Matthew 24:36 says, But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.  Jesus again states that only the heavenly Father knows the time of the second coming.  We don't need to attempt to determine the date, and we certainly don't need to follow anyone who claims to know the date.  There have been many books written about what it will be like immediately after the second coming for those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord, but I don't believe that we as followers of Christ should be concerned with that too much.  Verse thirty-seven states, But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  Jesus said that at the time of the second coming, the world will be as it was in the days of Noah.  People will be continuing to live their normal lives.  Verse thirty-eight says, For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,  Jesus says that even as Noah was building the ark, people ignored his warning of the coming flood.  Life continued to be lived as it always had.  People who do not accept Christ will continue to live their lives normally up until the day Christ returns, not believing the warning signs that His return is near.  Verse thirty-nine says, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  Jesus said that those who did not believe Noah died in their unbelief when the floods came.  In the same way many, many people will die in their unbelief when Christ returns, having refused to believe in Him or the signs of His return.  Verse forty states, Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  This is where some books speculate on what happens to the one who is left, but I believe that their fate is already sealed, just as is the fate of the believer.  I don't believe this means that half of the people will be saved, even though the example uses two people.  Verse forty-one adds, Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  As with the example of the men, the two women will be going about their normal lives, and one will be taken and the other left.  We cannot turn this into a statement about the roles of men and women in the world, but must simply see it as a statement that both men and women were going about their normal lives.   Verse forty-two declares, Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.  Jesus tells us to simply watch, I believe in faith in Him.  We cannot know the time of the return of Jesus, and neither should we be concerned about it.  Even as followers of Christ, we are to continue living our lives in the here and now, only making certain that we live by faith.  Verse forty-three says, But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.  Jesus said that if the home owner knew when the thief was coming, he would have been ready and avoided having his house broken up.  We need to be ready at any time for the second coming of Christ.  Verse forty-four declares, Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.  As just stated, Jesus tells us to always be ready for the second coming.  Jesus adds that when we least expect it, He will return.  I not sure what that says about those who are certain that Jesus' return is imminent.  We are told that He will return when least expected, so we cannot be concerned about the date of His return.  Verse forty-five asks, Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?   I believe that this question implies that those who are doing what God calls them to do, and who are not simply sitting back awaiting the return of their master, are the faithful and wise servants.  Verse forty-six declares, Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.  God will bless those who continue to do what He calls them to do, until Christ returns or this life ends. Verse forty-seven states, Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. Jesus tells us that the servant who is found faithful in working for his lord shall be placed in charge of all his goods.  I believe that this basically means that when we are faithful to God that He will entrust us with a greater role in sharing the gospel, all for His glory.  Verse forty-eight says, But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;  These next few verses speak of the evil servant.  The actions of this servant begin in his thoughts.  The first thought is that his lord isn't coming soon. Verse forty-nine says, And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;  Then, the servant's thoughts lead to evil actions.  Evil actions are always the result of evil thoughts, and the more that we are convinced that we will never be held accountable for our evil actions, the more likely we are to commit them.  Verse fifty declares, The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,  Jesus tells us that the servant's lord will return when the servant least expects it.  Jesus did not say that the lord might possibly some day return, but that he would return.  He would return when least expected.  We can be certain of the return of Christ, no longer how long He lingers.  We can also be certain that we will not know the day when Christ will return.  Verse fifty then warns, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  The unfaithful servant will be punished, as will all hypocrites.  When Christ returns, there will indeed be weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who do not accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and I believe especially for those who hypothetically profess to accept Him.  When we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, all that we do should be done for His glory and not for our own reward or benefit materially.

Matthew 24:26 says, Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  Jesus is still speaking of those who claim to see Jesus anywhere, and warning people, especially those who follow Him, to not be deceived.  Verse twenty-seven the declares, For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  Jesus tells us that when He returns, after His death, burial and resurrection, that it will be seen world wide, from east to west, and will be as visible as a lightening flash.  There will be no doubt that it is Christ Who is returning.  Verse twenty-eight says, For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.  Matthew Henry says this refers to the gospel going to the world.  Just as the eagles gather where there is a carcus, so will the gospel go to where there are people to receive it.  We know that some of these verses referred to the coming persecution of the early disciples, but also refer to the time immediately before the return of Christ.  In verse twenty-nine Jesus says, Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  This verse definitely refers to the second coming of Christ.  There has not been a time in history when these things occurred, but there is coming a day when they will.  Verse thirty states, And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.   In that day, the whole world will see the Son of man, Jesus Christ Himself, returning in power and with great glory.  This is a reference to the second coming of Christ.  Verse thirty-one says, And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.  Jesus tells us that at the day of His second coming that the angels will gather those who follow Him from all over the world.  I believe that this will happen in an instant.  Verse thirty-two says, Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:  Jesus is still talking about the time of the second coming.  He tells us just as the branch of the fig tree putting on leaves is a sign that summer is near, so are the things that He had listed a sign that His return is closer.  Verse thirty-three declares, So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.  Again, Jesus tells us that when we see all these signs that His return is near, even at the door. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.  As Matthew Henry says, this referred to the beginning of the persecution of the believers, and not to seeing the second coming of Christ during that generation.  In verse thirty-five Jesus declares, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.  All these centuries later, God's word is just as true and certain as it was when Jesus spoke it.  The time of the second coming of Christ draws closer each day.  We are simply to rest assured in that knowledge and not attempt to determine the day that it will happen.

Matthew 24:15 says, When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)  Jesus now begins to discuss the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in more particular terms.  Jesus said that if they had read the prophecies of Daniel that they would understand what He was talking about.  Matthew Henry points out that in order to understand the Bible, we must study the Bible.  God's word will always lead us to a better understanding of who we are and Who He is.  Verse sixteen states, Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:  Jesus did not tell those who saw this abomination in the temple to stand and fight, but to flee into the mountains.  This does not mean that we are always to flee from trouble, but that at times God may lead us away from certain situations.  The key is to rely on God for guidance.  Verse seventeen states, Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  Jesus said that during this time of persecution that the people needed to forget about material things and simply follow God's instruction.  We cannot allow material things to keep us from everlasting life.  If we value the things of this world more than our relationship to Christ, then something is wrong.  Verse eighteen adds, Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  Jesus said that there was to be an urgency to their escape from this abomination.  I believe that we can likewise say that we are to urgently flee from false teachings.  We need a sense of urgency in proclaiming the gospel as well.  Verse nineteen adds, And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  Jesus adds a particular warning to expectant and new mothers.  This was not a warning against having children, but was simply a statement that it would be hard on those who were expecting or had young babies.  Verse twenty says, But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:  Jesus said pray about having to flee.  It would be worse some times than others.  We often use an expression like, "I just pray," when we really don't pray about something, but I believe that Jesus was serious about praying about the situation.  Verse twenty-one says, For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  We know that the early Christians experienced great tribulation, but we also know the their is coming a greater tribulation before the return of Christ.  Jesus tells us that we should be prepared for this, and the first step in that preparation is prayer, or seeking God's will for our lives.  I wonder how prepared Christians, especially those in America, are for tribulation because of their faith today.  Verse twenty-two says, And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.  Jesus said that unless the times of tribulation were shortened that no flesh would be saved.  This was speaking of a physical saving, since Jesus also said that for the elect's, those who accepted His salvation provided for them, that the days of tribulation would be shortened.  In verse twenty-three Jesus warns, Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  We are not to fall for anyone claiming to have seen Christ physically that we are to not believe it.  When Christ does return, the whole world will know it.  Verse twenty-four continues, For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  Jesus warns us that there will be many false Christs and prophets.  Anytime someone says that we must go through them to find salvation, they have in effect declared themself to be the Christ, or Savior.  We have been warned not to believe them.  We have no need for a go-between to get us to Christ, and once we accept Him as our Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells us to help us keep Him as Lord.  Verse twenty-five states, Behold, I have told you before.  This was nothing new that Jesus was telling the disciples, and it certainly should be nothing new to us today.  We must be committed to following Christ, not just when things are going well, but especially during times of persecution.

Matthew 24:01 says, And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.  The disciples came to Jesus to show Him the temple.  Jesus had just pronounced the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and the disciples were pointing out the beauty of the temple as a reason for this not to happen.  We cannot expect the physical beauty of a place, even one dedicated to the worship of God, to prevent its destruction if Jesus is not in the center of the building.  Jesus had left the temple because those in the temple did not accept Him for Who He is.  Verse two says, And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.  I believe that Jesus was asking if the disciples really understood what He was telling them.  They were still looking at things from a material point of view and not a spiritual one.  If we are to see the world as it really is, we must see it from a spiritual perspective.  Verse three says,  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?  The disciples came to Jesus privately to ask Him when these things would occur.  We know that the Bible teaches us that no one knows the time of the return of Christ, but people are always trying to determine when it will be.  Verse four says, And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  Jesus first warned the disciples about being deceived by any man.  When someone comes today stating when the end of the world will come, there are usually at least a few who will listen and follow him, claiming to be spiritually superior to everyone who does not believe him.  Verse five declares, For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  There have been many through the ages and will continue to be more who would deceive others claiming while claiming to act in the name of Jesus.  We have God's warning to not be deceived by them.  In verse six Jesus says, And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  Jesus begins to tell the disciples some of the things that will occur before His return.  We today continually hear of wars and rumors of war, but Jesus tells us to not be troubled.  Verse seven says,  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  This is more true today ever, it seems.  Of course, part of this is due to instant communications.  The bad news of the world goes out instantly, and the good news, the gospel, seems to travel at a snail's pace.  Verse eight states, All these are the beginning of sorrows.  Jesus didn't say that these things will pass and the world will get better.  Instead, Jesus said that these things are the beginning of the sorrows that will occur before His return.  Verse nine declares, Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.  Jesus warned that following Him as Savior and Lord would often lead to persecution in this life.  We are never called to follow Christ so that we will be materially rewarded.  Verse ten adds, And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  Jesus said that some who profess to be His followers will turn against each other.  They will hate and betray one another.  Of course, many will be delivered up to those in power by others around them, even by friends and relatives.  Verse eleven says, And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  False prophets are those who profess a form of Christianity, but who add to the requirement for salvation.  There are many people today who profess to be Christmas, but they are following the teachings of false prophets.  Verse twelve says, And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  Jesus said that because of the abounding of iniquity that many would cease to love as God expects His people to love.  We, as followers of Christ, cannot allow our love for the lost to grow cold, and we certainly cannot allow our love for fellow Christians to do so.  Verse thirteen declares, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  I believe that this is simply a statement that if we are truly saved that we will endure to the end of this life, whether that be by death or the second coming of Christ.  In verse fourteen Jesus declares, And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.  When we are looking for a sign that the return of Christ is near, look to see if the gospel has been preached to all the nations.  This is the only sign that Jesus says will proclaim that the end is come.  Our only responsibility is to be faithful to Christ and proclaim the gospel.

Matthew 23:29 says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,  Jesus is still talking about the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees.  He said they built and maintained tombs for the prophets, but this was just a symbolic act without any real following  of what the prophets taught.  Verse thirty states, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.  The scribes and Pharisees attempted to exclude themselves from the killing of the prophets.  They said that had they been alive when the prophets were killed that they would not have taken part in the killing.  We may attempt to exempt ourselves from responsibility for Jesus's death on the cross, blaming it on the people of that day, but until we accept the fact that we are just as responsible, we cannot be saved.  To claim otherwise would make us just as guilty of hypocrisy as the scribes and Pharisees.  Verse thirty-one says, Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.  Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that they were children of those who killed the prophets, and they were just as guilty of the same attitude.  We are not guilty of sin because of who our parents are, but we are just as guilty as they were without Christ as our Savior and Lord.  We are neither saved nor condemned by the actions of our parents, but we are all guilty of being responsible for the death of Jesus on the cross.  Verse thirty-two says, Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.  I believe that Jesus was telling the scribes and Pharisees then and us today to accept responsibility for our actions.  It was not just the fathers of the scribes and Pharisees who were responsible for the death of the prophets, but it was all who had the same attitude even after the fact.  In verse thirty-three Jesus asks, Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?  We need to remember that this was some of the religious leaders who prided themselves on their righteousness that Jesus was talking to.  Unless we have accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, then this applies to us as well.  Verse thirty-four declares, Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:  Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that He was going to send to them prophets and wise men, and that they would scourge, kill and crucify them.  I believe this applies to the disciples and all believers who have been abused and killed for their faith since Jesus' death on the cross.  Verse thirty-five says, That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.  The scribes and Pharisees wanted to pronounce themselves innocent of the mistreatment and deaths of the prophets of God, but Jesus pronounced them guilty of the blood shed by all righteous men.  I don't believe that Jesus is saying that they would be held responsible for the sins of their forefathers, but that had they lived then that they would have participated in the acts committed against the prophets.  We cannot profess to honor the prophets of old while persecuting the prophets of today.  Verse thirty-six states, Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.  I believe that Jesus was saying that judgment will come to each generation for their sins.  We cannot claim that we would have been innocent in times past when we are guilty today.  In verse thirty-seven Jesus laments saying, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  Jesus said that Jerusalem, the city of God, had continually mistreated and killed God's prophets, even as God had attempted to offer His protection to His people.  God has always stands ready to gather those that believe in Him under His protective wing, but we often allow self desires to keep us from Him.  Verse thirty-eight says, Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.  When we reject God's protection, we will indeed be left desolate.  Until we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we cannot expect to build anything of lasting value.  Simply claiming to follow Christ without really believing in Him is not enough.  Verse thirty-nine declares, For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.  I don't believe that Jesus was speaking of seeing Him physically, but was speaking of seeing Him spiritually for Who He really is.  Until we spiritually acknowledge Who Jesus is, it does us no good to acknowledge Him as a physical Man Who lived at one time.

Matthew 23:13 says, But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.  Jesus begins to pronounce woes on the scribes and Pharisees, who saw themselves as morally superior to others and deserving of their praise.  There are some who profess to be followers of Christ today who feel morally superior to others who are followers of Christ.  They seem to feel that their sins were not as great as those of someone else's, so they are somehow more forgiven than others.  When as person's sins, no matter how big or small, are forgiven by God, then we as followers of Christ cannot separate ourselves from any other believer because we feel morally superior.  Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees shut up the kingdom of heaven for others by their self-righteous attitude.  We cannot decide who is worthy of salvation and deny some the right to that salvation.  Verse fourteen states, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.  Jesus continues to denounce the scribes and Pharisees.  Jesus said they devoured, or took away, the widows' houses while at the same time making a pretence of following God's will through their long prayers.  When we are doing something that is spiritually wrong, we cannot cover it up by prayer, no matter how long the prayers may be.  Verse fifteen declares, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.  Though the scribes and Pharisees worked hard to prevent others from coming to Christ, they also worked hard to have others follow them.  Jesus said this made them twice as doomed.  Leading others away from Jesus is much worse than just not leading them to Him.  Verse sixteen states, Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!  Jesus was in effect saying that the scribes and Pharisees valued the gold in the temple more than the temple itself.  They saw nothing wrong in swearing by the temple, but said it was wrong to swear by the gold in the temple.  The temple represented the spiritual presence of God.  We cannot put material things above spiritual things, or we are the blind guides.  Verse seventeen asks, Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?  Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees both blind and fools, and asked if did they not understand that God, Who sanctifys all things, was greater than the gold that was sanctified.  We can never afford to put things given to the church ahead of God.  In verse eighteen Jesus continues, And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.  This is a continuation of the idea that the material things brought to God are more important than the places that are set aside to worship God.  Verse nineteen asks, Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?  Jesus was speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, who considered themselves to be the religious authorities.  He again called them blind and foolish.  Jesus asked how they could fail to see that material things, or gifts, were nothing in themselves but only had value to God when they were placed on the altar.  In verse twenty Jesus declares, Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.  Jesus said swearing by the altar could not be separated from swearing by the things placed on the altar.  The altar, the place set aside for presenting sacrifices to God, is what gives anything spiritual value.  Verse twenty-one states, And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.  Once more, Jesus is telling us that we cannot separate the temple, the building itself, from those who worship there.  Then in verse twenty-two Jesus states, And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.  I believe that the key to all these verses is summarized here.  We cannot separate the things God created or consecrated from God Himself.  The temple, the altar and the heavens all belong to God, as does everything found there.  Verse twenty-three says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.  Jesus again pronounces woe on the scribes and Pharisees.  He said that they were good about paying tithes, but they forgot the weightier, or more important thing's about following God, such as judgment, mercy and faith.  God is not satisfied with worship based on empty rituals and tithes, but expects us to worship Him in the way we live our lives daily.  We can be in church every time the doors open and give well above the tithe, but if we have no mercy on others and no faith in God's guidance in our lives, then we as did the scribes and Pharisees have God's woe pronounced on us.  In verse twenty-four Jesus declares, Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.  Jesus pronounced the scribes and Pharisees to be blind guides, and they were supposed to be the religious guides of God's people.  Jesus said they strained at the keeping of the small points of the law, but missed the failure of the people to keep the much larger points of the law.  When we become judgmental of others based on ritualistic worship, we will miss the true nature of worship.  We are not to just go through the motions, but we are to worship God in spirit and truth.  Verse twenty-five says, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.  Jesus once again denounced the scribes and Pharisees for being more concerned with appearances than with what was inside a person's relationship with God.  It is not enough to clean up our actions, the outside, if our thoughts, the inside, are filled with self righteousness.  Verse twenty-six continues, Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.  Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, and us today, that we must first clean the inside, or our thoughts and belief about God, and then our actions, the outside, will become claim also.  Verse twenty-seven states, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.  Jesus compared the scribes and Pharisees to well maintained graves, pretty on the outside, but full of dead men's bones and uncleanness on the inside.  We need to make sure that we live our lives by a right relationship with God and not by a faithless, ritualistic worship based on material things.  Verse twenty-eight says, Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.  Jesus summed up the worship of the scribes and Pharisees here.  They looked good in the eyes of the world, but were full of hypocrisy and iniquity within.  Let's pray that we are never guilty of the same thing.

Matthew 23:1 says, Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,  The people may have quit asking Jesus questions, but He had not quit teaching them.  As followers of Christ, God will always be teaching us more about what we should be as His people, even when we don't know enough to ask Him questions.  All we really have to do is listen under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  In verse two Jesus says, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:  Though they were always attempting to discredit Jesus, He said that the scribes and Pharisees sat in a position of authority in teaching the law of Moses.  There may be people today who teach God's law, but they still want to discredit Jesus as the Messiah.  Verse three says, All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.  Jesus told those who were listening to Him to obey what the scribes and Pharisees taught concerning the scripture, but at the same time told them to not follow their works.  Today, if someone is teaching the truth about God, especially religious leaders, then we need to learn from them.  On the other hand, if their words are not in accordance with what God's word teaches, we certainly aren't to follow them in their works.  Verse four says, For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  Jesus said that by their works the scribes and Pharisees put heavy burdens on the people spiritually, but they themselves didn't take on these burdens.  We should always be wary of any one who attempts to add requirements to God's word, and especially His plan of salvation.  Verse five says, But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,  Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees were going out of their way to make themselves look super religious.  It is not enough for us to carry a Bible everywhere or to wear a cross at all times if we only do it to bring attention to ourselves.  We must actually know what the Bible teaches and what the cross means and share it with others for God's glory for it to have any real purpose.  Verse six says, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,   Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees enjoyed being in the best seats during feasts and worship.  They felt entitled to the praise of men.  If someone claiming to be a Christian leader today demands that he or she be seen as above other Christians and entitled to a position of honor in the church, we need to be wary of them.  In verse seven Jesus continues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.  Jesus says that the scribes and Pharisees enjoyed being seen as people of power by the people of Israel.  We are never to serve Jesus simply in an attempt to bring praise to ourselves, but are to always direct the praise to God.  Verse eight says, But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.  Jesus tells us that we are not to allow ourselves to be called Rabbi, because we all have the same Master, Jesus Christ Himself.  We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and none is to be exalted above another.  Verse nine declares, And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.  I believe that Jesus is speaking of calling someone your spiritual father, and not referring to your earthly father.  We are told we are to honor our earthly father, but we have no spiritual father on this earth.  For someone to claim to be the spiritual father of anyone, much less a group of those who profess to be followers of Christ, is biblically incorrect.  Political correctness can never take priority over biblical correctness.  Verse ten says, Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.  Jesus tells us that we are not to allow others to call us master, or to put us in a position of spiritual authority over others.  The only Master, or spiritual authority, that we have as followers of Christ is God Himself through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  We may look up to preachers and teachers, but we can never allow them to be more important spiritually than any other Christian who is doing God's will in their life.  Verse eleven declares, But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.  Jesus tells us that the way to be great in His kingdom is to be a servant to others.  We cannot serve God so that we ourselves receive honor from others, but must instead serve in humility to Christ.  No one has earned salvation, and all that we do after accepting the free gift of salvation should always bring glory to God, and not to ourselves.  Verse twelve states, And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.  Jesus tells us very plainly that if we attempt to exalt ourselves as His followers, that ultimately we be will abased, and if we humble ourselves one day we will be exalted.  We are all simply sinners saved by grace.