Against False Exteriors (Matthew 23:25-28)

Class Outline:

Thursday October 30, 2025

 

Intro:

 

The leaders, instead of feeding the flock, were feeding themselves.

 

JER 23:1-2

"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!" declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people:   "You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares the Lord.

 

Deception is one of the main tactics of the devil.

 

Both what they do and who they are is a lie, hence - hypocrites.

 

2CO 11:14-15

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

 

Let’s face it; deception works.

 

The human race is easily deceived. Israel was deceived by their leaders.

 

Both the cup and the person are to be clean on the inside. What they neglected was justice, mercy, and faithfulness - all inward character from a heart devoted to the Lord.

 

Woe 5: the cup - full of robbery and sensuality.

 

MAT 23:25-26

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.  26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.”

 

The present tense of “you clean” means they keep doing so. Every day they dress their outside to look religious and godly. The inside is full (again a present tense verb) with robbery and sensuality.

 

While they keep cleaning the outside of themselves they keep filling themselves with:

Robbery = extortion, commercial greed that seizes wealth.

Self-indulgence = lack of self-control, sensuality.

 

And, perhaps due to a pained conscience, as with all their traditions, they do the minor things to excess since such practices add to their outward impression.

 

LEV 11:33

As for any earthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean and you shall break the vessel.

 

They super cleaned every vessel and claiming it was the way to the kingdom of heaven.

 

MAT 15:1-2

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

 

Christ makes cleansing the point - and He is the one who is going to do it for us.

 

MAT 15:17-20

"Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated?  18 "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.  19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.  20 "These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man."

 

You cannot change your inner self. Only Christ can. By faith in the gospel you gain a new self.

 

Woe 6. Beautiful on the outside.

 

MAT 23:27-28

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.  28 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

 

Once a year, just before Passover, the graves were painted with bright white chalk so that the unsuspecting and especially the priests would not touch them and become ritually unclean and have to sit out the Passover.

 

He said they appeared beautiful outwardly. How wonderful to know from the Bible that Christ will appear beautiful of face at His return (same word is used - shine).

 

They proclaim themselves as most jealous for the law, but Christ says they are the most rebellious against it.

 

Everyone will fall into this terrible mindset of pressing our overt appearance while neglecting our inner virtue. But if you are pursuing the Lord through His Word, you will soon realize the error, confess, and change your thinking. These leaders are inwardly soaked in death.

 

Conclusion:

 

No matter how clean the cup externally and ceremonially, the problem lay with the cup's contents.

 

When you allow Christ to conquer your inner life, your outer life will easily follow.

 

Only Christ can conquer the inner you.