Day 23 – September 29, 2026 – Matthew 23

We have an entire chapter devoted to what Jesus thinks about religious leaders. Warning, if you are a religious leader, like an elder at First Presbyterian, it is not good news. He does begin benignly enough by saying that you should listen to everything the religious leaders say about the law. They were trained in it, they have experience in it, so what they say, you do. But don’t do what they do. They tell us to do certain things, and sometimes even add things to what we have to do, but they never do it. And then it kinda takes off from there as he calls them twice as much fit for hell as those who don’t do exactly what they say is required to avoid hell. It is probably the harshest reprimand and diatribe that Jesus has for the religious leaders of his day in this chapter.