Podcasts about Pharisees

Read OnlineThe scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” Luke 5:33–35Though most of the scribes and Pharisees rejected the ministry of John the Baptist, here they attempt to use his discipline of fasting as a weapon to criticize Jesus. But our Lord, perceiving the hollowness of their accusation, turns it into an opportunity for divine revelation. He discloses to them, and to us, a profound truth about His identity: He is the Bridegroom.By doing so, Jesus draws from the rich prophetic imagery of Isaiah and Hosea, which portrays God as the divine Spouse of Israel. Isaiah declared, “As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you” (Isaiah 62:5). Hosea, speaking the word of the Lord, proclaimed, “You shall call me ‘My husband'… I will betroth you to me forever” (cf. Hosea 2:18–22).Jesus is not merely using a poetic image. By calling Himself the Bridegroom, He reveals a nuptial mystery: Christ comes in the flesh to unite Himself to His Bride, the Church. The proper response to His presence is not fasting in sorrow but rejoicing in the wedding feast. Fasting will have its place, but only once the Bridegroom is taken away, which is a prophetic reference to His Passion.This exchange exposes not only the Pharisees' superficial religiosity but also unveils a central mystery of salvation: In Christ, God draws near in spousal love. To follow Him is to enter into a covenant of joy and grace.Though nuptial imagery might seem more naturally relatable to women, it expresses a truth that transcends gender. Just as “a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body” (Genesis 2:24), so each soul is called to a transforming union with Christ. This is not merely symbolic; it is a real and spiritual union. We are called to become His Mystical Body. Saint Paul captures this mystery when he writes, “I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:19–20).Traditionally, this union has been described as Mystical Marriage or Divine Union. Saint Teresa of Ávila favored the image of Mystical Marriage, emphasizing the soul's intimate, spousal love for Christ. Saint John of the Cross more often spoke of Divine Union, highlighting the complete transformation of the soul in God. Though they use different terms, both describe the soul's ultimate vocation: perfect union with Christ.In Heaven, when this Divine Union is fully realized, fasting and other penitential acts will be unnecessary. During Jesus' earthly ministry, the disciples did not fast because the Bridegroom was with them—an extraordinary grace unique to those three years. But after He was “taken away,” fasting took on a new importance, becoming a participation in His Passion and a preparation for the Wedding Feast to come.Reflect today on the glorious end to which you are called: union with Christ, your Bridegroom. This journey requires sacrifice, so fasting and penance remain essential. Yet when we keep our eyes fixed on the joy of Divine Union, every sacrifice becomes lighter and a joyful embrace of love. The difficulty of fasting and penance is overshadowed by the union they help bring about. Resolve to fast, to pray, and to stay close to Christ, the Bridegroom of your soul. He is the faithful Spouse who will never abandon you.Bridegroom of Your Church, You came to enter into union with us, Your sons and daughters by grace. By Your Incarnation, You wedded Yourself to humanity, and through Your Passion, You purified Your Bride, the Church. As I journey toward the Wedding Feast of Heaven, purify me now through acts of penance and prayer, so that my soul may be ready for the Divine Union to come. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Jesus Reproves the Scribes and Pharisees, by Iulian RosuSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

I guess I'm just too sensitive. I feel guilty when I walk in a store, knowing I'm not going to buy anything. And some bored salesperson sees me come in, and then you see that look of hope, that look of expectancy on their face, “At last I can justify my existence. At last I've got a customer! At last I can accomplish something. At last I can sell something.” And so they very pleasantly ask, “May I help you?” And then come those two most hated words to the ears of a salesperson, “Just looking.” Suddenly they lose all interest in me and they retire dejectedly back to their corner. Did I say I'm too sensitive? Well, I'll tell you this, nobody ever gets very excited about someone who is just looking. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Spiritual Spectators.” Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 9. I'll begin reading at verse 13. It's the story of the man who had been born blind who Jesus healed. Now, Jesus has always been troubled by people who are just looking. For example in this passage, “They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was the Sabbath. Therefore, the Pharisees also asked Him how he had received his sight. ‘He put mud on my eyes' the man replied, ‘and I washed and now I see.' Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God for he does not keep the Sabbath.'” This is amazing! You want to say to the Pharisees, “Guys, wake up! A man who could never see before was just healed! Do you understand what just happened?” And they are busy doing their theological analysis of the situation. They have no intention of buying into what Jesus is doing. They're just looking. Everywhere Jesus performed miracles it seemed that there were two groups of people: the "expectors" who had faith, who wanted to get in on the supernatural and who did, and the "dissectors" who stood off with their arms folded and said, “What shall we call this? Where does this fit in our theology?” And they saw no miracle. What bothers me is that the dissectors were the religious folks, the spiritual veterans, the Bible people. That's me. That might be you. And they were always so busy analyzing the miracle, they missed the miracle. You know, as you get more settled into Christian things and you know more Christian ideas, and hold more Christian jobs, a subtle numbness can start to grow inside of you. You go to church to watch God speak to others. You make spiritual events happen, but you stop letting them happen to you. You start to become a discusser of God's working rather than an experiencer of His working. You used to have an experience now you just have knowledge. You start to become critical of His leaders and their methods. Can you see that creeping sleep in your soul? Somewhere you stepped out of the middle of God's life-changing work and you moved to the edges to watch, to analyze, to categorize, to criticize. Hey, it's cold out there. You show up at God's store, you look around, but you don't buy into the wonder of it all. Why don't you get back into the mainstream where the miracles are? Let God happen to you again, not just happen around you. When Jesus is offering such supernatural merchandise, it would be a shame if you were just on the edges and just looking.

Presented by Julie Busteed How do we live our lives walking worthy of Christ and not spend our day constantly exhausted? I've been looking at how God created us to rest. And, as always, Jesus is our best example. Jesus was constantly in demand. Crowds followed him. His disciples needed him. Sick and hurting people came to him. The Pharisees watched and challenged him. And yet, Jesus made time to rest. Luke 5:16 says, But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Around this time, Jesus was healing people, and the news about him was spreading quickly. Crowds were coming to him to be healed of their diseases. Yet, right in the middle of all that demand and attention, Jesus withdrew to a lonely place and prayed. He wasn't driven by the desire to be popular, needed, or in demand. The kind of recognition that can so easily become a driving force in our lives wasn't his priority. His priority was doing the Father's will and that began with getting away from the crowds and spending time alone with God. Sometimes I think we're afraid to be alone. We need constant busyness or noise. Maybe you and I are simply so accustomed to it that we don't even notice it anymore. But we need quiet. Our souls need time alone with God. Psalm 46:10 says, Be still, and know that I am God. God calls us to himself to be still and simply be with him. Jesus also needed physical rest. John 4:6 says, Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. Jesus was tired, so he sat down and rested. He allowed the other disciples to go into town to get the supplies they needed while he stayed behind. And while he rested, he had an amazing conversation with the woman who came to the well. Jesus didn't neglect his physical needs. He rested. And he trusted others to take care of what needed to be done. I recently had the opportunity to get away and rest for a few days at a lake house. I noticed this saying that was on a plaque in the home: “Time wasted at the lake is time well spent.” I take it to mean that rest and not doing your ordinary life of work–getting out of your daily routine and relaxing and enjoying time at the lake is not wasted. That rest is important. That this time is valuable. I would argue that we also need to “waste time” with God. Not because our time is actually wasted, but because sometimes the most productive thing we can do is simply rest in him. I think the plaque could read “Time wasted with God is time well spent!”

Tuesday, 1 September 2026   The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, Matthew 22:23   “In that, the ‘day', they approached Him, Sadducees (saying not is ‘resurrection'), and they queried Him.” (CG)   In the previous verse, the Pharisees and Herodians marveled at Jesus' words and departed. Maybe having seen or heard about this, another group comes forward, ready to test Him. Matthew records, “In that, the ‘day', they approached Him, Sadducees.”   This sect was first seen, along with the Pharisees, in Matthew 3:7. This was at the time John the Baptist was baptizing in the Jordan. They were noted again, several times in Matthew 16.   Their specific interaction at that time was with Jesus as they, along with the Pharisees, asked for a sign from heaven. Of this group of religious leaders, Matthew specifically notes a point of doctrine that they held to, which is “(saying not is ‘resurrection').”   Surprisingly, this is a new word in Scripture, anastasis, a standing up again. It is from the word an anistémi, to stand up. That is prefixed with the word ana, up, but used in various other ways in a distributive manner. In the New Testament, other than Luke 2:34, anastasis is always used in reference to a resurrection. In Luke 2:34, it says –   “Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising [anastasis] of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against...”   As for the reason they have come to Jesus, Matthew records, “and they queried Him.” The word used to describe their query is one of deliberate asking. Thus, their query is specifically designed to glean an answer or response from Jesus about a matter.   Life application: In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes the following –   “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Corinthians 15:12-19   The key point of Christian faith is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. The cross of Christ is the key focus of our faith, and the point on which every Christian's boast should be directed (see Galatians 6:14), but a crucifixion without a subsequent resurrection is a pointless place to direct one's hope.   Many people have been crucified in human history. They died, and they remain dead. But Jesus was resurrected from the tomb. This event then solidifies the meaning of the cross. Someone can say, “I will give up my life to save another.” And, in fact, many have done that throughout human history.   But that type of saving is only to prolong the temporary life we live. A soldier could jump on a grenade to save his fellow soldier, but the saved soldier could be shot dead thirty seconds later. Both are dead and both will remain dead.   However, no human can die for another's sin when they have already inherited Adam's fallen nature. The sin is there in us from the moment we are conceived. Various pagan religions sacrificed babies, young virgins, etc., all hoping for some type of atonement, but such a sacrifice is ineffectual because of original sin.   Jesus, however, was born without Adam's fallen nature. His father is God. Thus, with a human mother, He is the God/Man. He was born without sin, He lived under the law without sinning, and He died in fulfilment of the law, taking away sin committed under law for those who trust in Him.   The resurrection proves that our sin is atoned for. It also proves that we are eternally saved (because we are no longer under law, and it is by law that sin is imputed). The resurrection also proves that Jesus is God. As all humans who descend from Adam have sin through their father, and because Jesus resurrected, it proves that Jesus' Father is God.   As all beings reproduce after their own kind, the resurrection provides irrefutable proof that Jesus Christ is the God/Man. Hope? Hope? We have the greatest hope of all when we put our trust in Jesus Christ. Nothing can ever separate us from God again when we come to Him through Jesus Christ.   Let us remember this as we pass through this world of toil, trouble, trial, and times of temptation or turmoil. These things are bound to come, but Christ has overcome the world. For those who are in Him, they too have overcome the world.   Praise God for Jesus Christ our Lord!   We praise and exalt You for what You have done for us, O God. The majesty of what You have done is more wonderful than all else. Thank You for the giving of Jesus Christ our Lord, in whom, we now have the hope of the resurrection to eternal life. Amen.  

The Story of Moses and the Message of the Cross In this week's sermon, we delved into the transformative conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in John 3. This discussion is pivotal because it introduces essential Christian doctrines such as the incarnation, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the necessity of being born again. Jesus, in his dialogue, references the story of Moses lifting the snake in the wilderness, drawing a parallel to his own crucifixion. The Encounter with Nicodemus The sermon begins with Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a respected teacher in Israel. Nicodemus approached Jesus under the cover of night, seeking to understand if Jesus was truly sent by God. In this conversation, Jesus introduces the concept of being "born again," explaining that entrance into God's kingdom requires a spiritual rebirth, not just adherence to the law. A Lesson from the Wilderness The story of Moses lifting the bronze snake, found in Numbers 21:4-9, serves as a precursor to the salvation offered through Jesus. As the Israelites wandered in the desert, they faced the consequences of their disobedience: venomous snakes. When they repented, God instructed Moses to create a bronze snake and lift it on a pole. Anyone bitten by a snake could look at it and live. Key Themes: Faith Over Law: The Israelites' journey highlighted the transition from law to faith. Their survival depended not on their adherence to the law, but their faith in God's provision. Symbolism of the Snake: The bronze snake symbolized the coming salvation through Jesus. Just as the snake provided physical healing, Jesus' crucifixion offers spiritual salvation. Jesus Lifted Up Jesus draws a direct line from this Old Testament story to his own mission. In John 3:14-15, Jesus states, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." This act of being "lifted up" is a foreshadowing of the crucifixion. Points of Reflection: The Cross as Salvation: The cross, like the bronze snake, may seem absurd as a symbol of salvation. Yet, it is through Jesus' death that believers find life. Faith in the Unseen: Just as the Israelites had to trust in the unseen power of God for healing, believers are called to trust in the unseen work of Jesus for eternal life. The Call to Action The sermon concludes with a challenge to the congregation: Look to the Cross: Believers are encouraged to place their faith in Jesus' sacrifice on the cross as the only path to eternal life. Share the Message: Those who have found salvation are urged to share this message with others, lifting up Jesus so that others might be drawn to him. In summary, this sermon beautifully ties the story of Moses to the core message of the Gospel, emphasizing the transformative power of faith and the necessity of sharing this good news with the world. As believers, we are reminded that our journey to the promised land of eternal life is paved by looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Angry? Pray. Confused? Pray. Doubting? Pray. Ready to give up? Pray.  Because the prayer you're not proud of is better than the one you won't pray. God isn't asking you to clean up your emotions or find the perfect words before you come to Him. Whatever you're carrying, bring it to Him honestly today and pray anyway. If you've just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: http://ele.vc/tIepfr Scripture References: James 5, verses 16-18 – Pray like Elijah  Psalm 58, verses 6-8 – David prays honestly  Luke 18, verses 9-14 – The Pharisee and the tax collector Romans 8, verse 26 – The Holy Spirit intercedes for you 1 Kings 17, verses 1-9 – Elijah is fed by ravens  1 Kings 18, verse 42 – Elijah bows with his face between his knees 1 Kings 19, verses 3-6 – Elijah gives up, but God says “get up”

Angry? Pray. Confused? Pray. Doubting? Pray. Ready to give up? Pray.  Because the prayer you're not proud of is better than the one you won't pray. God isn't asking you to clean up your emotions or find the perfect words before you come to Him. Whatever you're carrying, bring it to Him honestly today and pray anyway. If you've just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: http://ele.vc/tIepfr Scripture References: James 5, verses 16-18 – Pray like Elijah  Psalm 58, verses 6-8 – David prays honestly  Luke 18, verses 9-14 – The Pharisee and the tax collector Romans 8, verse 26 – The Holy Spirit intercedes for you 1 Kings 17, verses 1-9 – Elijah is fed by ravens  1 Kings 18, verse 42 – Elijah bows with his face between his knees 1 Kings 19, verses 3-6 – Elijah gives up, but God says “get up”

This episode starts with a celebration of Dolly Parton's extraordinary generosity and cultural impact, then moves into a serious theological conversation about hypocrisy, leadership, and what makes a church spiritually healthy or toxic. Mike, Suzie, and Tim connect Jesus' warnings in Matthew 23 and Luke 12 to modern church culture, power, and the temptation to perform righteousness rather than live it.Why was Dolly Parton so universally loved, from the left to the right? Should Churches have a tax exempt status or does that malform the Church, structuring it like a business? How are we, today, to relate to the Pharisees and Jesus's warnings about their posture?Timestamps00:00 - Dolly Parton as a cultural and moral icon01:00 - Surprising examples of Dolly's generosity03:00 - Why Dolly is beloved across ideological lines05:25 - The question of doctrinal purity and salvation06:53 - Rob Bell versus Mark Driscoll and the “greater heresy” debate08:08 - Measuring a life by fruit, dignity, and consistency12:05 - Benny Johnson, Rome, and the irony of Christian empire language15:07 - Listener question: can 501(c)(3) status shape toxic church culture?16:40 - Suzie on tax status versus church culture18:28 - When tax structure becomes an opportunity for corruption21:37 - Tim on systemic abuse and why the model feels broken24:41 - Why leadership still matters in the New Testament26:08 - Ephesians 4 and leadership for church flourishing27:33 - Hebrews 13, submission, and the danger of abusive authority31:48 - Spiritual leadership modeled by Jesus, not American hierarchy34:29 - Paul's refusal to build status around himself35:51 - Teaching through the first woe in Matthew 2339:40 - Hypocrisy as “judging under” and split identity41:30 - The yeast of the Pharisees as corrupting influence43:49 - Fear, sparrows, and what Jesus says to disciples under pressure47:38 - Three ways truth gets exposed: life, persecution, and final judgment51:23 - Gehenna as a kingdom image, not a simplistic hell map54:17 - The God who judges also knows and loves you55:23 - Public confession, denial, and persecution56:17 - Tim on work, power, and the American dream as a church model58:38 - Why the point is not only identifying Pharisees, but avoiding becoming them61:06 - Suzie on famous failures, confession, and being found out in mercy63:35 - How secrecy and lack of truth-telling deepen corruptionAs always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.Our Merch Store! https://www.etsy.com/shop/VOXOLOGY?ref=shop_sugg_marketLearn more about the Voxology PodcastSubscribe on iTunes or SpotifySupport the Voxology Podcast on PatreonThe Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology RadioFollow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on FacebookFollow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerreMusic in this episode by Timothy John StaffordInstagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Friends of the Rosary,In the Gospel today (Luke 4:16-30), Jesus, while facing resistance from his own townspeople, announces His mission: good news to the poor, freedom to captives, sight to the blind, and liberty for the oppressed.We are invited to receive Jesus as He truly comes, not only as we expect Him to come. God's word may challenge familiar ideas, but it also brings freedom, healing, and truth.Meanwhile, Saint Paul, in the first reading (1 Corinthians 2:1-5) reminds us that faith does not rest on clever words or human wisdom, but on the power of God. The Psalm teaches love for God's commands, not as a burden, but as wisdom and guidance.As a prayer for today, we ask Lord Jesus to open our hearts to His word. Help us trust not in human wisdom, but in His power. Give us humility to receive Him, courage to follow Him, and love for His commands.Also today, the Roman Martyrology commemorates Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who showed courage and devotion to Christ after His death.Joseph, a "noble counselor" and disciple of the Lord, awaiting the kingdom of God, went to Pilate to ask for Jesus' body. Nicodemus, who once came to Christ secretly, now came openly, bringing myrrh and aloes. He was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, which was the ruling body of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night asking questions about his mission. In the presence of the Sanhedrin, who wanted to seize Jesus, Nicodemus defended his cause. They are mentioned in the Gospels.They received the dead body of Jesus, deposited from the cross, wrapped it in linen, and placed it in a tomb owned by Joseph. Together, they offered Christ a dignified burial, acting out of love when others had withdrawn in fear. Their actions, though simple in appearance, were precious before God and became part of the path to the Resurrection.Their example teaches that love for Christ must move us to act with courage and faith, even when it is difficult or uncertain. Like them, we are called to bring what we have to Christ and serve Him with humility, trusting that He receives every offering and fills it with His grace.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠August 31, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Send Us Your Questions/CommentsJesus tells a story about a dishonest manager and then… commends him. That tension is exactly why Luke 16 stops so many of us in our tracks, especially when we're trying to build a healthy Christian life around money, work, and everyday decisions. We dig into what Jesus is actually praising (foresight, urgency, and purposeful action) and why the point is never “be shady,” but “be wise” with what God has entrusted to you. If you've ever struggled to connect biblical stewardship with real life finances, this conversation gives you practical clarity without softening the hard edges of the text.We talk about how money becomes a spiritual rival, why Jesus calls it impossible to serve both God and money, and how generosity changes when you move from a closed fist to an open hand. We also connect Luke 16 to the idea of being “faithful in little” through daily assignments like marriage, parenting, your job, serving at church, and showing up for community. Along the way, we share simple ways to treat money as a tool, including intentional giving and the long-term goal of “outrageous generosity” often taught through Financial Peace principles.Then the passage turns toward the Pharisees as lovers of money, and we ask the uncomfortable question: what do we justify in public while God sees our real motives? The chapter's final pivot to divorce highlights covenant faithfulness and the pain that comes when vows are treated as disposable. We also point listeners toward support for struggling marriages and encourage honest reflection, repentance, and hope because God restores what we break.Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What line from Luke 16 challenges you most right now?New episodes every Mondaywww.lifehousemot.cominfo@lifehousede.comJoin us Sundays at 9 & 11 AMIntro music by Joey Blair

Believing “in” Jesus not “about” him is required to be born again. We must surrender to his lordship in our lives to enter the Kingdom of God. John 2:23-25 The intention of miracles was to point people to Jesus, not just to merely impress them. John 3:1-10 Nicodemus was a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews, perhaps Sanhedrin. He was interested and seemingly humble. John 3:3 Being impressed with Jesus' actions is not enough to enter the kingdom. Verse 5 – “born of water” can be understood two ways that are both accurate – 1) water refers to amniotic fluid with physical birth and 2) water that cleanses. Ezekiel 36:25-27 …cleanse from all your filthiness. Based on context from vs 4 and 10, could be both. Titus 3:5 John 3:8 “wind” comes from the Greek pneuma, also translated spirit and breath. All three cannot be seen, but the effects can be felt and seen. 2 Corinthians 5:17 We are new creations since we have been born again. Ezekiel 37:1-14 Numbers 21:6-9 John 3:15-18 “believes in Him” is not the same as believing about him. Nicodemus’ progression of faith (John 3): unsure who Jesus was – John 7: defends Jesus and John 19:39: buries Jesus, thereby identifying with Jesus in public. 1 Peter 1:3-19, 22-25 If you want to experience the new birth, you must have faith in him. Romans 10:9-10The post The Gospel 8: Surrender to Christ to Experience New Birth first appeared on Living Hope.

Monday, 31 August 2026   When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. Matthew 22:22   “And having heard, they wondered, and having left Him, they departed.” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told those He was talking to that, based on the image and inscription of their own coin, they needed to render unto Caesar what was to Caesar, and to God what was to God. With that stated, it next says, “And having heard, they wondered.”   Once the thought-process of such a statement is known, people can easily slip into the thinking that Jesus' words would have been easily presented and that anyone could come to the same conclusion. “Surely I would have figured that out!” But this is not true.   The dismissal of what Jesus said in this manner will usually come from those who already have a bias against the Christian message. In other words, a rabbi may be shown this account, and his answer might be, “Sure, sure. We already know this. We've been living it out for two thousand years. There is nothing new in this.”   But such words dismiss the clear and confident intent of the plan brought forth by the Pharisees and the Herodians. They were positive Jesus would trip up over their question. It takes a very well contemplated response, something not usually forthcoming when asked on the spot about such a matter, to be able to think this through quickly and clearly.   Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and we as humans are quick to think that we would have been just as quick at giving such a response. As for those who proposed the question to Jesus, they knew the truth of the matter.   The Pharisees could not hint at Jesus' words being inappropriate within a religious context. The Herodians were completely shut down in their attempt to accuse Jesus of sedition. Therefore, Matthew records, “and having left Him, they departed.”   What else could they do? They were embarrassed into silence. If any of their own disciples were present, they had embarrassed themselves in front of them. With tails between legs, they turned and scampered.   Life application: Throughout the years, there have been great thinkers who can easily think through difficult issues on the spot. If a technical challenge is needed to overcome a situation, someone may be right on the spot to suggest something that will save the day.   In a military setting, there may be a seemingly impossible situation. And yet, the skill of a single man in understanding the layout of the land may change the course of the battle. Sgt Alvin York was able to do this in WWI.   When facing the onslaught of moral depravity within a society, there may be a handful of voices from people who can quickly and reasonably speak against the tide of perverse thinking of people who come forward with arguments as to why what they are doing is acceptable.   In America today, there are a few such voices, mostly Christians or Jews, who will engage the masses in open discussions about moral issues. In such cases, their logic is irrefutable, and it quickly destroys the arguments of those with opposing views.   Unfortunately, such moral thinkers are often targeted by those who disagree with them. Their websites are attacked, their video platforms are demonetized or scrubbed entirely, their lives are threatened, and the forums where they debate are often shouted down or shut down entirely, even before they get a chance to speak.   In the case of clear biblical thinking, there are those who know what the Bible says, in its proper context, and without irrational thinking being included in their presentations. When this is the case, those who base their theology and doctrine on emotions, presuppositions, or biases (such as what is the state of Israel, whether a single version of the Bible is the only true word, or the timing of when the rapture will occur), will openly attack those holding to the proper view, calling them false teachers or heretics.   Jesus was eventually crucified for His proper stance on what was occurring in His society and in regard to the Law of Moses. Over the years, this has been the case with many of His true followers. Hence, the term martyr is well known to those who remember Christian history.   As believers in Jesus Christ, we should hold fast to the word of God, be firm in our moral convictions, and be ready to defend what we believe. We may not be as quick or clear-thinking as some people, but that is why they are in the public spotlight, and we are not. If their words are in accord with what is biblically sound, we should applaud them.   Matters such as creation versus evolution, support for Israel or standing against it, homosexuality within the church, and so forth, are all things we should have a firm stand on, even if we are not quick enough to publicly enter into a debate about them.   Lord God, thank You for those who rightly interpret and divide Your word, including those who can do so in open forums where others are watching. Help us to consider such arguments and mold our thinking to what is pure, right, moral, and just. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.  

Shawn, Cullan, Justin and other Justin contemplate what Jesus considers bad traditions that the Pharisees enforced.

Angry? Pray. Confused? Pray. Doubting? Pray. Ready to give up? Pray. Because the prayer you're not proud of is better than the one you won't pray. God isn't asking you to clean up your emotions or find the perfect words before you come to Him. Whatever you're carrying, bring it to Him honestly today and pray anyway. If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: http://ele.vc/tIepfr Scripture References:James 5, verses 16-18 – Pray like Elijah Psalm 58, verses 6-8 – David prays honestly Luke 18, verses 9-14 – The Pharisee and the tax collectorRomans 8, verse 26 – The Holy Spirit intercedes for you1 Kings 17, verses 1-9 – Elijah is fed by ravens 1 Kings 18, verse 42 – Elijah bows with his face between his knees1 Kings 19, verses 3-6 – Elijah gives up, but God says “get up”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor Jordan Boyce is preaching on Discerning Right Decisions.

Full Text of Readings Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 431 The Saint of the day is Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus Saints Joseph of Arimathea's and Nicodemus' Story The actions of these two influential Jewish leaders give insight into the charismatic power of Jesus and his teachings—and the risks that could be involved in following him. Joseph was a respected, wealthy civic leader who had become a disciple of Jesus. Following the death of Jesus, Joseph obtained Jesus' body from Pilate, wrapped it in fine linen and buried it. For these reasons, Joseph is considered the patron saint of funeral directors and pallbearers. More important is the courage Joseph showed in asking Pilate for Jesus' body. Jesus was a condemned criminal who had been publicly executed. According to some legends, Joseph was punished and imprisoned for such a bold act. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and, like Joseph, an important first-century Jew. We know from John's Gospel that Nicodemus went to Jesus at night—secretly—to better understand his teachings about the kingdom. Later, he spoke up for Jesus at the time of his arrest and assisted in Jesus' burial. We know little else about Nicodemus. Reflection Celebrating these two contemporaries of Jesus who played significant roles in Jesus' life, reminds us of the humanity of Jesus and how he related to his fellow men and women. His gentleness to these two and his acceptance of their help remind us that he treats us in the same gentle way.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Anchor Your Soul in His Majesty David Mathis Download Psalm 110,The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand,until I make your enemies your footstool.”2 The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments;from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,“You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses;he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.7 He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head. I know Psalm 110 sounds hard to understand at the first reading. I think it is understandable with a little explaining. And it's worth it. Martin Luther said,“This beautiful psalm . . . is the very core and [heart] of the whole of Scripture. No other psalm prophecies as abundantly and completely about Christ. It portrays the Lord and his entire kingdom and is full of comfort for Christians.”Hebrews 6:19 calls this psalm “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” If you get Psalm 110, it is powerful for assurance. Its gives us “strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).For those in room who are not yet Christians, Psalm 110 is powerful evidence for the truth of Christianity. I saw an article just this week called “An Overlooked Argument for Christianity: Why the Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy Still Matters.” Psalm 110 stands at the confluence of two massive OT rivers of anticipation, as the messianic river of regal hope converges here with another major river of priestly anticipation.A powerful defense of the Christian faith for Christians, and challenge for unbelievers, is how Jesus fulfills in one person thousands of years of such diverse expectations. And Psalm 110 is right at the center of it.Jesus Right NowBut more than assurance and apologetics, as Luther said, this is a great psalm “full of comfort for Christians.” Cities Church, it's been an unusual 2026. I really believe that God gave us what we could not have expected that we might know his Son better. At least that.And here at the end of the summer, he gives us this spectacular vision of our Lord in Psalm 110. This is what we need most right now, a fresh vision of the majesty of Christ, as he is right now, seated in glory and power, worthy of your confidence and full trust.What God wants us to see this morning is that our Lord Jesus is infinitely great. And it's one thing to say that and move on. It's another to say it and then try to back it up with details from Psalm 110; that is, to say and linger over it; to make the general declaration “Jesus is infinitely great” and then explain it, explore it, develop it, give specifics, get fresh glimpses, and real tastes, and perhaps ones we're not used to talking about all the time.So, let's enjoy four sights of the majesty of Jesus, right now, full of comfort for Cities Church.1. Your Lord has conquered and is ruling. (vv. 1, 4)Psalm 110 makes two stunning moves, both declaration from God. The first is verse 1, right out of the gate:The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”This is an enthronement declaration to a new king, from the mouth of God himself: Sit (on the throne) at my right hand (in the greatest possible place of honor), while I put your enemies under his feet. That is, God (the LORD) will make this king's enemies to serve him, to prop his feet up. The surprise is that David is the king, and we would think he has no lord other than God himself. What does David mean that he has a “Lord” other than the LORD? We'll come back to that.The second surprising move is Verse 4:The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind,“You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” What's so stunning is that in Israel, the kingship and the priesthood were strictly two different offices. They were expressly not to be joined. Kings, like David, were from the tribe of Judah. Priests, like Aaron (Moses's brother), were from the tribe of Levi.Psalm 110 is clearly from king David, addressed to a future king, and in verse 4, David says God does the imponderable: he declares to the king, You are a priest.Which brings us to this strange Melchizedek figure. Outside of Psalm 110 and the book of Hebrews, he is only mentioned briefly in Genesis 14. In the days of Abraham, four kings from the east came and fought with five kings near Abraham and took his nephew Lot. So, Abraham gathered his trained men and pursued the four kings and overtook them and defeated them. When Abraham returned home with all the spoils, this strange king-priest from Salem (Jerusalem) brings out bread and wine, and blesses Abraham in the name of God Most High. And Abraham acknowledges him and gives him a tenth (a tithe) of the spoils. And that's it. Three verses, and nothing more about this enigmatic Melchizedek.Until David comes along, a thousand years later, sitting as king in Jerusalem, reading Genesis 14 and realizing there was once a king-priest who ruled over this city. David himself would not dare play priest. Saul had tried that and received God's judgment (1 Samuel 13): his kingdom would not continue but be given to “a man after his own heart” (who would be David). But David has received promises from God about his dynasty enduring forever, and always having a son on his throne (2 Samuel 7).Under the terms of the first covenant, under the order of Aaron, king-priest was strictly forbidden. Kings are kings. Priests are priests. But in Psalm 110, David has a vision of a new day when one of his sons will be greater than him (because of God's promise) and that son will not only be king (ruling the people) but priest (making atonement for their sin), like this Melchizedek was. Which must mean a new covenant. (The NT book of Hebrews is essentially an extended meditation on this.)The big deal about a king also being priest is that the heart of the priest's work is offering sacrifices for sin. Making atonement for the people. Kings rule through making laws, enforcing justice, rendering judgments; priests serve the people by offering sacrifices to cover sin, so that a sinful people can have peace with a holy God.What's mainly in view in the king being priest is his making atonement for sin. And the significance of the priesthood for Jesus is that his sacrifice is done. At the cross, he made the perfect sacrifice once for all, and so with his work complete, the Father declares, Sit at my right hand.So, Jesus has conquered. He has made the final sacrifice for sin as the great high priest, and he is presently ruling on heaven's throne as the universe's king.Some of us love especially his kingship: his power and authority, his strategy and decisiveness; his wisdom and perfect justice as the Lion of Judah. Others of us, especially love his priesthood: his compassion and holiness; his sympathy and sacrifice as the Lamb who was slain. We all need both. Amazingly Jesus is both.2. Your Lord never grows old or gets tired. (vv. 3, 7)This is a wonder, and such good news. Look first at the second part of verse 3, which may be “the most obscure verse in the whole Psalter.”“…from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours.”Dew and morning, and womb and youth, capture the prime of life: youthful vigor, energy, and strength; the vitality and fresh hope of a new day. In other words, your Lord doesn't grow old and frail; he doesn't slow down with age.One great irony, in our fallen world, that when we're young, we have energy but not yet our best wisdom, and as we grow our wisest, our energy begins to fail us.My dad was a dentist for more than 40 years. As he approached age 70, his knowledge and experience in dentistry was at its height, and yet his energy was declining. His tank got empty quicker. All the knowledge was there and better than ever, but his energy was flagging.And I know a great Christian counselor, here in our church, who was as wise and knowledgeable as he's ever been, at the very top of his game in the counseling field, but as he approached 70, he realized he could not keep doing what he'd once done for 40+ hours week. He's now retired. And still one of the wisest men I know.And I've known a great aging preacher, who knows the Bible and the human heart better than he ever has, and is as skilled in preparing and delivering sermons as he's ever been. But at 80, he does not have the same vigor and energy as he did at 50. Every great leader grows old, and often it's right when he's at his best.But Cities Church, this is not the story of your Lord. And it never will be. There's no transition plan for Jesus. The dew of his youth is still his. It's still morning for his reign, and no evening is coming. He is full of wisdom, greater than Solomon, and full of vigor and life, greater than any Olympian or warrior.Which leads to verse 7, the last line:“He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.”The picture is of a great hero who has expended himself in battle, and as the enemy retreats and he hunts him down, God gives him water on the way, to refresh him, and keep him going.Like Gideon in Judges 8:4:“Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing.”Or like Samson in Judges 15:18–19, after he struck down 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey:[Samson] was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 And God split open the hollow place that is at Lehi, and water came out from it. And when he drank, his spirit returned, and he revived.Verse 7 is a picture of Jesus hunting down the enemy, and being continually refreshed by his Father to keep up the pursuit.Some of us have been wearied in various ways by the challenges of 2026. Or in whatever ways you might be weary going into the fall. We grow old; we get weary; Jesus does not. And in his ever renewing strength he stands ready to renew ours.3. Your Lord is God himself in our own humanity. (vv. 5-7)This truth is so spectacular that it almost cheapens it to put it into words. It's the answer to some of the Bible's most piercing questions. Like when Jesus calms the sea, and the disciples say, Who then is this, that even the wind and the waves obey him?In Matthew 22 (Mark 12; Luke 20), Jesus asks the Pharisees, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, [Psalm 110:1]44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet” '? 45 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” (42-45)Then verse 46 reports:“And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.”Why is that? The missing piece for us is the assumption in the ancient world that a father is greater than his son. The father sired the son; father came first, and from his life and marriage came a son. So, the older generation is greater than the subsequent ones.Yet what Jesus points out is that David is speaking about one of his offspring, but calls him “my Lord.” How can that be? And Jesus leaves it at that. He doesn't need to give the answer with his mouth, because he is the living embodiment of the answer as a son of David and the divine Son. (Calvin says it well: “There is something in Christ more excellent than his humanity, on account of which he is called the Lord of David his father.”)Jesus is so plainly human, standing before the Pharisees in human flesh and blood, in a body he will give to be broken at the cross and blood he will shed as a sacrifice to atone for sins. He is manifestly human (he drinks from the brook!). Yet, he is so much more. This is God himself, the second person of the triune Godhead, among us as one of us. Which is why he is Lord of all, even King David.Psalm 110 gives us an amazing coming together of God himself and his anointed king. See it first in verse 5:“The Lord (God) is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.”In verse 1, in heaven's throne room, the king was the God's right hand. Now, on the battlefield, God is at the king's right hand. And he (God or human king?) will crush kings on the day of his (God's or king's?) wrath.Verse 6 continues:6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs [the head]over the wide earth. Is it God or the king who shatters kings and executes judgment, and fills unbelieving nations with corpses? The ambiguity is on purpose. The LORD God and Lord king act as one. There's an intentional conflation of God and the coming king.Especially significant is that last part of verse 6. Our translation has “he will shatter chiefs,” but the word for “chiefs” is singular and the same word as “head” at the end of verse 7. So, verse 6 could read, “he will shatter (or crush) the head.” Which sounds like God's word of curse to the serpent in Genesis 3, that a coming offspring of the woman (and now offspring of David) “shall bruise your head.”Cities Church, the greatness of our Lord Jesus as God himself in our own humanity defies easy articulation. “Jesus is God” just doesn't do it. It doesn't capture the glory. We ache to say more. The best language is the language of worship: to declare him great, to say out loud he's worthy, to sing there is none like him. Our Lord is great beyond description, marvelous beyond our grasping for words. Which is why our gathering here every Sunday to worship Jesus, despite whatever opposition his enemies throw at us, is the most important thing we do week in and week out. Oh don't take this gathering lightly. We are here to worship Jesus — God himself in our own humanity.4. Your Lord shatters his enemies and thrills his people. (2-3a)Finally, verses 2–3a:“The LORD sends forth from Zionyour mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments.”At the seam between verses 2 and 3 is the critical distinction between “your enemies” and “your people.”We saw in verse 1 that God declares he will make “your enemies” a prop for Jesus's feet. Now in verse 2: “Rule in the midst of your enemies.” And note that it is no flaw in Jesus that he has enemies; in fact, it would be a flaw if he didn't.Those who reject this infinitely great person of Psalm 110 will not escape the day of his righteous wrath. Reject his priestly work, and there is no other sacrifice for sin; you will have nothing to shield you from what your sins deserve before the holy God.The day is coming when Jesus will have the honor of executing perfect judgment among the nations. He will do no wrong in righting every wrong. Which means no punishment for sin will be too severe; nor will it be too light. The only escape is to embrace the king of the universe as your own sacrifice.And those who do embrace him as Lord, verse 3a says, “offer themselves freely.” In other words, no coercion. No arm-twisting. Jesus's people do not declare him Lord through gritted teeth. They rally to him from the heart. They adore him. They obey from the heart, with overflowing joy.Don't miss this, Cities Church, as his people: our joy really matters. Our offering ourselves freely plays a part in this vision of his majesty in Psalm 110. Vital to how the king-priest looks great is that his people “offer themselves freely.” He doesn't force them. He wins us from the heart, and Jesus looks great in our joy in him. Our willing, glad service to him glorifies him.Receive His Bread and WineAnd so we come to the Table to receive bread and wine from our king-priest in the order of Melchizedek. The Lion is our king. The Lamb is our priest. He never grows old or gets tired. He is far greater than we can even say, and so we worship. And he is the one who thrills our hearts and has won our glad allegiance.

The Sabbath was a gift from God, but the Pharisees turned it into a burden. They missed the heart behind the Sabbath. But Jesus reminds them of the purpose of the Sabbath and tells them that He is Lord of the Sabbath.

Sunday, 30 August 2026   They said to Him, “Caesar's.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” Matthew 22:21   “They say to Him, ‘Caesar's.' Then He says to them, ‘You render, therefore, those Caesar's to Caesar, and those the ‘God's' to God.'” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus asked the Pharisees and Herodians whose image and inscription were on the coin. In response to that, “They say to Him, ‘Caesar's.'”   Rather than holding up the coin and saying, “Look, this is Caesar's image and inscription,” Jesus had them respond to His question. By doing so, they have, with their own mouths, affirmed that the coin they used belonged not to the Jewish nation, but to their overlords, the Romans.   Therefore, their thought of trapping Jesus in His words will fail. Their question to Him in Verse 17 was not an either/or response after all. Instead, the correct response, when thought through, is seen in the continued exchange, “Then He says to them, ‘You render, therefore, those Caesar's to Caesar.'”   The nation was subject to Rome. They used its currency, they lived by whatever laws were imposed on them, and they could be elevated in the Roman society or cast into Roman prisons. The coin in Jesus' hand confirmed this. To say otherwise would be an act of rebellion against those who ruled over them. Along with that thought, Jesus says, “and those the ‘God's' to God.”   To the Jews, whether they believed in God or not, they knew that the culture of the nation was established on the premise that there is a God and that He had given His law through Moses to the nation. Nobody would deny that. Anyone who spoke against it could be punished up to death, even if the death penalty had been reserved for Rome to mete out.   As this is so, their laws mandated many things that the people were expected to do. This included the sacrificial system, the tithes and offerings, observing particular days like the Sabbath and the Day of Atonement, etc. Even the garments they wore had aspects mandated in the Law of Moses.   The crops they could grow in a field and the types of food they could eat were also governed by the law. Obedience to the law was considered rendering to God because their law came from Him. These points were undeniable, and these leaders' attempts to trap Jesus in His words had failed, epically.   Life application: If these men had taken .00156 seconds to think through what their own Scriptures said, they would have seen the error in their thinking concerning an either/or answer to the question they asked of Jesus. In Jeremiah 29, it says –   “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 29:4-9   The fate of the people, be it living in freedom, in captivity, or under the rule of their enemies in their own land, was solely at the will of the Lord. This is recorded throughout Judges and onward. The word of the Lord through Jeremiah explicitly notes this.   It is the Lord who sent them into exile. He did it by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, and their exile was to Babylon. This wasn't an aberration. Rather, it was prophesied in advance, and even the number of years the exile would continue was told to them by Jeremiah in his words to them.   During the time of that exile, at the Lord's direction, they were expected to render unto Babylon the things that belonged to Babylon. Babylon was God's chosen instrument to chastise Israel for its aberrant ways. If they rebelled against the authority placed over them, there would be consequences.   The Lord instructed them to live in peace in their new land. To disobey that would be to incur the Lord's wrath. Likewise, they would incur the wrath of those who held them captive. That truth has not changed to this day. Whether they accept their state in the world or not, and whether they believe in the Lord or not, they are to render unto whatever nation they live in what belongs to that nation, and they are to render unto God what belongs to Him.   The same is true for believers. Paul says in Romans 13 –   “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.” Romans 13:1, 2   Stand on the word when such things arise. God has ordained your time, place, and station in life. Live within the framework of those things in a manner that will honor Him.   Lord God, in so many ways, You have taken the pressure off us. When Your word tells us to do something, all we need to do is be obedient to what You have said. Help us to remember this, complying with such things according to Your will for each of us. Amen.

Matthew 12:1-14 12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God

God grants sight to the blind and commissions them to take light into a dark world. In this message from Acts 9:1-19, we step aside from Exodus for one week to examine Saul's conversion on the Damascus road. The fire-breathing Pharisee who was breathing threats and murder against the disciples is sovereignly stopped by Jesus Himself, struck blind, and then given both physical and spiritual sight. God not only saves this foremost of sinners—He commissions him as a chosen instrument to take the light of the gospel into a dark world. This text reminds us that every true conversion follows the same pattern: we were headed in the wrong direction, God apprehended us by His grace, He opened our eyes, and He put us into service. We who once were blind now see—and we are sent to take that light to others. Preached by Rodney Brown Jr. at Rhome Bible Church Website: https://www.rhomebible.org #Acts #BibleTeaching #RhomeBibleChurch #Sermon #ChristianPodcast #BiblicalPreaching #GodsSovereignty #NewTestament #Faith #ImpartingTheWord #Reformed #ExpositionalPreaching #ExpositionalTeaching #Conversion #AmazingGrace

First Baptist Church Williamstown Elder Rich McClure has this week’s message from Luke 18:9-14 about the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

Original Post Date: August 29, 2024 === Gospel Mark 6:17-29 Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. Herodias' own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you." He even swore many things to her, "I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the Baptist." The girl hurried back to the king's presence and made her request, "I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist." The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. Reflection We've been spending a lot of time this week focusing on the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. But now we have a king, King Herod, and we see something in him that is very like that. He's caught in a situation where he's afraid that he's going to be misunderstood by the public, and he cannot take a stand on what he believes, but does only what serves his ego. That's why we have to be careful with. The ego. Closing Prayer Father, nothing gives us more a sense of value and worth than being authentic. Saying what we believe. Acting on what we believe. Give us that kind of integrity. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation on August 17, 2026 at Parkhill Centre in Ottawa.Prayer in our life is an essential part of our existence of sons of God. It gives our resilience, and our purpose going. It is like the engine room of our interior life. In the Gospel, we have the Pharisees complaining about the company that Jesus kept. This prompted Jesus to reaffirm the truth of God's mercy through the most iconic parables of the Gospel: The conversion of the prodigal son.Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.comThumbnail: Rembrandt, The Conversion of the Prodigal Son, 1661.

Friday, 28 August 2026   Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. Matthew 22:19   “‘You display to me the ‘coin, the census'.' They also offered to Him – denarius.” (CG)   In the previous verse, Jesus knew that they were setting a trap for Him with their question about paying the census. Therefore, He challenged them on it, calling them hypocrites. In order to give them a response, He next says, “You display to me the ‘coin, the census'.”   Instead of directly answering their question, He asks for the coin used when paying the Roman census. As this was the approved coin, it means that every person in the country had their census paid for with it.   Whatever they hand Him, therefore, will provide His answer to their question. If He sides with the Herodians, the Pharisees will be able to accuse Him. If He sides with the Pharisees, the Herodians will be able to accuse Him. How will He get out of this? Not yet knowing His intent, “They also offered to Him – denarius.”   The denarius is a Roman coin. Depending on what the census tax was referring to in Matthew 17, this may help us understand the didrachma mentioned there –   “When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, ‘Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?' 25 He said, ‘Yes.' And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?' 26 Peter said to Him, ‘From strangers.' Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are free. 27 Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.'” Matthew 17:24-27   Regardless of the meaning of that tax, the denarius was a standard coin, known to be widely used among the people. It has already been noted in two parables, indicating that it was the standard coin used by the people when dealing with such matters –   “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!'” Matthew 18:28   “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” Matthew 20:1, 2   As this is so, Jesus will make a point about the matter based on this.   Life application: If you are planning on making an accusation or a defense about a matter, one sure way to bolster your side of the argument is to have a physical prop at hand. In a trial, something with fingerprints on it is a certain way of proving that a person's hand was on whatever is presented.   Having photos of a person doing something, legal or illegal, can be used to prosecute or defend. Such things work because people can see them. They become undeniable pieces of evidence to support one's position.   Instead of just saying what is on His mind, Jesus uses a physical, tangible prop to support what He is about to say. Depending on what is said, and also who says it, an air-tight case can be made, beyond which there can be no contestation.   Remember this as you deal in such matters. If you have such a prop available to you, be sure to include it. Words can have strength, but physical evidence of some sort can be the final nail in the coffin when it is presented.   Lord God, help us to think matters through so that we will take the right avenue that is needed to resolve the difficult matters that arise in our lives. May this be especially true when we deal in matters which include our relationship with You. May our lives and actions always bring glory to You. Amen.  

Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? Seems like a good question on the surface, posed to Jesus by the Pharisees. But the motive behind the question was to trip Jesus up, and entrap Him. Of course our Lord saw right through it, and handles the situation perfectly. We'll take a look at this interaction today. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1459/29?v=20251111

Today’s Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) Father Charles Murr joins Terry Gospel – Matthew 23:27-32 – Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous,  and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.' Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!” Saints in Heaven, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day

Original Post Date: August 28, 2024 === Gospel Matthew 23:27-32 Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous,  and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.' Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!” Reflection Underlying everything that Jesus has been saying about the Pharisees, is a kind of hidden way of understanding a power that anyone in the role of ministry truly has, and how important it is that they teach the truth and guide people, and invite them into the truth. In a way you could read in these stories about the Pharisees what it is that God longs for and what he wills. Ministers that minister truth. Closing Prayer Father, give us an open mind and open heart so that when we listen to those who guide us, that you give us the wisdom to discern what is true and what is not. So that we can always be guided by nothing other than the thing that's most important to you, and that is that we embrace your truth. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Morning Offering, August 26, 2026 is brought to you by Catholic Coffee https://bit.ly/4hOxFevFather Brad explores the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes before showing how the Dead Sea Scrolls transformed our understanding of Judaism, Scripture, and the world of Jesus.Every morning, join Father Brad as he begins the day with prayer and reflection. In a few short minutes, Father Brad guides you in prayer, shares a brief reflection grounding your day in the Church's rhythm of feast days and liturgy, and provides you with the encouragement necessary to go forward with peace and strength. Disclaimer: The ads shown before, during, or after this video have no affiliation with Morning Offering and are controlled by YouTubeLet us do as the saints urge and begin our days in prayer together so as a community of believers we may join the Psalmist in saying, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3-4)________________

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai at Camp Caribou near Barry's Bay, Ontario, on August 25th, 2026.Today, the Gospel speaks about the distaste that Jesus had for those who relied on appearances, on image, on looking good to others. Those who spent time cultivating a public image. It is a rather blistering accusation.Matt 23, 24-26: Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You who clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance. Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that the outside may become clean as well.'Music: Regi Stone, All Heavens Declare.Thumbnail: Rembrandt, Jesus preaching. Etching, Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

While Jesus eats at the house of a Pharisee, a sinful woman enters and washes andanoints Jesus' feet. Whoever has been forgiven much, loves much.Join Pastor Daryl as he journeys through the entire Bible.Read Pastor Daryl's daily devotional.Subscribe to our YouTube channel.Visit the radio station website.If you enjoy Simply the Bible, please give us a rating and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. That helps us a lot!Calvary Chapel Treasure Valley now meets Sunday mornings in a tent on our church property at 3853 E Lake Hazel Road in Meridian. For service times, online messages, and info on small groups meeting throughout the week, please visit our website at calvarytv.org.

Does the Bible really make an exception for divorce, or do we think it does because it fits with our divorce-heavy culture? In this episode, I dig into what marriage was actually designed for, walk through the "exception clause" in Matthew 19:9, and unpack why the Pharisees' question to Jesus helps us understand His answers. We'll see how and why Mark and Luke don't include the "exception clause," and how a godly view of divorce doesn't allow for remarriage.  The full article: Can Christians Get Divorced and Remarried? Does God Make Exceptions for Divorce? My article on our wrong view of love and marriage: Why Christians Will Keep Losing the Homosexuality Debate Jesus, Divorce, and Remarriage: In Their Historical Setting by Gordon J. Wenham Join my monthly supporters: www.Patreon.com/OnwardintheFaith  One-time donations: [PayPal] https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/OnwardintheFaith [Venmo] http://www.venmo.com/u/Ray-Burns-6   Get my books from Amazon using these affiliate links! 40 Moments From Christ's Final Days: https://amzn.to/3Ruxtm1  25 Days of Christ in the Old Testament: https://amzn.to/488nsSr   Outro music by LesFM(https://pixabay.com/music/search/lesfm/) from Pixabay.  

Wednesday, 26 August 2026   Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Matthew 22:17   “You tell, therefore, us what You, it seems? It permits to give census to Caesar or not?” (CG)   In the previous verse, it was noted that the disciples of the Pharisees and the Herodians went to Jesus, buttering Him up with platitudes. Now that they feel He is primed for a fall into the trap they have set, they say, “You tell, therefore, us what to You, it seems.”   Here it goes. In the previous verse, they said to Jesus, “Teacher, we have known that true, You are, and the ‘way, the God' in truth You teach, and not it concerns You about anyone. Not, also, You look to ‘appearance, men'.”   Now, instead of asking what Scripture (the ‘way, the God') says, they ask for an opinion that is surely intended to trap Him in a moral, religious, or cultural dilemma. One can see them salivating over the answer He will give, knowing that they have Him in a box. And so, with this in mind, they ask their question, “It permits to give census to Caesar or not?”   The kensos, census, was introduced in Matthew 17:25. It is a poll tax that was not paid in their Jewish currency but in Roman coin. This is a problem and a dilemma that the people faced. Should they obediently submit to those who ruled them, or should they rebel against their authority?   This is where they feel that they have trapped Him. If He says to not pay it, the Herodians are standing there, ready to report Him to the Roman authorities for being a rebel against their duly set authority.   On the other hand, if He says that they were to pay the poll tax, the Pharisees, as the religious authorities over the people, would be able to tell the masses that Jesus was a traitor to the nation, placing the authority of the Romans above supposed allegiance to God, who established them as a people.   The idea of “supposed” is not that the people could be disobedient to God, but that there may be a contingency not suggested in the presentation of their false dilemma that had nothing to do with disobedience to God.   Life application: As noted in a previous commentary, fallacies are mistakes in reasoning that render an argument weak, unsound, or invalid. The content of the fallacy is based on an already broken structure of argumentation.   The problem is that people quite often do not know what fallacies are or when they are presented. Instead, they hear what is being presented and, without thinking the matter through, assume that what is stated is valid.   And there are a seemingly endless number of fallacies to contend with. Some, like the false dilemma, are often so seemingly innocuous that they are hard to pin down, especially when one is under pressure to give a response.   A few common fallacies are: Ad Hominem – Attacking the person making an argument instead of the argument itself. Straw Man – Changing or exaggerating an opponent's argument to make it easier to knock down. False Dilemma – Pretending there are only two choices when there are more options. Appeal to Authority – Claiming something is true just because an expert or famous person says so, without real evidence. Bandwagon (Ad Populum) – Saying an idea is right because lots of people believe in it. Circular Reasoning – Repeating the claim inside the proof itself instead of giving a real reason. Slippery Slope – Claiming that a small first step will lead to a giant, bad disaster without proof. Hasty Generalization – Making a giant rule based on just a small example.   We hear these errors in thinking all the time, but don't consider them because we have not taken the time to understand what is being presented or who is presenting the information.   Take time to go to a website that specifically lists fallacies and look them over. Consider each one in your mind before moving on. This will help you immensely when you hear people refer to all types of matters.   One from a religious perspective was given by John Hagee when he was selling a book about Jesus. He said, “Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah.” Obviously, he had never read the Bible through because Jesus explicitly claimed to be the Messiah in John 4:26, John 17:3 (which uses the word “Christ”, and which means “Messiah”), etc.   Further, the terms Messiah and Christ, when referring to Jesus, are stated well over 250 times. But what John Hagee did was to build a Straw Man fallacy by redefining what “Messiah” means for his own purposes. He then essentially said, “See, Jesus never claimed this.”   But how many people went out and bought the book? And how many continued to sit under his teaching after such an enormous, purposeful attack against the position and authority of Jesus? The fact that they accepted his word reflects another fallacy mentioned above, the Appeal to Authority. “Oh, the preacher is a specialist on this or that. Therefore, what he says must be true.”   Be careful to know when you are being sold a bill of goods. Jesus was prepared, as we will see.   Lord God, keep us from false teachers who present misleading, bogus, and even heretical doctrines that will blind us to the truth of Your word. Give us wisdom to understand how what they present is false so that we will not be duped by their words. Yes, help us in this, O God. Amen.  

Spiritual Authority and Dominion (1) (audio) David Eells, 8/26/26 I want to remind you and encourage you about the difference between using carnal and spiritual dominion. The Bride is maturing and overcoming the flesh, and she's using her dominion over the spiritual host of wickedness and doing warfare against the DS satanists. The Lord says, If any man [is] for captivity, into captivity he goeth: If any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed … (Rev.13:10). Jesus exercised dominion in His kingdom; not the kind of dominion that some want and false religious leaders have, which glorifies man. Jesus rejected the offer by Satan to be a worldly king with carnal dominion. The Pharisees and Sadducees had a carnal dominion over the people of God. Jesus commanded the people not to do what they did but to obey them because they sat in the seat of Moses. They were given governmental authority much the same way they are today in the church. Jesus exercised dominion over the curse and over Satan's kingdom. He was destroying the works of Satan in the lives of His people. Jesus had spiritual authority, and the people followed Him willingly because they were drawn of the Father, not because they were under the condemnation of the Law. Spiritual authority was necessary to be spiritually and physically fed, healed, and delivered. The apostate religious leaders had no authority like that then, nor do they now. Even though the disciples did not resist their carnal authority, they did resist their attempt to exercise spiritual authority when it was important. They said, “We must obey God rather than men.” When Peter tried to enforce his carnal authority with the sword, Jesus said, … All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword (Mat.26:52). Then, to show that His spiritual authority can, when necessary, dominate the carnal realm, Jesus said, (Mat.26:53) Or thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and he shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? Anyone who has an angel, much less twelve legions, would not need a puny sword for defense. One angel killed 185,000 men to defend Zion. Jesus then makes the point that if He calls the angels to defend His flesh, how would it be crucified? (54) How then should the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be? This is a good principle for us who also must be crucified. According to type, crucifixion does not necessitate the physical death of the body, but the old nature. (Rom.12:1) … Present your bodies a living sacrifice … The body is dead, meaning that it no longer has a will and rights of its own but is devoted to the service of God. In type, just as Jesus sacrificed His literal flesh, we sacrifice the flesh of the old man while we live. We are told that those who try to defend the body by physical force will be killed for their lack of faith. (Rev.13:10) If any man [is] for captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. It is also clear here that if a person needs captivity to fulfill in some way their own crucifixion, the sword will not save them. In fact, it will be judgment to them. (Joh.18:36) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews …. Those who wrestle with flesh and blood in disobedience to the Word are not fighting for God's kingdom but the world and the flesh. They are attempting to exercise carnal dominion. Jesus exercised dominion to save God's creation. He did not exercise dominion over people who wanted to put to death His flesh. As He did a few times, we also have permission to flee, for it was not yet His time. That is a type for us. We must go through many things in order to put to death our flesh. That is what the world was created for: to bring us into sanctification through the death of the old man, the flesh. Even while the world around us is spiritually putting us on our cross by insults, injuries, persecutions, slander, etc., we have to cooperate with them by turning the other cheek. We have authority to save, heal, deliver, provide, and die to self. Exercising our dominion is God exercising His sovereignty through us. Jesus exercised dominion, but He personally resisted not the evil by turning the other cheek. While the world was crucifying Him, even before He came to the natural cross, His spiritual man was exercising dominion and delivering His people from the curse.  Sometimes we can get mixed up about when to exercise this dominion and when not. We do not have authority to save the old man. We do not want to keep our old life; we want our new life. Jesus said that unless we lose our life, we would not gain our life. So this authority to exercise dominion that God has given us is the same as Jesus had. This dominion is not to get rich in the world, but it is to have all we need to do God's Will. God gave me my last two houses and cars free, in order for me to do His Will. (Php.4:19) … My God shall supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Dominion is not to live after the lusts of the flesh, as they do in a false, worldly prosperity that encourages and empowers the flesh to live. (1Ti.6:8) But having food and covering we shall be therewith content. (9) But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. Here is a promise to those who are not content but love the things of the world. They will be overcome by lusts, and it will be as impossible for them to enter the Kingdom as it would be for a camel to go through the eye of a needle (Mat.19:24‑26).  Jesus exercised dominion over His flesh when He was going to the cross. He said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.” He gave them authority to crucify His flesh. In the garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus spoke to those who came to take Him, “they went backward, and fell to the ground,” showing that He could stop them if He wanted to save His life, or until it was time to go to the cross. He said in John 10:18, “No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself.” A couple of times, He passed through their midst, apparently translated, because it was not His time to die (Luk.4:30). He had been given authority to save God's people, who believed, and to destroy Satan's kingdom. Our flesh (the carnal man) is part of Satan's kingdom (Rom.8:7). The book of Esther is not only literally true but also a prophetic parable. Haman (the beast) had been given authority by the king (the Lord) to destroy the people of God, while Esther (the bride) had been given authority to save the people of God. The beast and the bride were given opposing authority at the same time by the same king. In type, the beast was given authority to crucify the old man, the carnal nature, and the bride was given authority to bring to life the spiritual man. The king's authority could not be annulled in anything, just as our Lord's authority. Ultimately, the house of the beast was given unto the bride to have authority over it (Est.8:1).  The time will come when God will no longer offer grace to the Gentiles but will return it to Israel. He will permit Christians, at that time, to exercise authority over the people who are trying to kill them. Fire from the Witnesses' mouths destroying their enemies, smiting the earth with every plague, and stopping the rain for 3 ½ years, are examples (Rev.11:5-6). From there to the end, authority will be manifested to destroy the beast's kingdom until this world becomes God's kingdom and He takes control (Rev.11:15). Personal control differs from control by proxy. God runs everything, but He must use vessels of dishonor now (Rom.9:21‑24). The time is coming when He will take control in and through His saints who believe. This dominion is ours as spiritual children of Jesus Christ, but we will grow into it by grace. Dominion starts here in the training grounds but continues for eternity. Here, the Lord teaches us how to be rulers under Him over His creation. (1Co.6:1) Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? (2) Or know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? (3) Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? (4) If then ye have to judge things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are of no account in the church? (5) I say [this] to move you to shame …. If we have authority to judge fallen angels, how much more do we have authority to judge things in this life? Jesus taught His disciples to pray like this: “Thy kingdom come thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The Lord pointed out to me that this is a command that God is putting in our mouth. Some would object that this puts us in the place of commanding God. Look what God said in (Isa.45:11) Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask me of the things that are to come; concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands, command ye me. In effect, what we command when led by the Spirit, He carries out. In Acts 3:6, Peter commands the lame beggar, “What I have, that give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” See, we represent Christ. Peter had authority to represent Jesus and to command the curse. When the lame man walked and bystanders were tempted to credit Peter, he said, “Why fasten ye your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him to walk?” (Act.3:12) God's power fulfills what we command in obedience to Him. Our work here is to manifest God's kingdom here on the earth. At the last trump, it will be said in (Rev.11:15) … The kingdom of the world is become [the kingdom] of our Lord, and of his Christ …. Through whom did God bring this to pass? The Bible gives credit to the saints. (Dan.7:26) … The judgment shall be set, and they (the saints) shall take away his (the beast) dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end. (27) And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High …. The saints, by God's grace, shall exercise dominion to end the beast's dominion. God gave dominion unto Samson even in his ignorance. What was the secret of Samson's power? Judges tells us that the secret was his long hair, and as soon as he lost his long hair, he lost his power. Samson was not a big, muscle‑bound man. In Judges 16:17, he told Delilah, “If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” His enemies wanted to know the secret of his power. They were not asking, “How did you get such big muscles?” That did not occur to them. It is not because of our great ability, or power, or wisdom, or even sinlessness, but through what Jesus did at the cross that we have this authority to reign over sin and its curse. Samson reigned over the enemies of God's people. When Samson lost his submission to God, he lost his dominion. In 1 Corinthians 11:3‑16, the long hair was given unto the woman as a sign of submission to her husband. The Bride submits to the Lord, Who is our husband. The one who took the Nazarite vow, as Samson did, could not cut his hair as a sign of submission. The point is that this great dominion was given to Samson, and he lost it because he lost his hair, a sign of his submission to the Lord.  Nazarites were separated from the world by their submission unto the Lord, signified by their long hair. (Num.6:5) All the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. This separation by submission is the meaning of holiness. How did Samson lose his holiness and power? (Jdg.16:19) And she (Delilah) made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. Samson went to sleep, spiritually meaning he no longer had his eyes open to the light of the truth. He submitted his head, or mind in the lap of the harlot Delilah and lost his hair (submission, separation, holiness) and consequently his power or dominion. The moral of that story is that we should not let the harlot have our mind, for then we will have no power of dominion. The religious systems of man, the harlot, have deprived God's people of their power because they are not submitted to the Word of God. (2Ti.3:5) Holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away. The “bride” in the Song of Solomon was a prophetic parable of the sojourning of the Bride today, who temporarily lost her submission. (Son.5:7) The watchmen (or ministers) that go about the city found me, They smote me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls (denominations or sects) took away my mantle (Hebrew: “veil”) from me. The watchmen are identified by the Lord as shepherds (Hebrew: “pastors”) in Isaiah 56:10‑12. These pastors, in trying to keep the Bride within their sectarian walls, smote her and took away her veil, which is also a sign of submission to her husband, the Lord. (1Co.11:3) … The head of the woman is the man … (5) But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoreth her head … (10) for this cause ought the woman to have [a sign of] authority on her head … (13) Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God unveiled? False shepherds have made the people of God submissive to religions rather than Christ as it was in Jesus' day.  In a true type to our day, the Bride in vain sought her beloved first in the broad ways of Babylonish religion. (Son.3:2) [I said], I will rise now, and go about the city (Babylon); In the streets and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. (She sought Him from the false shepherds whose loyalty was to themselves and their own kingdom.) (3) The watchmen that go about the city found me; [To whom I said], Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? (It was not until she was delivered from them that she found the one whom her soul sought.) (4) It was but a little that I passed from them, When I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, (In her excitement she wanted to share Him with those among whom she was first conceived and birthed.) Until I had brought him into my mother's house, And into the chamber of her that conceived me. The other daughters of that corporate mother did not share her excitement for her peculiar beloved. (5:9) What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, That thou dost so adjure us? Because of her not being content with “another Jesus,” she was not defiled with the religions of these other daughters and was chosen by her Lord. (6:9) My dove, my undefiled, is [but] one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed …. She regained her dominion when she became undefiled with the women representing the false religious systems. Those who bear fruit will walk in the holiness of her steps, not being defiled with the seed (word) of men, for they are spiritual virgins. (Rev.14:4) These are they that were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These [are] they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from among men, [to be] the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb. The sects of Christianity have become defiled with what Paul warned in 2 Corinthians 11:4, “Another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or [if] ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different Gospel, which ye did not accept.” (2Co.6:17) Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you. Only the Word is the truth that sets free. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Jesus calls His sheep out of the fold of apostate religion to “follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.” (Joh.10:3) … He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This little flock that follows the Lord in rest is what the bride sought for. (Son.1:7) Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, Where thou feedest [thy flock], Where thou makest [it] to rest at noon: For why should I be as one that is veiled Beside the flocks of thy companions? The veil in this case represents the blindness and bondage of submission to religion. (2Co.3:15) But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. (16) But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. (17) Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty. (18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory …. As we can see, those who are unveiled of the legalism of religion see the Lord and come into His likeness. The beloved Lord's answer to “Where thou feedest [thy flock]?” was (Son.1:8) If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, And feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents. In Jesus' day, it was not possible to feed His Church, meaning “called-out ones,” in the apostate sects of Judaism, so He fed them “beside the shepherds' tents.” Likewise, because the Church has greatly apostatized in our day, Jesus is feeding the flock of freedom, rest, and truth, outside the shepherds' tents. This brought reproach to the bride and Jesus. (6) … My mother's sons were incensed against me …. Those who take up their cross to follow Jesus are commanded to accept this same reproach. (Heb.13:11) For the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest [as an offering] for sin, are burned without the camp. (12) Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered without the gate. (13) Let us therefore go forth unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.  Moses, in a true type of Christ, led his people out of the camp of the rebellious apostates. (Exo.33:7) Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it, The tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one that sought the Lord went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the camp. It is in these days that thundering judgments will put the fear of God in those in the camp to come out and meet with the “called‑out ones” on the true mountain of God's Kingdom. (Exo. 19:15) And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman (apostate sect). (16) And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning (the beginning of the third day millennium since the last Adam – where we are now [2 Pet.3:8]), that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. (17) And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. If you have discovered that you have been following man's religions and decide to repent, God will restore your dominion. While in bondage to the Philistines, Samson repented, and his hair began to grow. His dominion returned and he brought down their false temple upon their heads. (Jdg.16:30) And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life. Likewise, as we die to self, we increase in dominion over our enemies. Few who ever exercised dominion in the earth for God were manifestly perfect, including Samson. He refused the dominion of the Lord over himself, and he ultimately lost the dominion that he had over the earth. It is not necessary for God to take away the promises of dominion from the rebellious. Their own heart will not have the faith to partake of it. (1Jn.3:21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. If we do not serve God, our own heart will condemn us, and we will have no faith to exercise dominion. He is still not speaking of manifestly perfect people here, but He does expect us to be disciples, walking in the light that we have. In this way, we are perfect by faith until we manifest perfection. The baby Christian has little knowledge of good and evil, but he is innocent in God's eyes if he is doing what he knows to do. Baby Christians have dominion over sin and the curse, but not over God's people. I have shared this revelation before, but years ago, I had a dream instructing me about the way in which God promotes some to leadership positions over His people. I am making no claims for myself with this dream, merely pointing out principles. In this dream, there were two mountains. (The first mountain represents the kingdom of the world, Babylon, and the second mountain represents the Kingdom of God, Mount Zion.) I was driving a car down the first steep mountain. (This represents humbling ourselves to the Word [Isa.40:4], becoming as a child [Mat.18:4], and losing our carnal life in this world [Mat.16:25-26].) The road that descended this mountain had a trench going down the center of it to the bottom. My car had one set of tires on one side of the trench while the other set was on the other side. I could not turn right or left without falling into the trench and, of course, halting my progress. (Joshua received instructions similar to this for taking the Promised Land. (Jos.1:7) Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest. Turning to the right or to the left symbolizes getting off the narrow road of Scripture. It will stop us from exercising authority to take our promised land, which symbolizes living on the promises.) At the bottom of this hill, I got out of the car. I sensed that I had many enemies. (The more we humble ourselves to God's Word, the more enemies we will have, both in the carnal church and the world, just as our Lord.) Then I found, hidden under a bush, some tools like hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches, which were drenched in oil. (The burning bush is where Moses received authority to deliver God's people from bondage. These tools all bind and loose, as does God's authority given to His disciples (Mat.18:18). The promises of the Word are the binding and loosing keys to the Kingdom of God that were given to disciples. The oil signifies the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, if we stay in the straight and narrow way, we will receive authority to bind and loose for God.) From there, I turned to the right (The sheep are set on the right [Mat.25:33].) and went up a steep mountain. (Going down the first mountain entitles us to go up the next. Being humbled in the estimation of the world makes us great in the estimation of the Kingdom. The last shall be first, and the least shall be greatest. (Isa.40:3) … Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord … (4) Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low …. The way of the Lord is that those who are humble in the world shall be promoted on God's mountain, but those who are exalted on the worldly mountain will have to come down.) (Jas.4:10) Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.) Reaching the top of the mountain, I went through the door of an immense palace. (Joh.10:2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (7) Jesus therefore said unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (Jesus is the only Shepherd of the sheep. He uses vessels that come to the sheep only through Him, the Door. This palace represents the New Jerusalem on Mount Zion, the city that rules over God's people.) Old Jerusalem ruled over God's physical letter people just as New Jerusalem rules over God's spiritual New Testament people. Paul declared that we have come to this spiritual city. He showed us that it is not a physical city that can be touched. (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto [a mount] that might be touched … (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem … (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn …. (Jesus' called-out ones come to this mountain. Our journey is to come to this mountain, climb it, and enter the throne room through the Door.)  Then I saw Jesus, the Son of David, sitting on the throne of David. I walked over and sat down next to Him, and we talked. (The throne is the place of dominion that the bride has next to her King.) (Rev.3:21) He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. All who overcome the stubbornness of their evil heart, to abide in the Name of Jesus, will come to this throne. (Jer.3:17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations (of the mostly Gentile Church) shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. (All who overcome the first mountain of the world will live on the second mountain of the Kingdom of God. These act in “the name of the Lord” because they are seated in the throne of authority with Jesus.  This position has been given to all who are born again, but many have turned to the right or left and do not take their rightful position by abiding in Christ.) (Eph.2:5) Even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), (6) and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly [places], in Christ Jesus. As I talked with Jesus, I heard a noise behind me and turned to see some men trying to climb up into the throne room through a rear window. Jesus said, “Don't worry about them; they can't come in here.” (Obviously, the position of authority may be usurped in Babylon but not in Zion, God's mountain and kingdom.) (Joh.10:1) … He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Jesus, speaking of the apostate ministers of His day, said, “All that came before me are thieves and robbers” (Joh.10:8); and so it is today. Many have stolen the position of authority by not going down the road of humbling themselves to the Word and entering through the Door of Christ. They have robbed the sheep of gifted mentors. They have robbed the sheep of Christ, for ministers can only pass on what they are. Religion has historically made the same mistake. They mistake education in a sect of Christianity to be God's authority and commission. The disciples were perceived to be unlearned and ignorant by the religious leaders (Act. 4:13). However, the religious leaders knew that the disciples had been with Jesus by their gifts. Faith, fruit, maturity, submission to the Lord, and personal knowledge of the Lord and His ways must be passed on to the sheep. Ministers cannot pass on what they do not possess themselves. The daughter harlots (Rev.17:5) are still mass producing hirelings (Joh.10:12-13; Isa.56:9-12); but Jesus comes to lead His sheep out of the Babylonish sheepfolds of men (Joh.10:3-4) so that, unhindered by the traditions of men, they may run after Him. A man must be an elder in experience and maturity in the Word to be promoted as a bishop (overseer) over God's people (1Ti.3:1-7; Tit.1:5-9). A friend dreamed about Christians as babies with beards, showing they had been with the Lord for many years but were still immature. God's people have loved the world, so He has given them immature apostate leaders to tell them what they want to hear. (Isa.3:4) And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. (5) And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the old man, and the base against the honorable. (Choose the man with the gift over the man with the title.) (2Ti.4:3) For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; (4) and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.

John 3Matt's book, The Lightning-Fast Field Guide to the Bible is available NOW! - here's a link that gets TMBH a little kickback: https://amzn.to/4pEYSS9Thanks to everyone who supports TMBH at patreon.com/thetmbhpodcastYou're the reason we can all do this together!Discuss the episode hereMusic by Jeff Foote

Why did the Pharisees clash so often with Jesus if they were genuinely trying to be faithful to God? Kaitlyn explains who the Pharisees actually were, why they saw Jesus as a threat, and why the familiar picture of them as self-righteous villains misses important context. She also explores what Jesus' harshest critiques were really about, why Christians should be careful about calling people "Pharisees" today, and what these conflicts teach us about faithfulness, power, and trying to do Jesus' job for him.   0:00 - Theme Song   1:36 - Why Were the Pharisees Angry at Jesus?   3:11- Who were the Pharisees and Sadducees?   8:42 - Human Mixed Motives   12:20 - Sponsor - JIYU - The Korean skincare brand everyone is talking about. Our listeners get 20% off their entire order by using code KAITLYN at https://jiyuskin.com/KAITLYN   13:26 - Sponsor - With God Daily - Get the daily devotional for people who hate daily devotionals in your inbox every day by signing up at: https://holypost.com/plus   14:40 - Why Was Jesus so Critical?   25:52 - End Credits

Read OnlineJesus' Final Public SermonJesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.” Matthew 23:27–28For the third day in a row, we read from Jesus' fierce denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees. His words are exactly what these religious leaders needed to hear—strong medicine meant to awaken them from their self-righteousness, so that they might repent and receive the superabundant grace that would soon pour forth from His Cross. Though His rebukes may sound shocking—especially to those who heard them for the first time—we must receive them not with shock, but with humility and openness, applying them to our own spiritual journey.Immediately after this lengthy denunciation, Jesus turns inward and offers a heart-wrenching lament over Jerusalem, especially over the hardened hearts of the very leaders He had just addressed. Though not included in today's Gospel, the very next verse reveals His sorrow: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!” (Matthew 23:37). This tender image opens a window into Jesus' Sacred Heart—the same heart that had just delivered such relentless rebukes. Consider that image: a hen gathering her young under her wings. By natural instinct, a mother hen shields her chicks, even risking her life to protect them. In placing that instinct within creation, God reveals something of His own divine love. He, too, longs to gather, shield, and save us from eternal harm. Nothing—not even the hardness of our hearts—can stop Him from extending His merciful embrace. Yet just as a chick that strays from its mother forfeits her protection, so do we when we resist Christ's call. His lament is not rooted in anger, but in grief over those who are unwilling to be gathered and saved. Even His fiercest rebukes flow from a heart burning with love. Though these words were originally addressed to the scribes and Pharisees, they apply to each of us. God will stop at nothing to bring us safely into His care. If gentle compassion moves our hearts, that is what He offers. If firm rebuke is what we need, He offers that too. Whether He draws us with tenderness or corrects us with firmness, His purpose is always the same: to keep us safe from sin and eternal separation, and to draw us into the Kingdom of grace. Interestingly, this rebuke was Jesus' final public sermon in Matthew's Gospel. If we were writing the script for His final week, we might envision a message of consolation or encouragement to close His public ministry. But instead, He ends with a sobering warning. Why? Because it was a final act of mercy. His last words to the crowds were meant to awaken hearts before it was too late. It was love speaking its final appeal, a shepherd crying out for His wandering sheep. Reflect today on Jesus delivering this final sermon to you. Heed His warning and receive it in the way it was delivered: with love. Feel His urgency and His desire to do whatever it takes to draw you closer to Himself. Respond to this sermon, and do not remain among the unwilling. Let these final words of Jesus pierce your heart, so that you may be gathered under the shelter of His wings and never stray again.Most merciful Lord, You will go to any length to draw us back to Yourself when we stray. You long to gather us under the wings of Your loving protection, keeping us safe from all sin that leads to death. Open my heart, dear Lord, and grant me the grace I need to respond to Your cry for my soul. May I never stray but always remain firmly under the shelter of Your wings of grace. Jesus, I trust in You.Image: Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees, by James Tissot Source: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Today’s Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) Gospel – Matthew 23:23-26 – Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” Memorial of Saint Louis of France Memorial of Saint Joseph Calasanz, Priest Saints Louis and Joseph, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day

August 27, 2024 === Gospel  Matthew 23:23-26 Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” Reflection All religion have practices, things that we should do in order to show that we have a willing spirit to do what God calls us to do. But the shadow of all the things that we do is the fact that the action doesn't always demand the intention that's in the heart of the person.  And what Jesus saying to you no matter what you do,how many practices you have, if your heart isn't in the right place, if you're not wanting and willing to heal and to help someone, you are dangerous and you need to reflect upon what you're missing. The inside. The intention. Closing Prayer Father, you and only you can change us. You and only your grace and your spirit dwelling within us can give us the courage and the strength to act on what is most essential. Give us this wisdom. Give us this insight. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Jesus draws closer to Jerusalem, Pharisees ask Jesus to give His opinion in an ongoing debate concerning lawful reasons for divorce. Although their question comes from ill intent, Jesus sees through their test. He points them back to God's institution of marriage. God designed marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman. Although the hardness of sinful hearts may lead to divorce, God's intention is that marriage last until death. When the disciples question Jesus further, He upholds the value of celibacy for those who have received this divine gift.  Rev. Joel Heckmann, admissions officer for Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Matthew 19:1-12.  To learn more about Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, visit csl.edu. “The Reign of Heaven Stands Near” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the Gospel according to St. Matthew. The first evangelist proclaims that God has fulfilled His Old Testament promises by sending Jesus to bring the reign of the heavens among us. As the Son of David, Jesus is the gracious King we need, and as the Son of Abraham, Jesus is the blessing to all the families of the earth.  Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Pastor Appel serves at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL. Learn more at flcgodfrey.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Morning Offering, August 25, 2026 is brought to you by Catholic Coffee https://bit.ly/4595teYFather Brad reflects on Jesus' warning to the Pharisees about obsessing over small religious details while neglecting the weightier demands of mercy, morality, and love.Every morning, join Father Brad as he begins the day with prayer and reflection. In a few short minutes, Father Brad guides you in prayer, shares a brief reflection grounding your day in the Church's rhythm of feast days and liturgy, and provides you with the encouragement necessary to go forward with peace and strength. Disclaimer: The ads shown before, during, or after this video have no affiliation with Morning Offering and are controlled by YouTubeLet us do as the saints urge and begin our days in prayer together so as a community of believers we may join the Psalmist in saying, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3-4)________________

Friends of the Rosary,Today, the memorial day of Saint Louis of France and Saint Joseph Calasanz, priest, we see in the Gospel (Matthew 23:23–26) how Jesus forcefully calls the Pharisees—and us—to change their hearts and behavior, and not to be trapped by the ego and its narrow concerns.When the Lord says, “Reform your life,” he means to move from that old mind and make him the center of your life.Also today, in his letter to the Thessalonians (2:1–3a, 14–17), Saint Paul says not to be shaken by rumors, fear, or confusion, but to “stand firm” in the faith. In the Gospel, Jesus warns against looking religious on the outside while neglecting mercy.Today's lesson is that God wants a clean heart, not just clean appearances. Faith is not panic, performance while missing love. It is standing firm in truth and letting mercy shape, avoiding distraction or fear.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• August 25, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Preorder my new book Politics, Economics and New Testament Interpretation here: https://libertarianchristians.com/store/politics-economics-and-new-testament-interpretation/In this episode I talk with Dr. Scot McKnight about his brand-new book Jesus, People, Pharisees: Exploring the Conflict in Galilee, out now on Fortress Press. In this book Dr. McKnight argues that the popular conception of the Pharisees as legalistic, rigid, and hypocritical is fundamentally flawed and seeks to reassess who the Pharisees were historically and the actual nature of their conflict with Jesus. We discuss the popularity of the Pharisees and how they were actually the progressives of their day, connected to the Jerusalem establishment but offering a more liberal interpretation of the law. They were very attractive to the large crowds in Galilee, but when the charismatic prophet Jesus begins proclaiming the kingdom of God and the possibility of economic justice, he finds a receptive audience. The real source of the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees is the nexus of the people, and McKnight explains how this conflict works and how to more accurately interpret Jesus' words against the Pharisees in Matthew 23. Finally, he explains how the church and the academy need to reevaluate their conceptions of the Pharisees based on the historical evidence.  Media Referenced:Jesus, People, Pharisees: https://a.co/d/0c8tRaK2Scot McKnight Substack: https://scotmcknight.substack.com/ Sign up for LCI's 2026 Conference in Cincinnati, OH on Saturday, October 17! Many LCI content creators, including myself, will be speaking at the event, and it will be an excellent opportunity to connect with likeminded, liberty-loving Christians. Check out the event and sign up here: https://libertarianchristians.com/conference/ The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show's profile! Thanks!

Nicodemus, a powerful and respected Pharisee, came to Jesus under the cover of night, afraid of what following Him might cost. Jesus cut straight to the heart of his need, declaring that no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born again, a complete spiritual transformation made possible only by the Holy Spirit. This new birth is not something anyone can earn through discipline, church attendance, or good works. It is received through faith alone. John 3:16 reminds us that God sent His Son not to condemn the world but to save it, and our response to a broken world should reflect that same posture of compassion. John the Baptist modeled the heart of a true disciple when he said that Jesus must increase and he must decrease. The Christian life is not about building our own kingdoms but about faithfully pointing others to His. That faithfulness often looks less like grand moments and more like daily choices made at home, at work, and in community.Support the show

Today, Mike Erre, Tim Stafford, and super special guest host Suzie P. Lind open a serious conversation about spiritual abuse by reading Matthew 23 alongside current headlines of pastor misconduct and church corruption. The episode asks why Jesus' harshest words land on religious leaders, and what that reveals about abusive systems, hypocrisy, and the responsibility of shepherds.Suzie brings a crucial perspective as a pastor, elder, and woman in church leadership, helping widen the conversation beyond the usual assumptions. The discussion moves between biblical context, present-day church culture, and the personal work of examining how easily leaders can become what they condemn.The group walks through Matthew 23 and focuses on Jesus' repeated rebukes:hypocrisyburdening people without helpingstatus-seekingspiritual blindnessneglect of justice, mercy, and faithfulnessChapters:00:00 - Welcome back and introduction of Suzie P. Lind 02:34 - Coaching update, Patreon thanks, and book club announcement 04:00 - Trigger Warning: The reality of abuse headlines 07:24 - Why this feels like a culture problem, not just bad individuals 13:33 - Jesus' woe over Jerusalem and why the tone matters 15:15 - Reading Matthew 23 in full context 17:07 - Hypocrisy, burden-bearing, and shutting the kingdom's door 18:58 - Justice, mercy, faithfulness, and the “gnat and camel” warning 19:25 - Whitewashed tombs and outward righteousness 20:49 - Jerusalem weeps: judgment and grief together 22:09 - Why Suzie agrees with Jesus, but still feels the weight of it 23:12 - Why readers identify with Jesus instead of the Pharisees 27:03 - Jesus as prophet, not just teacher 29:44 - Holding religious leaders accountable for the people's condition 32:01 - Reading the passage personally, not just externally 35:27 - Prophets as formed people, not instant caricatures 36:32 - Ancient Israel's built-in self-critique 37:09 - Suzie on fear, responsibility, and benefiting from systems 38:35 - Oppressed people can become oppressors too 41:07 - Malala, forgiveness, and breaking cycles of violence 44:11 - Why the inside/outside distinction matters so much 45:01 - Ezekiel 34 and shepherds who feed on the flock 48:38 - Modernizing the woes into a diagnosis of abusive churches 49:27 - Heavy loads, guilt, and abusive marriage counseling 52:38 - Suzie's painful example of being told abuse was “her cross to bear” 53:55 - “I will rescue my flock from their mouths” 56:04 - Status, titles, and performative leadership 57:00 - Majoring on minor issues while neglecting what matters most 58:08 - How churches decide what to emphasize and what to ignore 61:24 - First-importance issues, disputable matters, and biblical priorities 63:41 - Wrap-up, gratitude, and what comes nextAs always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.Our Merch Store! EstyLearn more about the Voxology PodcastSubscribe on iTunes or SpotifySupport the Voxology Podcast on PatreonThe Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology RadioFollow us on Instagram: @voxologypodcast and "like" us on FacebookFollow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerreMusic in this episode by Timothy John StaffordInstagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Read OnlineA Confrontation of LoveJesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!” Matthew 23:23–24Over the course of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, the Church presents nearly all of Chapter 23 of Matthew's Gospel, which contains Jesus' powerful denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees. This confrontation took place in the Temple area during Passover week—the days leading up to His Passion and Death. After His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what we now commemorate as Palm Sunday, Jesus spent the following days preaching, healing, and facing mounting opposition from religious leaders. He began by cleansing the Temple, overturning the tables of the moneychangers and declaring, “My house shall be a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). In the days that followed, He was challenged by the chief priests, scribes, Herodians, elders, and Pharisees, and He responded to each with unwavering clarity—firmly, yet lovingly rebuking them in an attempt to win them over.In this particular encounter, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for neglecting “the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity,” while appearing outwardly righteous. He accuses them of being “full of plunder and self-indulgence,” revealing the dissonance between their external piety and their inner corruption. Though meticulous in tithing even the smallest herbs—mint, dill, and cummin—they ignored the heart of the law: love of God and neighbor. Their spiritual blindness led them to fixate on minor religious details while disregarding justice and mercy. By calling them “blind guides,” Jesus exposes their failure as leaders who burden others without embracing the deeper demands of righteousness themselves.This rebuke is not born of anger but of love. Jesus calls them to interior conversion—to cleanse the heart so that external actions may be authentically holy. His image of straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel vividly illustrates their misplaced priorities. Jesus challenges them, and us, to examine whether our religious practices are rooted in grace or driven by appearances and habit. True fidelity to God requires both faithful observance and the necessary virtues that give those actions meaning. In confronting these leaders, Jesus offers not condemnation but a merciful warning meant to awaken their hearts before His Passion begins.What stands out in this confrontation is the fierce and unrelenting nature of Jesus' rebukes. He calls them hypocrites and blind guides, comparing them to cups that are clean outside but filthy within. These are not vague criticisms, but pointed and prophetic warnings. Like the prophets of old, Jesus demands more than superficial religiosity—He calls for integrity of heart. Each rebuke is a summons to repentance from the One who sees both actions and intentions. Sadly, many of His listeners refused to be moved.Reflect today on the gravity of Jesus' words. Though most of the scribes and Pharisees appear to have rejected His rebukes, they are recorded in Scripture so that every generation may apply them to their own lives. Hear them as if spoken to you—not to discourage, but to inspire conversion. While we may not mirror the scribes and Pharisees in every detail, we all benefit from confronting our own spiritual complacency. This can be a challenging exercise, but when undertaken with humility and trust—recognizing that Jesus' words are meant to heal and draw us closer to Him—it becomes a path to deeper grace. Let His rebukes take root within you, pulling up even the smallest weeds of pride or neglect, so that true virtue may flourish.Most merciful Lord, Your love for the scribes and Pharisees was so deep and consuming that You relentlessly pursued them, challenging the hardness of their hearts so they might turn from self-righteousness to the righteousness that comes through Your grace. Grant me the humility to receive Your loving rebukes and apply them to my own life, that I may be moved to true repentance and become fertile ground for Your transforming grace. Jesus, I trust in You.  Image: Jesus and the Scribes and PhariseesSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Before we get into anything else today, can I just ask you a question? Are you experiencing genuine restoration and refreshment in your life right now? Not entertainment. Not distraction. Real restoration. Because most people I know would say no, and that's exactly where this week's rhythm comes in. We're talking about Sabbath today, and I know that word can land differently depending on where you're coming from. Maybe it brings up guilt about Sunday sports schedules. Maybe it feels like an Old Testament rule that doesn't apply anymore. Maybe you're in ministry, and Sunday is your biggest work day of the week. Wherever you're starting from, I want us to take a breath and start from scratch, because Jesus Himself tells us something really clarifying about what Sabbath is actually for. We're in Mark chapter 2, where the disciples are grabbing a snack as they walk through a grain field on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees immediately call them out. Jesus responds by pointing back to King David, who ate sacred bread from the altar when he was hungry, and then delivers one of the most liberating lines in all of Scripture: "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." That's the whole principle, right there. The Sabbath was made for you. We also go back to the original command in Exodus 20, and what I love about it is how tender it is. It's not just rest for the head of the household, it's rest for your children, your servants, your animals, and the foreigners living among you. There is so much care and justice built into this rhythm from the very beginning. And then we talk about what Sabbath could actually look like in your real life, not a list of rules, but a genuine question: what does holy refreshment look like for you? For some people it's creativity, painting, gardening, making something. For others it's actual rest, napping, being still. For others it's uninterrupted time with people they love, or being in nature. There's no one-size-fits-all answer here. But the invitation is the same for all of us: stop. Trust that God is at the helm. And see what happens when you actually let yourself rest. Check out my free download to walk through these practices together:https://nicoleunice.kit.com/spiritualpractices Reflection Questions Are you experiencing genuine restoration and refreshment in your life right now — or just entertainment? What does holy refreshment actually look like for you? Is there a place in your week where you could carve out even a half day of intentional rest? Where do you notice yourself striving or feeling anxious when you try to stop? Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The Pharisees searched Scripture and studied the prophecies concerning the promised Messiah—yet they failed to recognize Him! Could you be biblically knowledgeable yet spiritually blind like them? Find out as you listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg. ----------------------------------------- • Click here and look for "FROM THE SERMON" to stream or read the full message. • This program is part of the series A Light in the Darkness' • Learn more about our current resource, request your copy with a donation of any amount. • FREE AUDIOBOOK! In our polarized culture, disagreement is often seen as combative and offensive. What if there were a way to do it well? Download your free copy of The Art of Disagreeing by Gavin Ortlund and master how to disagree with kindness and influence. Request yours at ‘truthforlife.org/disagree.' Helpful Resources - Learn about God's salvation plan - Read our most recent articles - Subscribe to our daily devotional Follow Us YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | X This listener-funded program features the clear, relevant Bible teaching of Alistair Begg. Today's program and nearly 3,000 messages can be streamed and shared for free at tfl.org thanks to the generous giving from monthly donors called Truthpartners. Learn more about this Gospel-sharing team or become one today. Thanks for listening to Truth For Life!

John 2Matt's book, The Lightning-Fast Field Guide to the Bible is available NOW! - here's a link that gets TMBH a little kickback: https://amzn.to/4pEYSS9Thanks to everyone who supports TMBH at patreon.com/thetmbhpodcastYou're the reason we can all do this together!Discuss the episode hereMusic by Jeff Foote