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35

Exposing and Confronting Falsehood and Hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Part 1)

Matthew 23:1-22

  • Session: 35
  • Week: 5
  • Day: 7
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Introduction

In Matthew 23:1-22, Jesus continues to address the stumbling blocks that hinder making Christ known, particularly to those imprisoned by religious systems. During the final week of His earthly ministry, the religious leaders inspected Jesus for any spot or blemish, as a spotless Lamb would be sacrificed for the people. In the previous session, we saw Jesus successfully defeat the Pharisees and religious leaders on questions about marriage, resurrection, and the greatest commandment. He also turned the tables by questioning them about the Messiah. Now, in this session, Jesus, the Lamb of God, exposes and confronts the falsehood of religious leaders. He reveals the dangers of false religious leaders, systems, and teachings that focus on legalism (works-based righteousness) and hypocrisy (hiding one’s true self through deceptive speech and actions). We are called to evaluate our own speech and actions before God.

Objectives

By the end of this session, you will have:

  • Exposed the major sources of religious falsehood by reading the provided verses.
  • Understood how the sin of hypocrisy among spiritual leaders and teachers affects the soul’s rest of their followers by studying the verses in Matthew 23.
  • Reflected on how, as a teacher and leader, you may have negatively affected those who follow you, leading to repentance before God.
  • Compared the similarities between Matthew chapter 5 (Jesus’ first public sermon) and Matthew chapter 23 (Jesus’ last public sermon) by reading the eight beatitudes (blessings) and the eight warnings against bad leadership attitudes (woes).

Outline

  • Falsehood and hypocrisy of religious leaders confronted.
  • False leaders.
  • False religious systems.
  • False religious teaching.
  • Falsehood rooted in humanism, relying on works (My help comes from men, hills).
  • Evaluate your motivation for what you say or do.
  • Jesus’ first public sermon (Happy, blessed) and Jesus’ last public sermon (Sorrow, woe).

Group Study Time

Matthew 23:1-22

Connecting

  • Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
  • Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
  • Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
  • Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.

Comprehending

What do the verses mean?
(In small groups, attempt the following questions. Focus on God’s attitudes and the people’s character/attributes.)

  • Read Matthew 11:28-30. What does Jesus say to the weary and heavy-laden? What or who had placed these burdens on the believers? Discuss.
  • Read James 3:1. Who is a teacher or preacher? What does James say about teachers? Why would teachers and preachers receive stricter judgment?
  • Read Matthew 23:1-2. What is true authority? What is false authority? What is the danger of false authority to both leaders and followers?
  • Sin means missing the mark of right living (being righteous before God) but pretending to be okay before people. The sin of hypocrisy turns us into false spiritual leaders. Discuss.
  • From the following verses, list and discuss eight sins of hypocrisy among spiritual leaders (teachers) on which Jesus pronounced “woe” (coming judgment):
    Sin One: Matthew 23:1-3
    Sin Two: Matthew 23:4
    Sin Three: Matthew 23:5-6
    Sin Four: Matthew 23:7-12
    Sin Five: Matthew 23:13
    Sin Six: Matthew 23:14
    Sin Seven: Matthew 23:15
    Sin Eight: Matthew 23:16-22 (To be continued next week)

Committing

  • Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
  • List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
  • Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
  • Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
    • Sin to confess
    • Promise to claim
    • Attitude to change
    • Command to keep
    • Error to change
    • Prayer to make
    • Example to copy
    • Truth to obey and
    • Something praiseworthy

Communicating

  • Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
  • Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
  • Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.
Close

How to use these studies

These lessons are designed as short, 25-minute studies based on Bible truths, and meant for self-learning or small group study. The study sets systematically cover different books of the Bible. 

Each lesson follows a simple structure:

  • Introduction (Including the outline and objectives)
  • Step 1: Connecting
  • Step 2: Comprehending
  • Step 3: Committing
  • Step 4: Communicating

These sections include questions to help you reflect on the bible passage and how it applies to your life. 

Use these lessons to disciple others by journeying together over time and allowing God’s word to penetrate your heart and bring transforming change to your life. As a leader, pray for wisdom in leading and for modelling the truths in your own life.

Sharing offline

  • Mobile Friendly PDF
  • Print Friendly PDF
  • Full Study PDF

Each lesson has three buttons allowing you to download a easily saveable and shareable PDF version of the study. You can choose either a Mobile-friendly PDF version, and Print-friendly PDF version, or a print version of the Full Study PDF (for example all the lessons in the current book of the Bible).

These are free and can be easily copied and shared from one person to another!

Gathering a Small Group

Start small to build a safe space for sharing and growth.

  • Pray first: Ask God to show you 3-6 people who need encouragement in faith, like family, neighbors, or fellow believers facing hardship.
  • Invite personally: Meet one-on-one, explain how the lessons are designed to help people grow in their faith and knowledge of God and his Word.
  • Keep it simple: Meet in a home or quiet spot; no need for fancy setup – just willing hearts.
  • Aim for consistency: Suggest weekly meetings, but be flexible for busy lives or safety concerns in persecuted areas.

Trust helps everyone open up, reflect, and apply truths without fear.

  • Start with sharing: In the first meeting, share simple stories of your own faith struggles to show vulnerability.
  • Set ground rules: Agree to listen without judging, keep stories private, and focus on encouraging each other.
  • Build bonds: Begin each session with a short prayer or song inviting God to be present with you.
  • Be patient: Trust grows over time – encourage quiet members gently, and celebrate small steps of honesty.

Good preparation makes the lesson flow and helps discipleship.

  • Read ahead: Study the lesson before; pray over the Bible passage and think how it fits your group’s challenges.
  • Adapt for the group: Use simple words; if literacy is low, read aloud slowly and explain questions or stories.
  • Gather basics: Have a Bible (in your language) and paper for notes.
  • Reflect personally: Ask yourself the study questions first – lead from your own growth and experience.
  • Pray: Pray for your group members.

Guide the group through the lesson structure to encourage discovery and commitment.

  • Step 1 – Connecting: Start the group meeting by praying together. Thank God for his Word and ask for open hearts to receive it. Read the Bible passage together (Read it aloud twice; ask someone to repeat in their words.)
  • Step 2: Comprehending: Use the provided questions to help you grapple with the truth of the Bible passage.
  • Step 3 – Committing: Consider how the passage might apply to your lives and what simple steps of obedience you can commit to. The goal of these studies if life-change! Not just knowledge!
  • Step 4 – Communicating:  Think of who you can share the truths you have learned with.
  • Close with Prayer: Let group members pray short prayers of thanks or commitment. Pray for one another.

For many of the lessons, there is a short summary teaching voice-note at the end of the lesson (together with a text summary). This is designed to be a recap and reminder of the key lessons you should have learned through the lesson. 

As a leader, you might like to use these summary teaching resources to help you in preparation for leading your group, though ideally not before you have spent time prayerfully reflecting on the passage.

This is an ongoing discipleship journey aiming to transform lives and help people to live victorious Christian lives. Focus on growth, not just finishing lessons.

  • Meet regularly: Join together at least once a week. Review past actions at each start to build accountability.
  • Encourage reflection: Between meetings, urge personal time with the lesson – read, pray, and try complete commitments made.
  • Support one another: If your group members are facing challenges, use lessons to pray together and share burdens; become “agents of change” by helping others in your community.
  • Multiply groups: As trust grows, encourage members to start their own small groups with family or friends.
  • Keep it short: Stick to 15 – 25 minutes per lesson to fit busy, challenging lives.
  • Handle challenges: If fear or hardship arise, encourage members by always pointing back to God’s love. 
  • Stay safe: In persecuted areas, meet discreetly; focus on heart change over big displays.
  • Celebrate progress: Note how people have grown in faith; allow time for sharing testimonies of what God has done. Take note of what you pray for, and give thanks when God answers prayer.

Final encouragement

Leading these lessons is serving like Jesus – humble, loving, and truthful. As you journey together, God will build growing faith into each person’s life. Pray often, and watch lives transform!

If you would like to share stories of faith from your own communities, please get in touch with us!