“Be careful! When you do good things, don’t do those things in front of people. Don’t do those things for people to see you. If you do that, then you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
So they come to you like they are my people. They sit in front of you like they are my people. They hear your words. But they won’t do the things you say. They only want to do what feels good. They only want to cheat people and make more money.
So, king, please accept my advice. I advise you to stop sinning and do what is right. Stop doing bad things. And be kind to poor people. Then you might continue to be successful.”
At that time, the prophets will be ashamed of their visions and prophecies. They will not wear the rough cloth that shows a person is a prophet. They will not wear those clothes to trick people with the lies they call prophecies.
“Tell the priests and the other people in this country these things: For seventy years you fasted and showed your sadness in the fifth month and in the seventh month. But was that fasting really for me? No!
The Son of Man {\cf2\super [235]} will come again with his Father’s glory and with his angels. At that time, the Son of Man will reward each person for the things he has done.
Jesus said to the followers, “Be careful! Guard against the yeast {\cf2\super [219]} of the Pharisees {\cf2\super [220]} and the Sadducees. {\cf2\super [221]} ”
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and Pharisees. {\cf2\super [333]} You are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [334]} You close the way for people to enter the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don’t enter, and you stop the people that are trying to enter.
“The only reason they do good things is for other people to see them. They wear special boxes {\cf2\super [328]} full of Scriptures. {\cf2\super [329]} They make these boxes bigger and bigger. And they make their special prayer clothes very long \{so that people will see them\}.
In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that people will see the good things you do. Live so that people will praise your Father in heaven.
“When you fast, {\cf2\super [78]} don’t make yourselves look sad. The hypocrites {\cf2\super [79]} do that. Don’t be like the hypocrites. They make their faces look strange to show people that they are fasting. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward.
Jesus warned them, “Be careful! Guard against the yeast {\cf2\super [95]} of the Pharisees {\cf2\super [96]} and the yeast of Herod. {\cf2\super [97]} ”
Many thousands of people came together. There were so many people that they were stepping on each other. Before Jesus spoke to the people, he said to his followers, “Be careful of the yeast {\cf2\super [221]} of the Pharisees. {\cf2\super [222]} I mean that they are hypocrites. {\cf2\super [223]}
Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You make yourselves look good in front of people. But God knows what is really in your hearts. The things that people think are important are worth nothing to God.
When Peter saw this, he said to the people, “My Jewish brothers, why are you surprised at this? You are looking at us like it was our power that made this man walk. Do you think this was done because we are good?
Some men are trying to force you to be circumcised. {\cf2\super [77]} They do these things so that other people (the Jews) will accept them. Those men are afraid they will be criticized if they follow only the cross of Christ. {\cf2\super [78]}
You must give his security back to him every evening. Then he will have clothes to sleep in. He will bless you, and the Lord your God will accept this as living right and doing good.
Moses thought that it was better to suffer for the Christ {\cf2\super [151]} than to have all the treasures of Egypt. Moses was waiting for the reward \{that God would give him\}.
God is fair. God will remember all the work you have done. And God will remember that you showed your love to him by helping his people. And God will remember that you continue to help his people.