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Explanation for:
Matthew
23
:
28
So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
10
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Likewise, the false teachers, who espouse one message while living in contradiction to it, display an exterior of righteousness through their attire and modest expressions. However, within, they are filled with various impurities and desires. Ultimately, He articulates this more explicitly by stating, \\"So you also appear to men to be righteous outwardly, but inwardly you are filled with hypocrisy and iniquity.\\""},{"author-name":"Anonymous Commentary (Opus Imperfectum)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":4,"exegesis-text":"The comparison between humanity and a vessel becomes evident when Christ states, ‘whereas inwardly they are full of plunder and iniquity.’ The Jewish people would purify themselves, their garments, and their utensils before entering the temple or making sacrifices during the festivals, yet they remained unwashed of sin. However, God neither esteems physical cleanliness nor disparages impurity. Imagine if God abhorred dirt on the body, objects, or vessels. If He detests such flaws in items that naturally accumulate filth through everyday use, how much more does He reject the flaws of the human heart that we have the power to keep pure? Therefore, it is not the physical vessels that require the cleansing of water; it is the heart that necessitates the cleansing of prayer. Hypocritical Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside of them may be clean as well. While no one notices that the inner cup has been purified, if the outer is left unclean, it remains impure. Similarly, a person who does not bear the stains of sin internally, even if water never touches them, is pure before God; but if they are laden with sin, no amount of water from the sea or rivers can make them clean in God's sight, for they remain defiled."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"When we, blessed to serve as the dwelling place of God, unexpectedly turn into vessels of decay, it is indeed a tragedy. To become a tomb for the One in whom Christ resided and through whom the Holy Spirit acted, in whose presence so many divine mysteries were realized, is a grave misfortune. What sorrow and mourning arise when the body of Christ is transformed into a coffin filled with impurities! Reflect on your origins, the honor you have received, the glorious garments you have been adorned with, how you became an incorruptible temple, beautiful not with gold or jewels, but with the Spirit, which holds immeasurable value. Remember that no coffin containing a corpse is allowed to remain in the city; thus, you cannot venture into the heavenly city. If such a prohibition exists here, how much more stringent it must be there. In truth, here, people would ridicule you for carrying a dead body, and they would not only mock but also flee from your presence. Consider this: if someone were to carry a corpse around, would not everyone turn away in horror? In this instance, the situation is even graver. You carry with you a far more horrific sight: a soul that is dead due to sin, a soul that is rotting away. Who would mourn for such an individual? If you have no sorrow for your own soul, will anyone else pity such a cruel and destructive adversary to him or herself?"},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Luke states that they resemble hidden graves, and those who tread upon them do not understand the path. These sealed tombs are filled with foul odors within, yet from the surface, they appear as pristine soil and a broad pathway."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"You also seem outwardly righteous to others, but within you, in your soul and heart, there is a presence of hypocrisy and iniquity."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"\\"You resemble whitewashed tombs\\" (for insights on the construction of tombs, refer to the note on Matthew 8:28). These sepulchres were coated with lime each year on the 15th of Adar, not for aesthetic reasons, but as a precautionary measure for those passing by, ensuring they did not inadvertently come into contact with them; as the law states, touching a grave (Num. 19:16) rendered a person ceremonially unclean. While some adorned their tombs with monuments, likely also for aesthetic appeal, the gleaming exterior belied the true nature within, which was filled with bones and imperfection. Similarly, the Pharisees projected an image of righteousness outwardly, yet in truth, they were hypocrites and disregarded the law."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You treat yourselves like your bowls and dishes, focusing solely on external appearances of righteousness while neglecting the sanctification of your souls, which are tainted by deceit and sin. You are comparable to ornate tombs, appearing attractive on the outside, yet within are filled with the remains and all manner of impurity from decayed bodies. According to the Law of Moses (Num. 19:16), interacting with a coffin, a dead body, or human bones was deemed so defiling that merely touching them rendered a person unclean. Thus, the comparison of the Pharisees to decorated tombs must have been particularly degrading for them."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you pretenders, for you resemble whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful from the outside but are filled within with dead bones and all forms of filth. Likewise, outwardly you appear righteous, but internally you are full of deceit and wickedness. According to the Law of Moses, coming into contact with the bones of the dead or a grave resulted in a state of ritual impurity for seven days (Numbers 19:16). To avoid this impurity, the Jews took precautions by annually whitening and painting the exteriors of tombs every year in the month of Adar to ensure the burial sites were more visible. This metaphorical statement from the Lord should be understood similarly to the previous one. As explained by Blessed Theophylact, \\"the scribes and Pharisees sought to present themselves as morally upright, akin to tombs that are coated with whitewash and appear like marble, while their insides were corrupt with all manner of uncleanness, harboring lifeless and decayed works.\\""},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"They appeared to be devout on the outside, yet their hearts were filled with numerous sins."},{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Following these events, the Lord departed from the temple, issuing a stern rebuke directed at the Pharisees and the temple priests, who were accountable for the moral decay among the people, accompanied by forewarnings of impending divine judgment. Concluding His earthly mission, He proclaimed that He would persist in His work among them through His messengers; however, the Pharisees would also persecute these individuals, as well as the earlier bearers of the truth. In doing so, they would compound the iniquities of their ancestors, leading to the unveiling of God's judgment against the sins of Jerusalem."}]}
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