totally absent from their teaching was anything about grace. Law and consequences ruled the day. Their hypocrisy was clear in that not even they themselves could maintain obedience to all of their regulations, yet they showed no grace. Christ shows grace to sinners throughout the gospels. Forgiveness is abundant in his words. What he could not tolerate was self-righteous hypocrisy. This is a wise lessor for believers to remember today as we take stands in the public square on issues of morality. One hypocrite can do a world of damage to the cause of Christ when he/she is exposed. 1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. (NAS)