“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence…” — Matthew 23:25–28
On Holy Tuesday, Jesus stood toe-to-toe with the religious elite. In the temple courts, he confronted leaders who looked holy on the outside but whose hearts were far from God. His words were not tame. He spoke with clarity and fire: Woe to you… Why? Because hypocrisy is a form of spiritual violence—it blinds others to the truth, it withholds grace, and it cloaks pride in the language of holiness.
Jesus didn’t die because he avoided conflict; he died because he revealed truth. Today, we are invited to welcome his piercing gaze. He doesn’t expose us to shame us, but to free us. The Lenten journey is one of inward examination. What’s hidden inside your cup?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, strip away the layers of pretense in my life. Cleanse my heart of hidden pride, greed, and self-reliance. Make me whole—from the inside out. Amen.
