Theme: THE DANGER OF HYPOCRISY
Text: “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! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?” – Matthew 23:16, 17.
Comment: To swear by the temple is a common oath among the Jews; while the gold of the temple is an offering, a treasure, a gift placed there. Some Biblical scholars have suggested that the Scribes and Pharisees considered the gold of the temple far more sacred than the temple itself. “If the gold had any sacredness it was because the temple, God’s house, made it so”. Christ called them “fools” and “blind guides” (blind leaders) for their damning interpretation of the law and superfluity of the distinction between the temple and a gift. The aim of these blind hypocrites was to draw the attention of the people away from the temple where Christ always taught the word of God. Earlier, the Saviour had warned his disciples not swear at all, either by heaven or earth. “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” – Matthew 5:33-37.
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