Thematic Bible: Hypocrisy of, reproved


Thematic Bible




Moreover, when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast: verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face. That thou appear not unto men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Hear another parable. There was a certain housholder, who planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And when the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen taking his servants, beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. read more.
Again he sent other servants more than the first; and they did to them likewise. Last of all he sent to them his Son, saying, They will reverence my Son. But the husbandmen seeing the Son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come let us kill him and seize on his inheritance. And taking him, they cast him out of the vineyard and slew him. When therefore the Lord of the vineyard cometh, what will he do to those husbandmen? They say to him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out the vineyard to other husbandmen who will render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith to them, Have ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, is become the head of the corner? This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. Therefore I say to you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And the chief priests and the Pharisees, hearing his parables, knew he spoke of them. But when they sought to apprehend him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet.

Therefore when thou dost alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left-hand know what thy right-hand doth: That thy alms may be in secret, and thy father who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. read more.
And when thou prayest, thou shall not be as the hypocrites; for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, that they may appear to men: verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathens; for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like them; for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees who were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answering said, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God thro' your tradition? read more.
For God commanded, Honour thy father and mother: and He that revileth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest have been profited by me: Let him not honour his father or his mother. Thus have ye made void the command of God thro' your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophecy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh to me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Then the Parisees and Saducees came and tempting, desired him to shew them a sign from heaven. He answering said to them, In the evening ye say, It will be fair weather; for the sky is red: And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day; for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye know to discern the face of the sky: can ye not discern the signs of the times? read more.
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh a sign; but there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them and departed. And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. And Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Saducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, We have taken no bread. Jesus knowing it said to them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have taken no bread? Do ye not yet understand nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How do ye not understand, that I spake not to you concerning bread, to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Saducees? Then they understood, that he did not bid them beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Saducees.

All things therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, observe and do; but do not ye after their works; for they say and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they will not move them with their finger. read more.
But all their works they do, to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and inlarge the fringes of their garments. And love the uppermost places at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And salutations in the markets, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father on earth; for one is your Father, who is in heaven. Neither be ye called Masters; for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. Whosoever shall exalt himself, shall be humbled, and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted. But wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: ye go not in, neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in. Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye devour widows houses, and for a pretence make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: for ye compass sea and land, to make one proselyte, and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Wo to you, ye blind guides; who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is bound. Ye fools and blind: for which is greater? The gold? Or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And whosoever shall swear by the altar, ye say, it is nothing: but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, is bound. Ye fools and blind; for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it and by all things thereon. And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to have neglected the others. Ye blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish; but within they are full of rapine and intemperance. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first, the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye are like whited sepulchres, which outwardly indeed appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness. So ye likewise outwardly appear righteous to men; but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchres of the righteous. 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. Wherefore ye testify against yourselves, that ye are the sons of them who killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye brood of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb: and when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake, and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils by Beelzebub the prince of the devils: And others tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. read more.
But he knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan then be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because ye say, that I cast out devils by Beelzebub. And if I cast out devils by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God is come upon you. While the strong one armed guardeth his palace, his goods are in peace. But when he that is stronger than him cometh upon him and overcometh him, he taketh from him his compleat armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh thro' dry places, seeking rest: and finding none, he saith, I will return to my house whence I came out. And coming he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and entering in they dwell there; and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. As he spake these things, a certain woman lifting up her voice out of the multitude said to him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked! But he said, Yea, rather blessed are they, that hear the word of God and keep it. And the multitudes being gathered thick together, he said, This is an evil generation: it seeketh a sign; but no sign shall be given it, save the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. No man having lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they who come in may see the light. The eye is the lamp of the body: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body is full of light, but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore, left the light that is in thee be darkness. If then thy whole body be full of light, not having any part dark, the whole shall be as full of light, as when a lamp enlightens thee with its bright shining. And as he spake, a certain Pharisee asked him to dine with him. And he went in and sat down to table. But the Pharisee seeing it, marvelled, that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said to him, Now ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the dish; but your inward part is full of rapine and wickedness. Ye unthinking men, did not he that made the outside, make the inside also? But give what is in them in alms, and behold all things are clean to you. But wo to you, Pharisees; for ye tythe mint and rue and all herbs; and pass by justice and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Wo to you, Pharisees; for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the markets. Wo to you; for ye are as graves which appear not, and men that walk over them are not aware. And one of the lawyers answering said to him, Master, thus saying, thou reproachest us also. And he said, Wo to you lawyers also; for ye load men with burthens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burthens with one of your fingers. Wo to you; for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets; whom your fathers killed. Truly ye bear witness that ye approve the deeds of your fathers: for whom they killed, ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also the wisdom of God hath said, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will slay, and persecute the rest. So that the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world, shall be required of this generation. From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was destroyed between the temple and the altar: verily I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. Woe to you, lawyers; for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye have not entered in yourselves; and them that were entering in, ye have hindered. And as he said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began fiercely to fasten upon him, and to urge him to speak of many things, Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.

Then drew near to him all the publicans and sinners, to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured saying, This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. And he spake a parable to them, saying, read more.
Who of you, having an hundred sheep, and losing one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, till he find it? And having found it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. And coming home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say to you, Thus joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, who do not need repentance. Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And having found it, she calleth her friends and neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost.


But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Ye serpents, ye brood of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance: And say not within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father; for I say to you, God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. read more.
But even the axe already lieth at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire.