Dear Christian friends:

You and I like to see other people get warned and corrected. That makes us feel more holy than the person who gets corrected.

Here in our text we see Jesus scold and correct the Pharisees. We maybe sit back and smile about that and think ourself much better than they are.

If we study this text like that, it will help us nothing. Better we see the mistakes of the Pharisees and try to see our similar weaknesses and faults. We should ask:


What is my standard of faith and life? Do I have both faith and the right works? Do I recognize Christ as Master and others as brethren? Am I ready to serve others?

People often fail to believe right and live right because they do not have the right teaching. God's Word in the Bible is the right teaching. If a man attends to that He will get the right faith and live right before God.

But if a man listens to neighbors, friends, school teachers or professors, he may hear false teaching. Then he has the wrong faith and wrong life. Many people make that mistake.

You can see that in teenagers at high school. Your son comes home and wants a car. You tell him, "No, I can't afford a car for you it and it is too dangerous." Your son answers, "Gee wiz, dad, all the other boys have a car." Teenagers want the same as all the others. They often do not stop to think if that is good or right or if God wants it.

So also adults: We look around and see what others do and we think, "Everyone does that, that's right. I must do it, too." 1. Birth control, 2. Sunday Pleasures etc. That leads to the wrong faith and the wrong life.

So we must let God's Word be our teacher of faith and life. We must even be careful of what preachers and teachers in the churches say. Often they act wrong too. The Pharisees had God's Word. But they misunderstood it. They did not find Jesus the crucified Savior in the holy Scriptures.

Moses taught about Jesus, but they misunderstood Moses. They heard Moses laws and learned them well and even added many laws themselves. They said, "Keep the laws perfectly and you will be God's people." They let the Bible be a law book and failed to teach the good news of the Savior Jesus who would die and rise again to win forgiveness of sins.

Many people do that today. They think the Bible is only a law book, "Obey God's law as good as you can and you will get to heaven." Sometimes I see that in the deaf. They come to church because they feel that's the law, that's duty, a must!

They do not come to church eagerly, cheerfully, gladly to thank and praise the beautiful Savior. The same with money offerings. Often I see you displeased about bringing money for church. "Better join the Catholics; Lutherans want money, money, money." But you nonetheless give a little because you feel that's the law and duty. That's a big misunderstanding. If you understand your Bible correctly you will eagerly, gladly give and give to your beautiful Savior who loved you and gave his life on the cross for you. True, many Christians love to give money for Jesus and see His church improve and grow larger.

Do we let the Bible teach us daily at home and at Church regularly? What about our Bible Class on Sunday morning? Are we better than the Pharisees? Jesus said, "Thy say and do not." (verse 3c) They know the right works but refused to do them. They were glad to teach others and put heavy burdens on the others, but they didn't want to lift with one little finger.

Are we like that? Often we know what is right and good and preach to others and then make excuses for ourself. Are we better than the Pharisees? Jesus said they only did good works to show off and act like big shots. They wore phylacteries and blue borders on their garments. (Explain in detail, Matthew 23:5)

Then they loved to be called Master; sit in the chief seats at church and dinners. How about us? Especially the minister and the leaders in the church need to be careful about that. Do good works, yes! But don't do them to show off before others. We are all brethren.

Are we better than the Pharisees? Jesus faulted them because they only wanted others to serve them and didn't care about helping and serving the common people. Here we can see if we are truly God's people. We should ask ourselves: "Am I ready to serve my fellow Christians, my fellow men?

All our doing both at home and in church should be to help others. Help the wife and children at home. Sacrifice ourself for their spiritual and physical needs. Father's are you doing that for your children? Teaching them? Helping them to Confirmation class and the Lord's Supper?

Serve in the church! There are many ways you can serve your brother at church. Voter meetings, Committee meetings, Evangelism Committee and Ladies Mission Society and as an elder or trustee. Sometimes we fail to do these works of service.

Are we better than the Pharisees? Compare yourself with what we have heard today. See your failures and weaknesses. Bring that to Jesus in prayer. Ask his forgiveness and the power of His Holy Spirit to improve you in the right faith and life.

Amen.