Daily Writing

Tuesday, 16 December 2025

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: Matthew 15:7

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Hypocrites! Well, Isaiah, he prophesied concerning you, saying,” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that they had invalidated the commandment of God through their tradition. He continues, sharply criticizing them for this, saying, “Hypocrites!”

The word has been seen several times already, but this is the first time Jesus has directly called these men “hypocrites” to their faces. The word comes from two separate words signifying under and judge. It is a person who judges like a performer under a mask. Thus, he is two-faced.

This is exactly how these men were in their ungodly teachings while claiming to be the epitome of godly examples to the people. Of this sort, Jesus said to them, “Well, Isaiah, he prophesied concerning you, saying.”

The words of Isaiah are words of Scripture, given by God through a prophet. Without yet reading what words Jesus will cite, we can already guess that His reference to these men will not be favorable concerning them and their actions.

Life application: These scribes and Pharisees had an agenda. The conversation began with them asking Jesus why His disciples transgressed the traditions of the elders. Although the tone of their voice is unknown, the very question implies that they felt somehow better than Jesus and His disciples because these supposed religious leaders do something that others don’t do.

It is a way of attempting to shame others into compliance with their lifestyles, values, morals, etc. This is a common way that people handle such things. Look at the world around you at any given time, and you will see people doing this constantly.

For example, people are currently in the habit of shaming others if they disagree with all sorts of perverse lifestyles, such as homosexuality. The news media and Hollywood elites shame people because of their skin color, as if being anything but black is bad.

In Christianity, people who read the KJV will constantly demean and shame those who don’t, as if the translation they are reading makes them less of a Christian. One key aspect of all such matters is that the one who is making the accusation is the one who has no valid argument for his stand.

The shaming, when understood from this perspective, is an underhanded attempt not to do right, but to do what is wrong. Those who are doing right have no need to shame others in such a manner. They can call out what is wrong based on their properly aligned position.

For example, nature itself tells us that homosexuality is a perversion of what is normal. Being abnormal, there is no moral justification for such a stand. Therefore, the way to make people accommodate this type of behavior must be pressed from a position of weakness. Shaming others is an inevitable tactic that must be employed to silence those who oppose the behavior.

Shaming someone because of his skin color is a ridiculous proposition. A person is born with skin. It isn’t the skin that makes the person. That is an incidental mark of who he is, like the color of his eyes or the size of his foot. How the person behaves within society, regardless of skin color, is what makes him valuable or worthless.But for those who have an agenda against a predominantly white society, shaming the majority because of their skin color serves their purpose. Let them go to China and try that with yellow skin!

As for cults, those who hold to an untenable position, like KJV Onlyism, will attempt to justify the unjustifiable in their doctrine, covering up errors in their own text as if they don’t exist. At the same time, they will shame others because of the Bible they read, using fallacious thinking and verbal attacks in an attempt to embarrass others into acquiescing to their ridiculous stand.

Be ready to defend your stand on why you believe homosexuality is wrong, why it is ok for you to have whatever color skin you have, and why you read one version of the Bible rather than another.

And these are only three of innumerable examples of such things you should be aware of in the world in which you exist. Jesus didn’t cave to shamers, and neither should you.

Glorious God, thank You for the words of Scripture that give us insights into how to live and operate in the world You have placed us in. May we not be ashamed of our stand for the gospel or the truths contained in Your word. Help us to boldly stand on what Your word teaches, knowing that Your word is truth. Amen.

Monday, 15 December 2025

then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Matthew 15:6

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And no, not he should honor his father or his mother. And you invalidated God’s commandment through your tradition” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus began explaining the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees in regard to the issue of tending to one’s parents as commanded by the law. He continues that, saying, “And no, not he should honor his father or his mother.”

By the leaders’ granting the people to take their gifts and dedicate them in this fashion, a practice that was derived from tradition, they created a rift in people’s proper adherence to God’s prescription. That is stated by Jesus with the words, “And you invalidated God’s commandment through your tradition.”

The word akuroó, to invalidate, is first seen here. It will be used in the comparable passage in Mark 7:13 and then only again in Galatians 3 concerning the surety of the covenant of promise given to Abraham that is not invalidated by the temporary Law of Moses –

“And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul [akuroó] the covenant that was confirmed before by Godin Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.” Galatians 3:17, 18

These leaders were essentially saying, “Isn’t it more important to give your gifts to God than to keep them around, taking up space, cluttering up your lives and your homes?” They knew full well that by convincing people they were doing a service to God that they would rush to give. Never mind that these leaders would be on the receiving end of such gifts in one way or another and that the parents would be left unattended to in their old age.

The perverse nature of the doctrine is laid bare by Jesus, shaming the people for their greed, dishonesty, and outright hypocrisy. God doesn’t need their gifts. Rather, what He wants from His people is obedience to His prescriptions.

“Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you;
I am God, your God!
⁸ I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices
Or your burnt offerings,
Which are continually before Me.
⁹ I will not take a bull from your house,
Nor goats out of your folds.
¹⁰ For every beast of the forest is Mine,
And the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹ I know all the birds of the mountains,
And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.
¹² If I were hungry, I would not tell you;
For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.
¹³ Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
Or drink the blood of goats?
¹⁴ Offer to God thanksgiving,
And pay your vows to the Most High.
¹⁵ Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” Psalm 50:7-15

Life application: Do you ever hear preachers or teachers making an appeal for donations that includes catchphrases like seed offering, increase, multiply, tithe, tithing, tithes, pleasing to God, firstfruits, opening the storehouses of heaven, and so on?

If you hear these things, be sure not to give to such people. If you are giving to receive in return, you are giving for the wrong reason. If you are giving because someone told you that you are going to make God happy by giving them money, you are giving for the wrong reason.

God is happy with your faith, praise, and thanksgiving. He doesn’t need your money, even if His people do. If His people do, and you are able to give, then do so without expecting anything in return. Be cheerful in your giving, or don’t give. Giving grudgingly will not lead to future rewards.

Glorious Lord God, we come before You to praise You for who You are, to thank You for Your grace and tender mercies, and to glorify You for the salvation You have granted to us through simple belief in the full, final, finished, and forever work of Jesus Christ. We believe and we thank You. All praises to You, O God. Amen.

Sunday, 14 December 2025

But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—Matthew 15:5

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And you, you say, ‘Whoever, he should say to father or mother, “Gift – whatever if from me you should benefit”’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus cited the fifth commandment and then a penalty found in Exodus for cursing one’s father or mother. He continues His words to the scribes and Pharisees, emphatically saying, “And you, you say.”

The stress indicates a teaching of these men that will come into conflict with the laws just cited from Exodus 20 and 21. In essence, “God says this, and you, you say this…” The treacherous teaching they say is, “Whoever, he should say to father or mother, ‘Gift – whatever if from me you should benefit.’”

A new word is seen in this verse, ópheleó, to be useful, to benefit, to profit, etc. The parents could have received benefits from the child, but that is no longer the case because it has been given as a gift.

The words make little sense to us because the idea has to be understood from the cultural practices of the people. The inserted words of many translations, to God, help provide clarity. A person has parents he is required by law to tend to. However, if he gives the gift to God, it becomes sacred and can no longer be used for common purposes. Charles Ellicott gives a suitable explanation –

“If he had once devoted his property once said it was ‘corban,’ or a gift to God – it could not be appropriated even to the support of a parent. If a parent was needy and poor, and if he should apply to a son for assistance, and the son should reply, though in anger, ‘It is devoted to God; this property which you need, and by which you might be profited by me, is “corban” – I have given it to God;’ the Jews said the property could not be recalled, and the son was not under obligation to aid a parent with it. He had done a more important thing in giving it to God. The son was free. He could not be required to do anything for his father after that. Thus, he might, in a moment, free himself from the obligation to obey his father or mother.”

In the end, this shows a mean-spirited attitude towards one’s parents by giving a gift to God, something the leaders would be all too happy to receive, and thus denying the parents what was otherwise commanded by God. Once it was devoted to God, even though it violated the law by denying the parents what he was responsible for, it was henceforth out of reach for that proper purpose.

Life application: There are all kinds of ways of getting around obligations. Some are good and some are devious. Some are legal, the legality of some may be questionable, and some are obviously illegal. Man has contrived many ways of getting around what they are directed to do.

In some cases, the government itself makes allowances for getting around paying taxes. These usually benefit people who have the money to do so, such as gift and inheritance taxes. However, some countries allow money to be given to churches or other charitable organizations that would otherwise have been taken as taxes.

These usually start with good intent. A charitable organization, such as a food ministry to the poor, is set up. People can give to it and get a tax deduction. The problem is that the food organization begins funneling money off to other things, still legally, that really have nothing to do with helping others.

This has gotten completely out of control in the US, where organizations like BLM were receiving millions of dollars for really perverse purposes. All the while, the people who set the organization up were pocketing millions.

At the same time, because of the hard left ideology of those in the government, real charitable organizations, based on Christian values, were being targeted or denied tax-exempt status in order to frustrate their efforts.

The path people will normally take is the bad one. Tax exemption programs are a great place for people to do devious things. When you give to such organizations, be sure to check them out thoroughly. Don’t just assume that what you are giving is being handled properly.

If a preacher has a Learjet, you can bet he also has a giant house, maybe two or three. Is that where you want your money to go? Be wise and discerning in how you give. It is important.

Lord God, help us to have discernment in how we spend our money. There are a lot of teachers and preachers of Your word who have hidden agendas that do nothing to further the gospel or an understanding of Your word. We pray that You direct us so that we don’t get duped by those who appear one way but are not at all what they seem. Amen.

Saturday, 13 December 2025

For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ Matthew 15:4

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“For God, He enjoined, saying, ‘You honor your father and your mother,’ and the ‘disparaging father or mother,’ death – he expires!” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus challenged the scribes and Pharisees, asking why they sidestepped the commandment of God because of their traditions. He now explains how they were doing this, beginning with, “For God, He enjoined.”

There is a difference in source texts here. Some use the word legó, to speak or say. Others use the word entellomai, to enjoin. Either way, the word of God, when spoken to the people as a matter of law, is to be taken as a command. As for what God enjoined, Matthew continues, “saying, ‘You honor your father and your mother.’”

Another new word, timaó, to prize, is seen. The sense is to fix a valuation upon, and thus to reverence or honor. One will fix a value on something based on how he perceives its value.

If someone finds a stick, if he has need of it for a fire, the value set upon it is that it will be burned. However, if he finds a Van Gogh painting and knows what it is worth, he will put a high value on it and give it an honorable place on his wall.

Jesus cites the fifth commandment, that of honoring the parents. In Exodus 20:12, as the people gathered before God at Mount Sinai, they were commanded that parents are to be highly esteemed in the eyes of His people. This was repeated by Moses in Deuteronomy 5:16.

As a command of God, the parents are to be honored. And more, as this was His command, there were penalties for not upholding the edict. That is seen in His next words, “and the ‘disparaging father or mother,’ death – he expires!’”

Still another new word is seen, kakologeó, to revile. It is derived from kakos, worthless, and logos, something said. As such, it would be to speak a word of worthlessness about another. A good word to match the intent is to disparage.

This precept is explicitly stated in Exodus 21:17. In this command of God to His people, to ensure that reverence was paid to the parents, the penalty for disparaging them was that their lives were forfeit. They were to be put to death. The forceful way Jesus states this penalty to these men is a clear indication to them that when He finishes, they will understand this is what they deserve.

Life application: When a person is given a word from a higher up that he is expected to be obedient to, how he responds to that word is an implicit assignment of value to the Lord who gave the word.

When a person is given a word from a boss to do something, he may ignore it, showing contempt for what he was told to do, and thus contempt for the boss who told him to do it. The same is true with parents, an official statute from a city, county, state, or national body, or even God.

In Jesus’ words, and as will be analyzed in just a few verses, it will be seen that these people honor (the same Greek word, timaó) Him with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. In other words, they pay lip service to Him, but their will and intent, as it is worked out, actually disparage Him.

We could say, “Well then! They got what they deserved when the temple was destroyed and the people were carried away in the Roman dispersion.” However, every time we are disobedient to the word that has been given to us, meaning the directives that apply in any given dispensation, and as the context demands, we are doing exactly what Jesus rebukes the leaders of Israel for.

But more to the point, we may not even know what the Lord’s word to us is. So, we could say, “I wasn’t disparaging God. If I had known, I would have done what the word said.” This is a feeble excuse, and it actually shows a contempt for the word of God, and thus Him, because we didn’t even bother to check and know what God expects of us.

For us, the old saying, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse,” could more rightly be stated, “Ignorance of God’s word is inexcusable.” Think the matter through. We heard the word of salvation. We accepted the proposition and Jesus saved us, sealing us with the Holy Spirit. Our eternal state has now been changed from condemnation to salvation.

Does this eternity-changing state mean anything at all to us? In ages past, not knowing God’s precepts may have been excusable. There were no Bibles at hand, and those who believed were at the mercy of the competency and caring of the one who possessed maybe the only copy of the word for many miles.

Today, however, a Bible can be obtained for free anywhere and at any time. If you are connected to the internet, you have no excuse. If you have a church you attend that cares about the word, it is certain they will give you a copy of the Bible. A used Bible that has never been opened can usually be picked up at a Goodwill for a dollar or two, meaning less than you spend on the cheapest of your daily purchases.

Don’t make excuses! Get a Bible, pick the thing up, and read it, honoring God as you do. And then, be sure to do what it says, meaning in the proper context of the church age, thus honoring God through obedient adherence to what He expects of you. Anything less is truly unacceptable.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ¹⁷ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:16, 17

Glorious God, may our honoring of You be in spirit and in truth, not with lip service, but with a true heart for You and what You expect of us. You are God. May we remember this and understand our lowly state before You without Your kind mercies as extended to us in the Person of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Friday, 12 December 2025

He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? Matthew 15:3

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And answering, He said, to them, ‘Through what – also you, you sidestep the ‘God’s commandment’ through your tradition?’” (CG).

In the previous verse, the scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus and asked why His disciples transgressed the tradition of the elders because they didn’t wash their hands when they ate bread. Matthew next records, “And answering, He said, to them, ‘Through what – also you, you sidestep.

Jesus returns the same word they just used, parabainó, to sidestep, to them. In doing this, He doesn’t defend His apostles, nor does He condemn the traditions they practice, as if they are contrary to God’s laws. Rather, in doing so, He elevates the gravity of the matter, noting that in their own lives, they are sidestepping “the ‘God’s commandment.’”

The word entolé signifies an injunction that is authoritative in nature and that focuses on the end result of a command. As it is God’s injunction, the end result is that His people are to obey it. And yet, these hypocrites stood there arguing over a manmade precept, which, as Jesus says, is “through your tradition?”

Jesus stood on the word of God. There was no suitable evidence for a second oral code. And even if it existed, it would have become so corrupted that whatever was originally spoken would have been lost eons earlier. This is why the law was written down. It was a safeguard to protect what God intended for His people.

Despite this, these scribes and Pharisees sidestepped what God had authored through Moses. Instead, they placed their own corrupt, self-serving, and self-aggrandizing traditions above God’s word.

Life application: The Bible does not forbid traditions. Nor does it find fault in having traditions. An example of Jewish traditions being followed by Jesus is found in the gospels. In Matthew 26:30, it says, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

This is generally accepted as a note concerning the singing of the Hallel, which is found in Psalms 113-118, and which is followed by the Great Hallel, where Psalm 136 is sung. If this is so, it is a tradition. There is nothing in Scripture instructing the people to do this. As such, it cannot be considered mandatory. Rather, it is a cultural tradition that became accepted and standard.

Rather than getting bogged down in a verbal tiff with the scribes and Pharisees over such things, He directly accused them of violating God’s laws. No matter what right they had to impose their human precepts on others in such matters, they had no right to ever violate one of God’s laws.

As an example, a woman in a congregation may stand up and complain about how the Lord’s Supper is no longer served at that church on a rectangular silver platter. However, the denomination may have prescribed that all Lord’s Supper presentations would be the same at each church so that visitors would always feel at home.

In this tradition, a rectangular silver platter was mandated, and each church was given one. Regardless of the reason why it was no longer being used (for all we know, it got stolen by the lady’s son, who was a noted thief!), she has stood up and accused the church of violating the denomination’s tradition, instructing the pastor that he was not shepherding the church as a sound leader.

Instead of addressing the issue of the platter itself or the tradition that prescribed it, the pastor says, “And why are you violating God’s laws over a tradition? Go read the pastoral epistles and you will find that your instruction to me violates Scripture!”

This is what Jesus has done. He has maintained the integrity of God’s word without getting bogged down in a verbal spat over a far less important issue. When the crime of violating God’s law is presented, no further argumentation by the accuser will hold any weight at all.

When debating things with people, there is no need for a tit-for-tat verbal exchange. If someone makes a claim that is inappropriate, address the issue of greater weight and ignore what will lead to pointless argumentation.

Heavenly Father, give us the wisdom to carefully consider our interactions with others so that when we have a dispute between ourselves, we can quickly end it without it getting out of hand. This does take wisdom, and we come to You asking for it so that we will be free of shameful words that could otherwise arise. Amen.