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If there’s any person that Jesus cannot tolerate it’s the one who appears to be religious on the outside, but is corrupted within.
Take, for example, the scribes and Pharisees.
They were the religious leaders of Israel who made people pay hefty temple taxes and follow hundreds of rigorous made-made laws.
People followed them because they believed these men were God’s representatives on earth.
But Jesus saw right through their appearances, knowing they were greedy and arrogant within. So he calls them, “hypocrites.”
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Jesus’ words are not only meant to challenge the religious leaders of his day; they’re also meant to challenge us.
Like the scribes and Pharisees, people identify us as religious. They see us attending Mass – they watch us pray. They presume we follow the Lord.
Our challenge is to be the person they see, putting our faith into practice, giving them a reason to believe.