Blessed is He who Comes in the Name of the Lord
Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Matthew 23:13:39. In this Scripture, Jesus turns His attention to the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites. Today’s lesson is hard because Jesus was angry with them for the way they conducted themselves. Do you wonder what they did to make Him angry?
They made much of some things but left other things undone. They weren’t honest in their dealings with people. As you read through these Scriptures, think about these things Jesus is talking about. If you are guilty of any of them, bow your head, pray, and ask Him to forgive you.
Jesus says we need to get the inside, our heart, and soul, right with Him, instead of just putting on an outward appearance of being right with Him. He is more concerned about us having a relationship with Him than a lot of other things we concern ourselves with.
Daily Bible Reading:
Matthew 23:13-39
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men’s] bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
37 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!
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Things to think about:
- What were some of the things the Lord talked to the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites about?
- Was Jesus more concerned about the outside being clean or the inside?
- Why does Jesus tell them their house is left desolate?
Prayer of the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please help us not to be like the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites. Help us to do what is right in Your eyes. Help us to get the inside of our vessels clean and pure before You and then the outside will be clean also. In Jesus’ name, we pray. We love You, LORD. Amen.
Daily Bible Verse:
– This is an excerpt from The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ. Click the link to get your copy now!
Christian Music Video: In the Name of the Lord – Sandi Patti
PS. Thank you for coming to DeborahHBateman.com to study the Bible with us. Please come back again tomorrow and invite your friends and family to join us for Bible Study.
Featured Book:
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ
by Deborah H. Bateman
About the book:
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ is a Daily Bible Reading Study by Deborah H. Bateman, which takes you through the life of Jesus Christ. The book of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament of the Bible. It begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ and His birth.
The Book of Matthew also goes into Jesus’ ministry on earth, including the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ parables, and Jesus’ final days, including His death, burial, and resurrection. The book concludes with the great commission.
The Book of Matthew: Life of Jesus Christ includes fifty-seven daily devotionals which contain a brief commentary, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions to think about, and a prayer of the day. It is a great book for individual daily devotions or a group Bible study.
Go to: Amazon
Get your copy now!
Click Here to Subscribe to Deborah H. Bateman author site to receive
Daily Bible Reading Lessons in your inbox.
Have a blessed day,
Deborah
Like Deborah H. Bateman on Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn