13 July 2021 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, I just want to say that I enjoy your weekly column very much. I am an 83 year old white-haired gentleman. (I do try to be gentle in all matters). Each week I look forward to your wisdom and candor and relaxed personal approach. Sometimes, I feel empowered […] Source: https://atoday.org/sometimes-empowered-sometimes-bewildered-always-glad/
Wednesday: Hypocrisy
A hypocrite is somebody who play-acts, who wants to appear to be somebody who he or she is not. The term is used seven times in Matthew chapter 23 in a discourse in which Jesus publicly shames the scribes and Pharisees, the very center of Jewish religious leadership ( Matthew 23.13-14, Matthew 23:15, Matthew 23:23, Matthew 23:25, Matthew 23:27, Matthew 23:29). The Gospels show us Jesus offering grace and forgiveness to adulterers, tax collectors, prostitutes, and even murderers, but He demonstrated little tolerance for hypocrites (see the many additional references in Matthew 6:2, Matthew 6:5, Matthew 6:16; Matthew 7:5; Matthew 15:7-9; Matthew 22:18).
Read Matthew 23:1-13 and list four main characteristics of a hypocrite mentioned by Jesus.
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Jesus associates four characteristics with the scribes and Pharisees. In the spectrum of Judaism in the first century A.D., the Pharisees represented the conservative religious right. They were interested in the written and oral law and emphasized ritual purity. On the other side of the spectrum were the Sadducees, a group of mostly wealthy leaders, often associated with the elite priestly class. They were highly Hellenized (i.e., they spoke Greek and were at home in Greek philosophy) and did not believe in a judgment or an afterlife. We would describe them as liberals. Both groups were guilty of hypocrisy.
According to Jesus, we are hypocrites if we don’t do what we say, when we make religion harder for others without applying the same standards to ourselves, when we want others to applaud our religious fervor, and when we require honor and recognition that belongs only to our heavenly Father.
No matter how sharp and to-the-point His words, Jesus’ engagement with those He called hypocrites was nevertheless full of love and concern, even for these hypocrites.
“Divine pity marked the countenance of the Son of God as He cast one lingering look upon the temple and then upon His hearers. In a voice choked by deep anguish of heart and bitter tears He exclaimed, ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!’” — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 620.
| Why do you not need to be a religious leader to be guilty of the kind of hypocrisy that Jesus so soundly condemns here? How can we learn to see any such hypocrisy in ourselves if it exists, and how can we get rid of it? |
Amen!
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Psalm 103:13-14
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
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Secret Prayer Will Be Answered
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6.
Family prayer and public prayer have their place; but it is secret communion with God that sustains the soul-life. It was in the mount with God that Moses beheld the pattern of that wonderful building which was to be the abiding-place of His glory. It is in the mount with God—the secret place of communion—that we are to contemplate His glorious ideal for humanity. Thus we shall be enabled so to fashion our character-building that to us may be fulfilled the promise, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
While engaged in our daily work, we should lift the soul to heaven in prayer. These silent petitions rise like incense before the throne of grace; and the enemy is baffled. The Christian whose heart is thus stayed upon God cannot be overcome. No evil arts can destroy his peace. All the promises of God’s Word, all the power of divine grace, all the resources of Jehovah, are pledged to secure his deliverance.—Gospel Workers, 254.
God reads the hidden thoughts. We may pray in secret, and He who sees in secret will hear, and will reward us openly.—Messages to Young People, 247.
We should be much in secret prayer. Christ is the vine, we are the branches. And if we would grow and flourish, we must continually draw sap and nourishment from the Living Vine; for separated from the Vine, we have no strength…. Press your petitions to the throne, and hold on by strong faith. The promises are sure.—Early Writings, 73.
With God at Dawn p. 196
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Evelyn and her husband. She contracted covid while helping a neighbor who had it. They are elderly so are in more danger of complications or death from it. M
—-Prayers for my friend Peach. Someone has taken her camera and she needs it for her job. She had lots of things on the SD card, hours and hours of work she desperately needs. Prayers that it comes back to her and prayers for peace as she continues with her pregnancy. Jennifer
—-I’m asking for prayers for my sister-in-law Linda. She’s in critical condition & not doing well. Praying for healing… nevertheless, may God’s will be done. Becky
—-Please pray that David will be healed from depression. Buck
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Support Adventist Today Without Giving a Cent!
by Lindsey Abston Painter | 12 July 2021 | Since the pandemic began I am more likely to order my household supplies from Amazon than go to the store to pick them up. And I know I’m not the only one. Many people enjoy the convenience of ordering online and having what they need delivered […] Source: https://atoday.org/support-adventist-today-without-giving-a-cent/
