It’s Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Jesus made many startling statements during His time on earth, and this is one of them. Without context, some of these sayings can sound almost sacrilegious. This one is no different—let’s dive in…
Today's Reading:
2 Samuel 11,12; Psalms 51; Matthew 23
Scripture
“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.’” (Matthew 23:1–3)
Observation
This message is given by Jesus to the crowds and His disciples. He acknowledges the authority of the Pharisees and even tells the people to obey what they say—but not to imitate their actions. Their words did not reflect their lives, and this disconnect was a problem in the spiritual community. They didn’t practice what they preached. We all know how damaging that can be in any relationship. Hypocrisy breeds contempt, erodes trust, creates a skeptical culture, and invites division. Hypocrisy is hard to follow.
Application
This passage challenges me to do an internal scan to make sure my words and actions line up. Just like the Pharisees, we’re all susceptible to saying one thing and living another. I can recall times in my own life when my hypocrisy caused confusion or hurt. But today is a new day, and I’m grateful that Jesus exposes this truth—not to shame us, but to free us.
My dad always told me, “More is caught than taught.” That means people—especially those under our leadership—will follow what we do more than what we say. That brings up a tough question: Am I followable? Have you ever asked yourself that? Would you follow you? Yikes.
The best way to become followable isn’t to fight against the Pharisee in us or around us, but to follow Jesus more closely.
Prayer
More than ever, I yearn to be more like You and no one else. Help me identify the areas in my life that need to fall away so I can follow Your way wholeheartedly. Give me the grace to align my walk with my words. Amen.
—Aaron Cordeiro