Now, let’s continue with the series about Warning Against Others.
“After Jesus finished saying this, a Jewish religious leader, one of the “separated ones,” asked him to come for a meal at his home. When everyone had been seated at the table, the religious leader noticed that Jesus hadn’t performed the cleansing ritual before he began eating. He was shocked.
The religious leaders and experts of the law became enraged and began to furiously oppose him. They harassed Jesus all the way out the door, spewing out their hostility, arguing over everything he said—wanting nothing more than to find a reason to entrap him with his own words. The Lord said, “You Pharisees are religiously strict to your customs and obsessed with the peripheral issues. You are like one who will wipe clean only the outside of a cup or bowl, leaving the inside filthy. You are foolish to ignore the greed and wickedness within you! Shouldn’t the one who cleans the outside also be concerned with cleaning the inside? If you free your heart of greed, showing compassion and true generosity to the poor, you have more than clean hands; you will be clean within. “You Pharisees are hopeless frauds! For you are obsessed with peripheral issues, like paying meticulous tithes on the smallest herbs that grow in your gardens. These matters you should do. Yet when you unjustly cheat others, you ignore the most important duty of all: to walk in the love of God. Readjust your values and place first things first. “You Pharisees are hopeless frauds! For you love to be honored before men with your titles of respect, seeking public recognition as you aspire to become important among others. “You Pharisees, what hopeless frauds! Your true character is hidden, like an unmarked grave that hides the corruption inside, defiling all who come in contact with you.” Just then a specialist in interpreting religious law blurted out, “But Teacher, don’t you realize that your words insult me and those of my profession? You’re being rude to us all!” Jesus responded, “Yes, and you are also hopeless frauds, you experts of the law! For you crush people beneath the burden of obeying impossible religious regulations, yet you would never even think of doing them yourselves. What hypocrites! What hopeless frauds! You build monuments to honor the prophets of old, yet it was your murdering ancestors who killed them. The only prophet you’ll honor is a dead one! In fact, by erecting monuments to the prophets they killed, you demonstrate your agreement with your murdering ancestors and bear witness to their deeds. You’re no better than they! That accounts for the wisdom of God, saying, ‘I will send to them apostles and prophets though some they will murder and others they will chase away.’ “This generation will be held accountable for every drop of blood shed by every murdered prophet from the beginning of time until now, from the blood of Abel, who was killed by his brother, to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered in the middle of the temple court. Yes, the blood-guilt of all your ancestors will be laid before you in this generation. “You are nothing but hopeless frauds, you experts of religion! You take away from others the key that opens the door to the house of knowledge. Not only do you lock the door and refuse to enter, you do your best to keep others from the truth.””
Luke 11:37-54 TPT
https://www.bible.com/1849/luk.11.37-54.tpt
“Then the Pharisees and religious scholars came from Jerusalem and approached Jesus with this question: “Why do your disciples ignore the traditions of our elders? For example, they don’t ceremonially wash their hands before they eat bread.” Jesus answered, “And why do you ignore the commandment of God because of your traditions? For didn’t God say, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘Whoever abuses or insults his father or mother must be put to death?’ “But you teach that it’s permissible to say to your parents when they are in financial need, ‘Whatever gift you would have received from me I can keep for myself, since I dedicated it as an offering to God.’ This doesn’t honor your father or mother. And you have elevated your tradition above the words of God. Frauds and hypocrites! Isaiah described you perfectly when he said: These people honor me only with their words, for their hearts are so very distant from me. They pretend to worship me, but their worship is nothing more than the empty traditions of men.” Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “Come, listen and open your heart to understand. What truly contaminates a person is not what he puts into his mouth but what comes out of his mouth. That’s what makes people defiled.” Then his disciples approached him and said, “Don’t you know that what you just said offended the Pharisees?” Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant is destined to be uprooted. Stay away from them, for they’re nothing more than blind guides. Do you know what happens when a blind man pretends to guide another blind man? They both stumble into a ditch!””
Matthew 15:1-14 TPT
https://www.bible.com/1849/mat.15.1-14.tpt
“One day some of the Pharisees and those of the Jewish sect known as the Sadducees approached Jesus, insisting that he prove to them that he was the Messiah. “Show us a supernatural sign from heaven,” they demanded. Jesus answered, “You can read the signs of the weather, for you say, ‘Red sky at night, sailors delight.’ And, ‘Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.’ You’re so adept at forecasting the weather by looking at the sky, but you’re absolutely clueless in reading the obvious signs of the times. A wicked and wayward generation always asks for signs, but the only sign I provide for you will be the sign of Jonah the prophet.” Then he turned away and left them. Later, as Jesus and his disciples crossed over to the other side of Lake Galilee, the disciples realized they had forgotten to bring any loaves of bread. Jesus spoke up and said, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Thinking Jesus was scolding them over not bringing bread, they whispered among themselves. Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “You have such little faith! Why are you arguing with one another about having no bread? Are you so slow to understand? Have you forgotten the miracle of feeding the five thousand families and how each of you ended up with a basket full of fragments? And how seven loaves of bread fed four thousand families with baskets left over? Don’t you understand? I’m not talking about bread, but I’m warning you to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” Then finally they realized he wasn’t talking about yeast found in bread, but the error of the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:1-12 TPT
https://www.bible.com/1849/mat.16.1-12.tpt
“They came to where a large crowd had gathered to wait for Jesus. A man came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, please show your tender mercy toward my son. He has a demon who afflicts him. He has epilepsy, and he suffers horribly from seizures. He often falls into the cooking fire or into the river. I brought him to your followers, but they weren’t able to heal him.” Jesus replied, “Where is your faith? Can’t you see how wayward and wrong this generation is? How much longer do I stay with you and put up with your doubts? Bring your son to me.””
Matthew 17:14-17 TPT
https://www.bible.com/1849/mat.17.14-17.tpt
“After they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and asked, “Does your teacher pay the tax for the upkeep of the temple, like the rest of us?” “Of course he does,” Peter answered. When Peter walked into the house, and before he had a chance to speak, Jesus spoke up and said, “Peter, I have a question for you. Who pays tolls or taxes to a king? Is tax collected from the king’s own children, or from his subjects?” “From his subjects,” Peter answered. Jesus replied, “That’s right. The children get off free without paying taxes. But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out your hook, and the first fish that rises up will have a coin in its mouth. It will be the exact amount you need to pay the temple tax for both of us.””
Matthew 17:24-27 TPT
https://www.bible.com/1849/mat.17.24-27.tpt
Ponder on these Scriptures with the Lord and study them as the Lord leads! God bless!
Kingdom Advance 