Weekly Playlist  |  June 24-30

Sermon on the Mount - Warnings About Religious Practices

Religious Hypocrisy in Jesus’ Day

Watch – An Introduction to Warnings About Religious Practices
Read – Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18

Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18

Warnings About Religious Practices

2 min

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Warnings About Religious Practices
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Be careful about your doing-what-is-right. Don't do it in front of people for the purpose of being seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in the skies.
So then, when you do acts of generous-giving, don't signal with a trumpet before you, like the hypocrites do in the gathering places and alleyways for the purpose of being honored by people.
Truly, I tell you: they have fully received their reward.
But you, when you do acts of generous-giving, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your generous-giving is done in a hiddenness,
and your Father who sees what is done in a hiddenness, He will fully reward you.
And when you pray, don't be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in the gathering places and at the corners of wide streets for the purpose of being visible to people.
Truly, I tell you: they have fully received their reward.
But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room and shut the door so you can pray to your Father in hiddenness. And your Father who sees what is done in hiddenness, he will fully reward you.
And when you are praying, don't use meaningless repetition like the nations, because they suppose that they will be heard on account of their many words.
So don't be like them. Because your Father knows what you need before you even ask him.
And when you fast, don't look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they make their faces look disfigured so that their fasting will be visible to people. Truly, I tell you: they have fully received their reward.
But you, when you fast, anoint your head with oil and wash your face so that your fasting won't be visible to people, but to your Father in a hidden way. And your Father who sees what is hidden, he will fully reward you.
About This Translation
This reading uses a new translation from the BibleProject Scholar Team, which aims to bring fresh language to familiar words while using consistent English terms for Greek words used throughout this part of Scripture.

We'll be adding more translations here in the future, but in the meantime, you can find more translations now on the BibleProject app.
Watch – Sermon on the Mount, Warnings About Religious Practices

Highlight

In Jesus’ culture, it was easy to turn devotion to God into a performance to receive praise—like a stage actor, or in Greek, hupocrites, meaning “hypocrite.” Jesus offers three case studies to help his followers avoid hypocrisy.

Listen – The Meaning of the Word Hypocrite

Chapter from Sermon on the Mount E17

The Meaning of the Word Hypocrite

3 min

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The Meaning of the Word Hypocrite
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In our culture, we label someone a hypocrite when their actions don’t line up with what they say they value. When Jesus uses the word hypocrite, he’s referring to something different—a person who does the right thing but for the wrong reason.

Invite your friends and family to meditate on the teachings of Jesus together.
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