If Jesus’ fate was not sealed up to this point it certainly must have been after the events of Matthew 23.  He calls the Pharisees out blatantly on their hypocrisy the chapter ends with the famous 7 woes of the Pharisees but let’s look at the beginning of the chapter together today.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Jesus tells His followers to obey the law of the Pharisees but He makes a clear point for them not to live like them.  The Pharisees love a life of religious show but not true hearts of following God.  The call of a follower of Jesus is not one of esteem but of humility.  Our faith journey is meant to more and more point us toward our need for God not to make us point out how good we are on our own merit.  A. W. Tozer once stated that the closer we get to God the more we recognize just how sinful we truly are.  The Pharisees were far from God because they thought that they were pretty good.  May we be a people who recognize our need for God more and more and hold on tight to Him.  He is always holding on tight to us.