PhariseesG6L21
HVP Church, Nyack, NY
[{'start': '17.936', 'end': '27.080', 'text': 'God\'s law. [music] Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. [music] New Testament The Savior\'s denunciation of the Pharisees. His glorification of the Mother of God. [music] The preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ about the Kingdom of Heaven met with sharp resistance and hatred from the elders of the Jewish people and their spiritual elite, тне scribes and Pharisees. More than once they wanted to destroy the Savior, but they did not succeed, since the time of the suffering of the Son of God on the cross had not yet arrived [music]. One day, a demoniac was brought to Christ with a request to heal him. This unfortunate man\'s possession was accompanied by blindness and muteness. And when, according to the Word of Christ, the unclean spirit left the man, he regained the ability to see and speak. People marveled at the miracle and said in amazement: “Isn’t this the Christ, the Son of David?” The Pharisees, trying to stop rumors among the people about Jesus as the Messiah, bitterly slandered the Savior. He casts out demons only by the power of Beelzeul, the prince of demons. But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said: “Every kingdom divided against itself will be desolate, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand, And if Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided against himself. How will his kingdom stand?" If I cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, by whose power do your sons [music] cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. [music] If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then of course the Kingdom of God has come to you. Every person in his life must make a choice: he is with Christ or on the side of His enemies. He who is not with Me is against Me, says the Lord, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. [music] Whoever consciously and persistently rejects the saving Grace of the Holy Spirit commits a terrible sin, blasphemes the Holy Spirit, and this sin cannot be forgiven, neither in earthly life nor in the future. The Pharisees dared to call the works of God\'s Omnipotence the works of the devil. They rejected repentance, and therefore rejected their [music] salvation. Like peals of thunder, menacing denunciations of Christ rang out over the Pharisees and scribes. You spawn of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? Although the Pharisees were the keepers of the Mosaic Law, with their lives they set an example of the most unscrupulous violation of this law, they imposed heavy and unbearable burdens on people, and they themselves evaded them. The Pharisees loved honors and did everything for show. Meanwhile, their life was full of theft and deceit. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites - the Lord told them, - that you are like painted tombs that seem beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead bones and all uncleanness. The fathers of the Pharisees killed the prophets, and the Pharisees themselves exceeded the measure of their ancestors with even greater atrocities, persecution, slander and murder of the Savior of the world. But no matter how terrible the darkness of sin and the malice of Christ’s enemies may seem, it can never absorb the light of God’s love for His creation. Christ, the light of the world, came to earth to enlighten all people. He who accepts the light of Christ becomes a child of God. Those who hear the Word of God and keep It will inherit bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven. At the very time when the Savior denounced the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, his Most Pure Mother and brothers came to him. According to Eastern custom, in ancient times all close relatives were called brothers. They wanted to see Jesus, but because of the crowd of people they could not get close. Then the Pharisees, wanting to prevent the Savior’s accusatory sermon, said: “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak with You.” With these words, the Pharisees also wanted to arouse distrust among the people towards the Divine origin of Jesus Christ. [music] To this the Savior answered: “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And pointing to his disciples he said: “Here are My mother and My brothers [music]. For whoever does the will of My Heavenly Father is My brother and sister and mother. The Mother of God came to have compassion for Her beloved Son. Her heart was pierced by pain. For the sake of love for man, for His fallen creation, her only Son must accept death on the cross. Such was the will of God, and the Mother of God humbly accepted all the trials that were not sent to her. [music] I, the Lord, called You in truth, and I will hold Your hand and protect You, and I will make You a covenant for the people, a light for the Gentiles... [music]'}]