Week 22 Devo – THURSDAY
In the Gospels, Jesus rebukes the Jewish religious leaders more than He lectures or scolds any other group. Jesus is condemning the religious leaders because they put their traditions and rules above the Word of God. He exposes their sin of hypocrisy because they worship God with what they say but don’t worship Him in their hearts. They reject God’s commandments so that they can set up their ideas of what is right. By establishing their own rules, rituals and traditions, they cancel out the Word of God as if it doesn’t even exist. Jesus unmistakably condemns this behavior and mindset. Many years before this, in Deuteronomy, God told His people not to add to His words or subtract from them, so His people have known this all along.
What sins do we see religious leaders commit?