11/08/2026
Scripture for Sunday, August 16th: Matthew 23:13–36
Last week we saw the root problem of the scribes and Pharisees: they possessed a love for themselves more than a love of God. Their religion had been twisted, becoming a means of being seen, honored, and exalted by others.
And so this week we see what grows from that root: hypocrisy.
Six times in these verses Jesus will flat out call them hypocrites. From an outside prospective they appear deeply religious… they make converts, they carefully tithe, they ceremonially clean the outside of their cups, and in words, honor the prophets. But underneath all that religious activity is a heart that does NOT treasure God.
Jesus says they are like “whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones” (v27). That’s what hypocrisy looks like. It’s more concerned with appearing righteous than actually being righteous before God.
And that danger, dear church, isn't limited to the Pharisees. When self becomes our idol, eventually our lives become a performance. We begin managing what others see… hiding what we don't want them to see… we measure our spiritual health by outward appearances rather than the condition of our hearts before God.
Jesus has no interest in simply making the outside appearance of our lives look better. He says, “First clean the inside of the cup” (v.26). For embracing the Gospel is not about managing how other people see us. It is Christ who transforms us from the inside out… and in so doing frees us from living for the praise of others, enabling us to live for the glory of God. May we be, not in words alone, but in both the inner and out parts of life… people transformed by the gospel.
