This Is What Jesus Really Meant in Matthew 23:23

INDONESDAY TV

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00:00Matthew 23 23 when religion misses the point Matthew 23 23 says woe to you teachers of the

00:11law and Pharisees you hypocrites you give a tenth of your spices mint dill and cumin but you have

00:19neglected the more important matters of the law justice mercy and faithfulness you should have

00:24practiced the latter without neglecting the former this verse is a bold and direct

00:29confrontation from Jesus not toward criminals or unbelievers but toward the religious elite of his

00:35time it's a warning a call to wake up and even though it was spoken over 2,000 years ago it still

00:42echoes with power and relevance for us today Jesus was not impressed by outward appearances or

00:47ritualistic perfection he cared about the condition of the heart in this verse he rebukes the Pharisees

00:54for being meticulous about tithing tiny garden herbs mint dill and cumin while completely ignoring the

01:00very heart of God's law justice mercy and faithfulness let's unpack what this truly means in a way that

01:07speaks clearly to modern lives justice here is not merely a legal term it means treating people with

01:14fairness dignity and integrity it's about standing up for what's right even when it's hard think of a

01:21boss who pays employees fairly not because the law requires it but because it's the right thing to do

01:26or a student who refuses to cheat on an exam even if everyone else is doing it that's justice in daily

01:33life real quiet integrity that honors God mercy is more than just feeling sorry for someone mercy is

01:41compassion in action it's choosing kindness when judgment is easier it's seeing someone struggling and

01:47saying i'll walk with you instead of you brought this on yourself mercy is a mother forgiving her child

01:53after a deep betrayal or a friend standing by someone who's hit rock bottom it's active love not

02:00passive pity faithfulness is not just religious routine it's about loyalty to truth to people and most of

02:07all to Jesus faithfulness is being consistent in your character even when no one is watching it's staying

02:14true to your values when pressure mounts it's showing up for others keeping promises and living

02:20out your beliefs in both the spotlight and the shadows Jesus was saying to the Pharisees you're so

02:26careful to count out your tiny herbs to tithe but you've missed the heart of what matters to me

02:31he wasn't condemning their giving in fact he said you should do that but not at the expense of ignoring what

02:38really matters in today's context this is like someone who never misses a sunday at church gives

02:44money regularly and quotes bible verses fluently but ignores the needs of a struggling neighbor

02:50or someone who leads a ministry with excellence but abuses their spouse at home or someone who judges

02:56others harshly but can't forgive even a small offense that's what Jesus called hypocrisy not because

03:03they practiced religion but because they practiced it without heart Jesus is calling us back to what

03:09matters most not the appearance of holiness but the expression of his heart through our lives

03:14he wants us to live in truth walk in love and remain loyal to him he's not looking for perfect people

03:21he's looking for real people with hearts that reflect his let's consider a real life example imagine a

03:28woman named maria she doesn't have a lot of money but she faithfully gives what she can

03:34more importantly she visits the sick prays with the lonely feeds hungry children in her neighborhood

03:40and always offers a listening ear to the hurting she's not famous and she doesn't lead a big ministry

03:46but her life is filled with justice mercy and faithfulness in the eyes of the world she may seem

03:53ordinary but in the eyes of jesus she lives the very heart of matthew 23 23 or take someone in business

04:01let's call him david he has the opportunity to cut corners to make more profit everyone around him is

04:07doing it but david refuses he pays his employees fairly he helps those who fall behind he keeps his word

04:15even when it costs him he's not the loudest preacher in the room but his life preaches with power

04:21that's what jesus is talking about living a life that honors him not just in words but in deeds

04:28jesus is not saying that the small things don't matter he's saying don't let the small things blind

04:33you from the big ones don't let your religious activities keep you from real love don't get so

04:39caught up in doing church that you forget how to be the church he's warning us to avoid becoming

04:45people who are obsessed with outward appearances while our hearts are dry empty and disconnected from the

04:50very compassion of god you can tie the herbs and still be far from jesus you can sing worship songs

04:56and still be hard-hearted that's what he was confronting then and that's what he still longs

05:01to heal in us today so what do we take away from matthew 23 23 start living with your heart open ask

05:10yourself daily am i treating people with justice am i living with mercy showing grace to the broken am i being

05:17faithful to jesus to truth and to people who depend on me this verse invites us not just to be good

05:24christians on the outside but to become vessels of his heart on the inside because at the end of the

05:29day jesus is not looking at how well we measure our cumin and mint he's looking at how we love others

05:36how we forgive how we stand for truth how we remain faithful even when no one is watching if this

05:42message speaks to you share it let it stir you let it correct you let it shape your next steps

05:49jesus is calling each of us to return to the core justice mercy and faithfulness and when we live

05:56from that place the world will begin to see not religion but the real jesus hey friends if you enjoy

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