Jesus sternly rebuked the teachers of God’s Law and the Pharisees. He condemned their hypocrisy and their actions that hindered people from entering the kingdom of heaven. Jesus accused them of traveling far and wide to make converts, but their influence led people astray through exploitation, hypocrisy, self-righteousness amd misleading influence. Jesus challenged their outward religiosity, emphasizing the importance of true righteousness, compassion, and humility. His words serve as a timeless reminder to focus on authentic faith and love for God rather than mere appearances.
Luke 20:45-47 Easy English Bible> All the people were listening to Jesus. Jesus then said to his disciples, ‘Be careful not to do the same as the teachers of God’s Law. They want people to think that they are important. So they walk about in beautiful long clothes. They like people to praise them in the market place. They choose to sit in the best seats in the meeting place. They like to sit in the most important places at special meals. They take things away from women after their husbands have died, even their houses. Then they pray for a long time so that other people will praise them. Because they do these things, God will punish those men much more than other people.’