What added burden do hypocrites add to their daily duties?
(Matt 10:34-39; 23:1-13; Luke 12:13-21; 22:14-30; John 13:13-17; 14:1-7) Blog July 11-17, 2021
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: Work is good. Wealth and health come from it. But work without rest is bad. Disease and poverty come from it. God gave rest before work. The Sabbath is a symbol of more than one kind of rest. It not only provides a weekly day of rest but also symbolizes the rest from personally striving for salvation by finding in Jesus’ perfect life the grounds for our eternal life. We can add to our lack of rest by complaining and being discontent with God’s provision, his appointed leaders, his despised messengers, or with God himself.
Discontent among the Prosperous
1. What great concern did the rich man have in Jesus’ parable recorded in Luke 12. The rich man was greatly concerned that he didn’t have enough barns to store all his abundant harvest (Luke 12:16-17).
2. What solution did the rich man devise to solve his problem? The rich man decided to tear down his existing barns & build bigger ones in which to store all his wealth (Luke 12:18).
3. After all the stress and effort of tearing down and building new barns in what did the rich man place his confidence? The rich man placed his confidence in his hoarded wealth but died that night leaving all his effort to the care of others (Prov. 11:28; Luke 12:19-20).
4. What did Jesus say the rich man should have done when blessed with a plentiful harvest? The rich man should have used his wealth to advance God’s kingdom in the earth thus leaving himself with many less worries & the joy of service towards others (Luke 12:21, 33).
5. Which of the Ten Commandments was Jesus emphasizing when he refused to settle an inheritance dispute among two brothers and told the story of the rich man? Jesus was illustrating the tenth commandment for he said: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15).
Discontent among the Pharisees & Sadducees
6. What does Jesus want us to lean from what he said about the Pharisees in Matthew 23? Jesus says that the Pharisees who occupy the teaching role of Moses go far beyond teaching the good precepts that Moses included in the Pentateuch because they add ridiculous requirements to all Moses’ laws leaving those who try to do them ladened with burdens that no one can bear. And Jesus warns us not to be hypocrites like them who say one thing & do another, placing all their emphasis on outward appearance while neglecting service to others (Matt. 23:1-13).
7. What added burden do hypocrites add to their daily duties? Hypocrites not only have the normal cares of this life, but they add the burden of having to continually pretend to be what they are not while having to cover up their true self (Matt. 6:2-5, 16).
8. When Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, what did he mean by that term? A hypocrite is a person whose words & actions are different than their heart attitude (Matt. 15:7-8; Luke 11:44).
9. What did John the Baptist tell the Pharisees and Sadducees that their future held? John told the Pharisees & Sadducees that the fire of hell was their future for they thought they were Abraham’s children while they were not sorry for their sins & bore no fruit to show it. (Matt. 3:7-10).
10. What did Jesus tell his disciples that their future held? Jesus told his disciples that a home in heaven & eternity with the One they loved was their future for they believed in him. (John 14:1-3).
11. What hope did the Sadducees not have? The Sadducees had no hope of a future resurrection nor of help from angels (Acts 23:8).
12. What does the hope of a bright future give to the person that has it? The hope of a bright future removes worry & restless stress from the heart & fills it with rest & joy in believing (John 14:1-7).
Discontent among the Disciples
13. At the Last Supper what was Jesus trying to teach his disciples by washing their feet? In washing the disciples’ feet Jesus was trying to teach them that service to others is the underlying joy in his kingdom & this produces much more rest than serving ourselves. (Matt. 11:28-30; John 13:12-17).
14. At the Last Supper what was Jesus trying to teach his disciples by breaking the bread and saying, “Take eat, this is my body (given for you)”? Jesus was trying to teach that the bread of communion represented his one perfect life which all his disciples must share if they were to have life eternal (Matt. 26:26; Luke 22:19).
15. At the Last Supper what was Jesus trying to teach his disciples when taking the cup he said: “Take this, and divide it among yourselves (This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you)”? Jesus was teaching that the communion cup represents his death which in the New Covenant provides the forgiveness of sins (a true rest for the forgiven) (Matt. 26:27; Luke 22:20).
16. While Jesus was trying to teach great lessons regarding humility and sharing at the Last Supper, what discussion were his disciples engaged in? During the Last Supper Jesus’ disciples were discussing which of them was most important in Christ’s kingdom (Luke 22:24).
17. What great thief of rest was Jesus trying to handcuff during the Last Supper? At the Last Supper Jesus was trying to disarm the spirit of self-exaltation that robs us of rest (Luke 22:14-30; John 13:14-15).
18. Why was Judas the most restless disciple at the last Supper? Judas was restless at the Last Supper for he, more than any other of the disciples was plotting his own wealth & glory in the betrayal of his loving Master (Matt. 26:20-25; Luke 22:21-23).19. In an effort to help his disciples understand the value of humility in his kingdom what did Jesus say before leaving the Last Supper? Jesus said: “Whosever shall be great among you, let him be your servant” (Matt. 20:27; Luke 22:26).