What is the meaning of Matthew 23:26? Blind Pharisee! • Jesus opens with a sharp rebuke: “Blind Pharisee!” (Matthew 23:26). Spiritual blindness is willful ignorance—a refusal to see what God is revealing. – In Matthew 15:14, He warns, “If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” The Pharisees’ teaching endangered others. – John 9:41 records Jesus saying to some Pharisees, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” Their pride kept them from repentance. – Revelation 3:17 shows that blindness can accompany self-confidence: “You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.” Jesus names the problem before offering the cure: the leaders think they see, yet they miss God’s heart. First clean the inside of the cup and dish, • Picture an elegant cup that looks polished but is filthy inside. The Lord’s point is moral and spiritual, not culinary. – Earlier in the same discourse He said, “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25). – David’s cry fits: “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). True purity begins where God alone sees. – Ezekiel 36:25-27 promises that God will “sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean… I will give you a new heart.” Inner cleansing is a supernatural work, received by faith. – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Vision follows purity; spiritual clarity follows inner washing. so that the outside may become clean as well. • Once the heart is made right, outward conduct naturally follows. – Paul writes, “Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Inner change produces external holiness. – James 2:18 insists, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” Works flow from a transformed core. – The Spirit’s fruit—love, joy, peace, and the rest (Galatians 5:22-23)—is visible evidence of an inward reality. – Peter’s call echoes Jesus: “Be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:15-16). God cleans within so believers can live clean without. summary Matthew 23:26 confronts religious hypocrisy and prescribes genuine holiness. Jesus exposes the Pharisees’ blindness, commands inner cleansing through God’s renewing work, and explains that authentic outward righteousness springs from a purified heart. The verse urges every follower to seek God’s transforming grace within, confident that He will shape a life that shines His purity to the world. |
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