»But beware of doing your good actions in the sight of men, in order to attract their gaze; if you do, there is no reward for you with your Father who is in Heaven.«
»But alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you lock the door of the Kingdom of the Heavens against men; you yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow those to enter who are seeking to do so.«
»But the King will answer them,« `In solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you rendered such services to one of the humblest of these my brethren, you rendered them to myself.'
»When any of you fast, never assume gloomy looks as the hypocrites do; for they disfigure their faces in order that it may be evident to men that they are fasting. I solemnly tell you that they already have their reward.«
Meanwhile the people had come streaming towards Him by tens of thousands, so that they were trampling one another under foot. And now He proceeded to say to His disciples first, »Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is to say, beware of hypocrisy.
And to the people He said, »Take care, be on your guard against all covetousness, for no one's life consists in the superabundance of his possessions.«
»You are they,« He said to them, »who boast of their own goodness before men, but God sees your hearts; for that which holds a proud position among men is detestable in God's sight.
Peter, seeing this, spoke to the people. »Israelites,« he said, »why do you wonder at this man? Or why gaze at us, as though by any power or piety of our own we had enabled him to walk?
All who desire to display their zeal for external observances try to compel you to receive circumcision, but their real object is simply to escape being persecuted for the Cross of Christ.
because he deemed the reproaches which he might meet with in the service of the Christ to be greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt; for he fixed his gaze on the coming reward.
For God is not unjust so that He is unmindful of your labour and of the love which you have manifested towards Himself in having rendered services to His people and in still rendering them.