Spiritual Pride and Humility


Ye Justify Yourselves Before Men

Luke 16:14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.

Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.


Do Not After Their Works

Matt 23:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

Matt 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, [that] observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Matt 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay [them] on men's shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers.

Matt 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

Matt 23:6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

Matt 23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.


Be Not Ye Called Rabbi

Matt 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren.

Matt 23:9 And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Matt 23:10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ.

Matt 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Matt 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.


Ye Strain At a Gnat, And Swallow a Camel

Matt 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Matt 23:24 [Ye] blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.


Whited Sepulchres

Matt 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead [men's] bones, and of all uncleanness.

Matt 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.


Fill Ye Up the Measure of Your Fathers

Matt 23:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

Matt 23:30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

Matt 23:31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

Matt 23:32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

Matt 23:33 [Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Matt 23:34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and [some] of them ye shall kill and crucify; and [some] of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute [them] from city to city:

Matt 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Matt 23:36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.


Lazarus and the Rich Man

Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

Luke 16:20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

Luke 16:21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Luke 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

Luke 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence.


Whosoever Shall Swear By the Altar

Matt 23:16 Woe unto you, [ye] blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

Matt 23:17 [Ye] fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

Matt 23:18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

Matt 23:19 [Ye] fools and blind: for whether [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

Matt 23:20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

Matt 23:21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

Matt 23:22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.


Swear Not at All

Matt 5:33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

Matt 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

Matt 5:35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

Matt 5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

Matt 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.


Let Not Thy Left Hand Know

Matt 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Matt 6:2 Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Matt 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

Matt 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.


Thom 62:x Jesus said: I tell My mysteries to those who are worthy of my mysteries. What thy right hand will do, let not thy left hand know what it does.


Pray to Thy Father in Secret

Matt 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Matt 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.


Fast Not With Sad Countenance

Matt 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Matt 6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

Matt 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.


Taking the Lowest Place

Luke 14:8 When thou art bidden of any [man] to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

Luke 14:9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

Luke 14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

Luke 14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.


The Pharisee and the Publican

Luke 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men [are], extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Luke 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.


Beware the Leaven of the Pharisees

Mark 8:15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and [of] the leaven of Herod.

Mark 8:17 And when Jesus knew [it], he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?

Mark 8:18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

Mark 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.

Mark 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

Mark 8:21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?


Matt 16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Matt 16:8 [Which] when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?

Matt 16:9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

Matt 16:10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

Matt 16:11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake [it] not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?


Luke 12:1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.


Parallels


The Court is Very Clean

The imagery from "Whited Sepulchres"above finds an echo in Lao Tzu.

Lao Tzu 53

The court is very clean and well garnished, But the fields are very weedy and wild, And the granaries are very empty! They wear gorgeous clothes, They carry sharp swords, They surfeit themselves with food and drink, They possess more riches than they can use! They are the heralds of brigandage! As for Tao, what do they know about it?

Let Others Offer Jade

Compare with "Pray to Thy Father in Secret,"above.

Lao Tzu 62

Hence, at the enthronement of an Emperor, Or at the installation of the Three Ministers, Let others offer their disks of jade, following it up with teams of horses; It is better for you to offer the Tao without moving your feet!
  

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