But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness

Matthew 23:13-36

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees: 4 times. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to the kingdom of heaven.

You make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

 You hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.

Jesus makes seven specific charges, each introduced with the same words: "woe to you...'

Twice as fit for hell gives the sense. New converts are often more fervent than those brought up in the faith.

Why?

It is a warning to every Christian don't do like the teachers of the law and Pharisees. Their behavior is to forbid others to enter the kingdom of heaven. They focus on the outside looking, the behavior that could be seen by others. But more important is their heart and the Justice, mercy, and faithfulness to the Lord.

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耶穌指出法利賽人的七禍，1)關了天國的門2)假敬虔，表面不一 3)傳假福音，用騙的 4)瞎眼領路。5)只有聖殿的儀式沒有生活的敬拜。

金子和祭物是人以為有價值觀的東西。聖殿、祭壇拿不走是公物。

他們的十一奉獻做的非常細微周到，如芹菜、茴香，但是忠誠卻做不到，因為那些是小錢。

外表很漂亮，裏面是死亡，如粉飾的墳墓。

修建先知的墳墓，說大話。

表面的敬虔，沒有信仰的生活。只有禮儀，沒有生命。 我們的信仰是與生活結合的。

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How?

What are we caring about in our daily life? Is the point of view of men or the Lord in Heaven?