Your Righteousness Must Exceed That of the Pharisees, for It Was Hypocritical and Ugly | John Piper

Deep Dive into All That Jesus Commanded by John Piper - Your Righteousness Must Exceed That of the Pharisees, for It Was Hypocritical and UglyThe Pharisees, a prominent group of Jewish scholars and meticulous enforcers of the Mosaic law, were characterized by a profound hypocrisy that revealed their hearts were far from God. Instead of treasuring God, they harbored deep affections for three primary idols: money, the praise of man, and illicit sex.Their love for money was explicit; they were described as "lovers of money" and "full of greed and self-indulgence." This greed manifested in practices that allowed them to "devour widows’ houses" by prioritizing temple-giving over acts of charity or familial care.Secondly, they craved human praise and performed "all their deeds to be seen by others." They made their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and openly sought places of honor, best seats in synagogues, and public titles like "rabbi." This desire for human "glory from one another" rendered genuine faith impossible for them, as they did not seek the "glory that comes from the only God."Thirdly, Jesus called them a "wicked and adulterous generation." While this primarily referred to Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness to God, it also implied that their "alternative husbands" included illicit sex. The sources suggest that when the heart is not "deeply entranced by the glory of God," it is often "driven along by the pitiful powers of money and the praise of man," with illicit sex frequently accompanying this pattern.This deep-seated inner corruption was the core of their hypocrisy. Jesus famously likened them to "whitewashed tombs", appearing beautiful and righteous outwardly, but "within" full of "dead people’s bones and all uncleanness," "hypocrisy and lawlessness." Their meticulous "law-keeping exactitude" served as "clean religious clothing" to conceal their rejection of God, making their supposed righteousness "ugly" in Jesus's eyes.In stark contrast, Christian righteousness is presented as deeper, a righteousness of the heart. It is an inward righteousness of mind and motive, aligning with the principle that "the Lord looks on the heart." This inner purity, rather than mere external performance, is what truly pleases God and is necessary for entry into the kingdom of heaven.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730