Judas and the PhariseesMatthew 23 (New American Bible)
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Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,
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saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
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Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.
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They tie up heavy burdens 3 (hard to carry) and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.
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4 All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
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They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
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greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
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As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
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Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.
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Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah.
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The greatest among you must be your servant.
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Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
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"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
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Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?
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And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
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You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
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One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
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one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it;
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one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. (But) these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
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Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
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Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth.
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Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, 17 you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
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and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.'
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Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
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now fill up what your ancestors measured out!
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You serpents, you brood of vipers, how can you flee from the judgment of Gehenna?
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Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,
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so that there may come upon you all the righteous blood shed upon earth, from the righteous blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
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Amen, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
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"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!
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Behold, your house will be abandoned, desolate.
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I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
Ecclesiastes 3
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Matthew 5
2 and he began to teach them saying:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Recently, our church ran a video clip for the New Year. It was appreciated by all ages, everyone commented & the sermon ran it again a couple of weeks later. It began as a typical church message, each person was well groomed and enthusiastic, each person was speaking of their goals in their church for the New Year: 1. This year, I will spend more on myself and tithe less, 2. This year, I will not share my faith with my roommate, 3. This year, I will be silent, even when I know I should speak up, 4. This year, I will shirk every leadership position. You get the idea and it was said with so much positive enthusiasm.
We all need to remember as we read these scriptures: sometimes we are the Pharisees, sometimes we are blind fools, sometimes we are just sheep, sometimes we do not discern what time it is, sometimes we are peacemakers when the time calls for war, sometimes it is a time to embrace.
Last night we watched a comedian discussing the difference between the Old Testament God and the New Testament God. Not really a difference, but mankind was prepared for the birth of Jesus, God allowed Jesus’ sacrifice to mend the gap of sin between God and mankind.
'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
Mark 6: 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus Christ is the shepherd of our souls. We need to think about what we put into our lives and give value to, remember the season and seek the blessing.
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