Jesus Rebukes Hypocrisy (211 downloads)
Matthew 23:1-39
Key Verse 23:3 “So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”
- Why does Jesus tell the crowds and his disciples that they must do what the Pharisees say, but not what they do? (1-4) How did the Pharisees exalt themselves? (5-7) In what ways must Jesus’ disciples be different from the Pharisees? (8-12)
- How did the teachers of the law and the Pharisees shut the door of the kingdom of heaven? (13) How did their vow-making show their materialism and greed? (16-22)
- How did their petty concerns further reveal their spiritual blindness? (23-24) What does it mean to strain out a gnat and swallow a camel? What makes the inside unclean? (25-28)
- How did Jesus reveal that the current religious leaders were no better than their ancestors? (29-36)
- How did Jesus express his love and longing for God’s people in spite of their rejection of God’s love? (37-39) What can we learn from the hypocrisy of the religious leaders?