Motives

1. Matthew 23:25-28
   • Whom is Jesus addressing? (answer: the Pharisees)
   • Who were the Pharisees? (answer: Religious leaders in Jesus' day who prided themselves on their spirituality.)
   • Why does Jesus call them "whitewashed tombs" in verse 27? (answer: They look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.)
   • What else do you learn about the Pharisees from the surrounding verses? (answers: v. 5—Everything they do is done for men to see; v. 6—they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; v. 7—they love to be greeted in the marketplace; etc.)
   • What were the Pharisees real motives for being so religious? (answers: popularity, power, position, pride)
   • When have you acted like a "Pharisee?"
2. Matthew 6:1-18
   • Read verses 1-4. Ask: How does this teaching of Jesus relate to his blasting of the Pharisees? (answer: Jesus is condemning the practice of religion that is all show and no substance.)
   • Skim verses 5-15 and then read verses 15-18. Ask: What are some differences and similarities between these two sections? (vv. 1-4 and 16-18) (answer: Fasting, like prayer, should be done to honor God, not to impress people. It will result in a heavenly reward, instead of the earthly reward of praise.)
   • Jesus gives the Lord’s Prayer in the midst of his explanation that a person must do good for the right reasons. Ask: What is the significance of this? (answer: Prayer should be sincere effort to talk with God, not religious ritual. Jesus gives a clear example of what constitutes honest prayer.) How can the Lord’s Prayer help us do the right things for the right reasons?