Matthew 23

Paul Bukauskas

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Matthew 23

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

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— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

Read and summarize

Context Matt 5 vs Matt 23: False Righteousness

Entering the kingdom Mt 5:3

— Shutting up the kingdom Mt 23:13

Mourners comforted Mt 5:4

— Destroyers condemned Mt 23:14

Meek inherit the earth Mt 5:5

— Proud send souls to hell Mt 23:15

Hungering for holiness Mt 5:6

— Greedy for gain Mt 23:16-22

Obtaining mercy Mt 5:7

— Rejecting mercy Mt 23:23-24

Pure in heart Mt 5:8

— Defiled in heart Mt 23:25-28

Peacemakers = God’s children Mt 5:9

— Persecutors are the devil’s children Mt 23:29f

Persecuted are God’s children Mt 5:10

— Persecutors are the devil’s children Mt 23:29f

Q: Jesus last public sermon was not about salvation or the kingdom of God. What was it about ( 23:1-7 )?

The Description of False Spiritual Leaders ( 23:1-7 )

( 23:1-7 ) Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

— Jesus’ last public sermon was not on salvation, on the resurrection, or on kingdom life

— It was a sobering message of condemnation against false teachers who exhibited false righteousness

( 23:2-3 ) saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do

— “Moses’ seat” means that they put themselves in the position of Moses’ authority. They would be the first to espouse Moses as an authority

— The Pharisees traditions and their interpretations and applications of the law had become as important to them as God's law itself

— The problem arose when the religious leaders

(1) took man-made rules as seriously as God's laws

(2) told the people to obey these rules but did not do so themselves – “Do as I say, not as I do”

(3) obeyed the rules not honor God but to make themselves look good

Marks of false leaders

False Leaders Lack Integrity

( 23:3 ) Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do

— Do not do according to their works

— Hypocritically demanding of others many things they never do themselves

— They were wrong about murder, fornication, divorce, adultery, swearing, praying, worship and virtually every other area of living ( 5:21-48 )

— They “invalidated the word of God for the sake of [their] tradition” ( 15:6 )

— When they did occasionally teach God’s truth, they did not obey it themselves; for they say, and do not do

False Leaders Lack Sympathy

( 23:4 ) For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers

— They piled up heavy burdens of religious regulations, rules and rituals on men’s shoulders until they are unbearable and impossible to carry

— Certain false leaders in the early church forbad marriage and eating of particular foods ( 1 Tim 4:3 ); they also said that plucking heads of grain amounted to reaping and hence, forbidden on the sabbath ( 12:1, 2 ); that healing a person on the sabbath was forbidden; that ritual hand-rinsing in connection with every meal was required ( 15:1, 2)

— The heaviest burden of all was the fear that a man’s good deeds must outbalance his evil deeds if he is to be saved

— Under the name of Christ, Roman Catholicism still forbids marriage of their clergy and teaches abstinence from certain foods on certain days and other legalistic and unscriptural doctrines

False Leaders Lack Spirituality

( 23:5 ) But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garment

— Phylacteries were little leather boxes containing Scripture verses; ; excellent example of false righteousness

— Very religious people wore these boxes on their forehead and arms in order to obey Deuteronomy 6:8 and Exodus 13:9, 16

— But the phylacteries had become more important for the status they gave than for the truth they contained

False Leaders Lack Humility

( 23:6-7 ) They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ — The scribes and Pharisees loved the place of honor at banquets

— They didn't care about being holy-just looking holy in order to receive the people's admiration praise

— Today, like the Pharisees, many people who know the Bible do not let it change their lives

— They say they follow Jesus, but they don't live by his standards of love

— People who live this way are hypocrites

Going Deeper

— Scripture makes it clear that in the last days counterfeiters of the gospel will amass to themselves a great number of followers ( 2 Thess 2:3-5; 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Tim 3:1-9; 2 Pet 2:1-3 )

Pharisees

— William Barclay tells that the Talmud (Sotah, 22b) speaks of seven kinds of Pharisees

The first group are “shoulder Pharisees,” so named because of their custom of displaying accounts of their good deeds on their shoulders

The second group he calls “wait a little,” due to their cleaver ability to come up with fabricated spiritual reasons for putting off something

The third group were the “bruised and bleeding,” because they would close their eyes whenever a women was around; they ran into a lot of stuff with their eyes closed

The fourth group were the “humpback tumbling,” because they slouched in feigned humility and consequently stumbled often

The fifth group were the “ever-seeking,” named because of their meticulous record keeping of their good deeds

The sixth group he called the “fearing” Pharisees for whom the terror of hell motivated everything they did

The final group were the “God-fearing,” those whose lives were motivated out of genuine love for God; Nicodemus (John 3:1; 19:39 ) was doubtlessly have been classified in this group

The Seven Woes upon the scribes and Pharisees (23:13-32)

Shut the door of the kingdom in men’s faces ( 23:18 )

Corrupt proselytes, after having, with great effort, won them over ( 23:15 )

Reverse the truth regarding the oath, as if the gold of the temple were more important than the temple; and the gift upon the altar, than the altar, so that swearing by the temple and altar would not be binding ( 23:16-22 )

Invert values, as if tithing small flavorings herbs were of greater significance than practicing justice, mercy, and faithfulness, and as if straining out the gnat were obligatory even though it meant swallowing the camel ( 23:23, 24 )

Boost ritual, as if the ritualistic cleansing of cup and plate were to be preferred to exercising a. honesty in obtaining what goes in these, and b. self-control in consuming the contents ( 23:25,26 )

Externalize religion, as if outward appearance were an adequate cover for shame and crime ( 23:27, 28 )

Swagger about their superior goodness, as if they were better than their ancestors, who killed the prophets ( 23:29-32 )

True Leaders avoid Elevated Titles ( 23:8-10 )

( 23:8-10 ) But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

— Human teachers who faithfully proclaim and interpret God’s Word should be loved and appreciated ( 1 Thess 5:12-13 )

— But they are not to seek honor, or glory in it

— They need to remember that they are neither the source of truth, which is God’s word, nor the illumination of truth, which is God’s Spirit

— Regarding Fathers, Jesus was using this in the sense of spiritual father

— Human teachers are all brothers with every other believer

Going Deeper

— The Roman Catholic church and some Protestant churches use the term father as an official form of address for their clergy in direct contradiction to Jesus’ prohibition

— Even the titles abbot and pope are forms of father

Q: How is Jesus’ teaching on service a contradiction of what the world teaches (23:11-12 ) ?

True Leaders Accept Lowly Service ( 23:11-12 )

( 23:11-12 ) But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

— The greatest person is the one who is a willing servant

— Service keeps us aware of other’s needs, and it stops us from focusing only on ourselves

— Jesus’ teaching is a contradiction of the world’s standard for exaltation

— The world teaches that it is the one who exalts himself who gets ahead and the one who humbles himself who loses out and gets pushed aside

— Peter exhorted elders in the church with this same view in mind ( 1 Pet 5:2-3; 5-6 )

— What kind of greatness do you seek?

Q: How did Jesus characterize the religious leaders in Matthew 23? Which of their traits are still common among some believers today ( 23:13-33 )?

The Condemnation of False Spiritual Leaders — Part 1, Expressing Condemnation ( 23:13-33 )

( 23:13-33 ) “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

— Many Christians today are greatly concerned about the rising influences of communism, humanism, secularism, and social justice

— Yet those evils, great as they are, do not together pose the threat to Christianity that false shepherds and pastors do

— Israel's history, culture, and daily life centered around its relationship with God

— The religious leaders were the best known, most powerful, and most respected of all leaders

— Jesus made the stinging accusation because the leaders hunger for power, money, and status had made them lose sight of God, and their blindness was spreading to the whole nation

— But, Jesus was never cold or indifferent, even toward His enemies, and on this occasion His judgment is mingled with sorrow and deep pathos

— It is not the Fathers’ will that any single person should perish ( 2 Pet 3:9 )

— At the end of His denunciation, Jesus extended by implication another last invitation for belief, suggesting that He would gladly gather any unbelievers under His wings as a mother gathers her chicks, if only they would be willing ( 23:37 )

Going Deeper

— In the first twelve verses of chapter 23, Jesus had declared that the scribes the scribes and Pharisees, typical of all false spiritual leaders were without

— Authority

— Integrity

— Sympathy

— Spirituality

— Humility

— And therefore without God’s approval or blessing

— In verses 13-33 Jesus pronounces eight curses, or woes, on those wicked leaders

— If verse 14 were included there would be eight woes, but that verse is not found in the best early manuscripts of Matthew

— Contrast these eight woes with the eight beatitudes found in Matt 5:1-12. In the sermon on the mount the Lord described true righteousness; here He describes a false righteousness

Q: Jesus repeatedly used the words woe and hypocrite in his denunciation of false teachers What do these words mean (23:13 )?

False Leaders are Cursed for their Exclusion ( 23:13 )

( 23:13 ) “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

— Jesus repeatedly used two words, woe and hypocrite

— woe is not so much an ordinary word as an onomatopoeic interjection, suggesting a guttural outcry of anger, pain or both

— It carries the idea of judgment, mingled with pity, cursing and compassion

— Jesus used the word woe not in the sense of a exclamation like the profane phrase “Damn You!”

— Rather, He used it as a declaration; He was not wishing for the damnation of those false leaders but certifying it

— Hypocrites is putting on a false front

— It was used to describe what might be called theatrical goodness— pretended goodness that is simply for show

— The word actor is from the Greek work hypocrite

— False religion or philosophy may seem appealing but its ultimate accomplishment is to shut off the kingdom of heaven from men

— The false leaders took away the key of knowledge by misinterpreting the Word of God, by denying the Messiah, by denying the need for repentance, and by denying salvation by Grace — they still do so today!

— People who came to those religious leaders for direction and help to find God were actually being shut off from Him even while they were on the verge of salvation

Going Deeper

— Regardless of how appealing, benign, and promising front that a false system or religion or philosophy may have, its ultimate accomplishment is to shut off the kingdom of heaven from men

— It may feed their bodies, stimulate their minds, and calm their emotions but it will inevitably damn their souls

— It may raise their moral standards (think Mormons), increase their worldly success ( think Scientology) , overcome practical problems, and improve their outward relationships with other people, but it will not remove their sin or improve their relationship with God

— It may promise heaven, but it can only deliver hell

— This is why the greatest battle in the world is not against communism or humanism or secularism or social justice

— The greatest battle by far is the battle for men’s souls, a battle which could be lost even if somehow all those other battles were won

False Leaders are Cursed for their Subversion ( 23:15 )

( 23:15 ) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

—The Pharisees’ converts were attracted to religion, not to God

— By getting caught up in the details of their additional laws and regulations, they completely missed God, to whom the laws pointed

— A religion of works puts pressure on people to surpass others in what they know and do

— Thus, a hypocritical leader was likely to have students who were even more hypocritical

— We must make sure we are not creating Pharisees by emphasizing outward obedience at the expense of inner renewal

False Leaders are Cursed for their Perversion ( 23:16-22 )

( 23:16-22 ) “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

— The leaders had a double-standard for swearing which gives evidence that they had no concern for the truth but evasion of the truth

— A person could lie all they wanted so long as they swore by the temple and not by the gold of the temple

— In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus condemned all swearing of vows ( 5:34-37 )

— The great offense of Ananias and Sapphira was not in giving less to the Lord’s work but lying about it ( Acts 5:1-11 ). Context: in Acts 4:36-37 Barnabas sold a piece of land and gave all the proceeds to the church. The greater offense of Ananias and Sapphira was their spiritual hypocrisy based on selfishness.

— To swear by the temple or the altar is to swear by everything in it and swear by God

— In other words, everything involved with the temple and everything involved with heaven involved God

— In fact, since God is the creator of everything, to swear by anything at all involves God

Q: For what did Jesus curse the religious leaders for ( 23:22-24 )?

False Leaders are Cursed for their Inversion ( 23:22-24 )

( 23:22-24 ) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

—Jesus cursed the leaders for magnifying the insignificant and minimizing the essential

— They were obsessed with counting leaves and seeds but indifferent to basic ethics

— Tithing is important, but giving a tithe does not exempt us from fulfilling God's others directives

— For example, we could be very precise and faithful about giving 10% of our money to God, but refused to give 1 minute of our time helping others

— The Pharisees strained their water so they wouldn't accidentally swallow a gnat— an unclean insect according to the law

— Meticulous about the details of ceremonial cleanness, they nevertheless have lost their perspective on inner purity-in essence, they would then swallow a camel and not even notice

— They were painstaking about formal, ceremonial trivialities but were unconcerned about their hypocrisy, dishonesty, cruelty, greed, self-worship, and a host of other sins

— Ceremonially clean on the outside, they had corrupt hearts

— What about tithing?

— The Old Testament Law required tithing (Lev 27:30; Deut 14:22ff)

— Abraham had practiced tithing long before the Law was given (Gen 14:20)

— Jacob followed his grandfather’s example (Gen 28:20-22)

— The principles of Christian giving under grace (2 Cor 8-9)

— We are not content simply to give a tithe (10%), but we also want to bring offerings to the Lord out of hearts filled with love

False Leaders are Cursed for their Extortion and Self-Indulgence ( 23:25-26 )

( 23:25-26 ) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

— Jesus condemned the Pharisees and religious leaders of outwardly appearing saintly and holy but inwardly remaining full of corruption and greed

— Living our Christianity merely as a show for others is like washing a cup on the outside only

— When we are clean on the inside, are cleanness on the outside won’t be a sham

— “ Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” ( 1 Pet 3:3-4 )

False Leaders are Cursed for their Contamination ( 23:27-28 )

( 23:27-28 ) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

— The scribes and Pharisees spiritually contaminated everyone they touched

— Palestinian Jews in the NT had the custom of whitewashing houses, walls, and particularly tombs

— Tombs were regularly whitewashed to make them stand out

— Accidentally touching or stepping on a grave caused ceremonial uncleanness ( Num 19:16 )

— What a graphic picture of the hypocrite: white on the outside, but filled with defilement and death on the inside!

Q: How did Jesus further condemn the scribes and Pharisees ( 23:29-33 )?

False Leaders are cursed for their pretension ( 23:29-33 )

( 23:29-33 ) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

— Jesus condemned the scribes and Pharisees for their pretension that they were better than others including their forefathers

— They were on the vanguard of ventures to build the tombs of the prophets and adorn their monuments

— They would have been on stage honoring the great men and would have voiced the loudest praise

— Realizing that many of those saints had been persecuted and martyred by their own forefathers, the scribes and Pharisees made vehement disclaimers for themselves, asserting that we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

— What a ridiculous claim!

— They were already plotting the murder of Jesus ( cf. Jn 11:47-53 )

— There have always been counterfeit believers in the world, starting with Cain (Gen 4:1-15; 1 Jn 3:10-15). The Pharisees and their kind are guilty of all the righteous bloodshed in the name of “religion.”

— The first martyr recorded in Old Testament Scripture was Abel (Gen 4), and the last one recorded was the Prophet Zechariah (2 Chr 24:20-22) note: the Hebrew Bible ends with 2 Chronicles, not Malachi

Going Deeper

32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.

— The phrase ”fill up” is often used in scripture in relation to sin, wrath, and judgement when those have reached their full limit

— It depicts a cup filled to the brim with sin, which becomes a cup of condemnation

— The cup that is full of sin is full of punishment to the same level

— When sin is full it brings wrath, which when full brings judgment

— Isaiah exclaimed, Awake, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, You who have drunk at the hand of the Lord The cup of His fury; You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling, And drained it out. ( Is 51:17 )

— Jeremiah declared, For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: “Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. ( Jer 51:17 )

— And Habakkuk warned, You are filled with shame instead of glory. You also—drink! And be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the Lord’s right hand will be turned against you, And utter shame will be on your glory. ( Hab 2:16 )

— And in the seventh bowl judgment God will give the false religious systems of the world, “the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath” ( Rev 16:19 )

Judgment was Inevitable ( 23:34-35 )

( 23:34-35 ) Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

— These prophets, wise man, and teachers were probably leaders in the early church who were persecuted, scourged, and killed, as Jesus predicted

— The people of Jesus generation said they would not act as your fathers did in killing prophets whom God has sent to them (23:30), but they were about to kill Messiah himself and his faithful followers

— Thus they would become guilty of all the righteous bloodshed through the centuries

— All the wicked leaders along with all those who had rejected Jesus have the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth

— The scribes and Pharisees had all the accumulated revelation of the OT

— They had the perfect revelation of God’s own son

— And the more they accumulated God’s revelation without believing and following it, the more they accumulated God’s wrath and judgment ( cf. Rom 2:5 )

— Jesus summarized the history of Old Testament martyrdom

— Abel was the 1st martyr (Genesis 4)

— Zechariah was the last mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, which ended with 2nd Chronicles

— Zechariah is a classic example of man of God who was killed by those who claim to be God's people (2 Chronicles 24:20, 21)

( 23:35 ) Zechariah, son of Berechiah

— The OT does not record how Zechariah died

— However, the death of another Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, is recorded in 2 Ch 24:20, 21; He was stoned in the court of the temple, exactly as Jesus describes here

— There is no difficulty if we simply take Jesus’ words at face value and accept His infallible testimony that Zechariah the prophet was martyred between the temple and the altar, in a way similar to how the earlier Zechariah was killed

Judgment was Imminent ( 23:36 )

( 23:36 ) Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

— That is, the multiplied guilt and judgment that unbelieving mankind had been accumulating since the fall was about to come down upon this generation

— 40 years later the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed

— Therefore in the last destruction of Jerusalem God is said to bring upon them the blood of the Old-Testament martyrs, even that of Abel, Mt. 23:35 ( cf Is 65:7 )

— As we review these tragic woes from the lips of our Lord, we can see why the Pharisees were His enemies

— He emphasized the inner man; they were concerned with externals

— He taught a spiritual life based on principles, while the Pharisees majored on rules and regulations

— Jesus measured spirituality in terms of character, while the Pharisees measured it in terms of religious activities and conformity to external laws

— Jesus taught humility and sacrificial service, but the Pharisees were proud and used people to accomplish their own purposes

— The holy life of Jesus exposed their artificial piety and shallow religion. Instead of coming out of the darkness, the Pharisees tried to put out the Light...and they failed

Going Deeper

— In the year 66, Jewish revolution again broke out against Rome

— Having taken as much as they could tolerate of Roman oppression, the Jews turned against their rulers, largely inspired by the Zealots

— Rome struck back by slaughtering thousands of Jews in northern Galilee, and eventually Titus came down to Jerusalem with an army in excess of 80,000 men

— After stationing his army throughout the city as well as around it, the general demanded immediate surrender

— When the Jews replied with mocking laughter and attacks on his soldiers, the troops began a massacre that almost defies description

— In A.D. 630, the Byzantine emperor Heraclitus banished from Jerusalem all Jews who had begun to settle there

— During the first crusade, which began in 1096, many crusaders engaged in brutal massacres of European Jews, supposedly in the name of Christ

— When the black plague swept across Europe in the fourteenth century, many people blamed the Jews

— Many Jews fled to Poland and joined the government and the church in fighting the Russian Cossacks, when the Cossacks were victorious, they vengefully massacred thousands of Jews

— Jews who fled to Spain were persecuted by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

— Despite the continued persecution, twenty million Jews still lived in Europe at the outbreak of World War II; Adolph Hitler exterminated six million Jews and Stalin many more

— In the end times the persecution of Jews will escalate into a holocaust like no other they have experienced, a time called Jacob’s distress ( Jer 30:7; Matt 24:21 )

— With little respite, for two thousand years the Jews have endured persecution after persecution, being maligned, falsely accused, treated unjustly, denied dignity and jobs and schooling and citizenship, driven out of country after country, and not infrequently massacred without mercy — for no other reason than being Jewish

— Yet as Jesus gravely declares in this passage, the divine preservation of the Jews is not only for God’s purpose and ultimately redeeming His chosen people but is also a perpetuation of their punishment

— It is a continuing chastening that they will endure until Israel declares faith, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” ( 23:39; cf Ps 118:26 )

Q: What does Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem suggest about the heart of God ( 23:37-39 )? The heart of man?

Jesus’ Last Words to Israel ( 23:37-39 )

( 23:37-39 ) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

— Jesus wanted to gather his people together as a hen protects her chicks under her wings, but they wouldn't let him

— Jesus also wants to protect us if we will come to him

— Many times we hurt and don't know where to run turn

— We reject Christ help because we don't think he can give us what we need

— But who knows our needs better than our creator?

— Those who turn to Jesus will find it he helps and comforts as no one else can

— Another set of those verses (Matt 5:37-39) that have both an immediate and future aspect:

— Immediate fulfillment: (verses 37-38) Israel rejects their Messiah and is set aside and

— A future fulfillment: (verse 39} that Israel to be dealt with later when they realize Jesus was their Messiah

Going Deeper

— The Jews, who have suffered so much at the hands of the wicked, wonder why if they are God’s chosen people, why have their prayers not been heard?

— Why, if their Scriptures are the very oracles of God, have they been so abandoned by God?

— Why if they are the apple of God’s eye has so much hatred risen against them?

— In the close of this His last public message, Jesus gave the sobering answer to such questions, yet He gave it with intense compassion and with the assurance of Israel’s ultimate conversion

( 23:37 ) I wanted … but you were not willing

— Nothing in Scripture is more certain than the truth that God is sovereign over all things; but God’s Word never teaches determinism, as this verse makes clear

— God was abundantly willing for Israel and all men to receive and follow His Son, but most of them were unwilling

— God is utterly sovereign and therefore fully capable of bringing to pass whatever He desires ( cf. Is 46:10 ) — including the salvation of whomever He chooses ( Eph 1:4, 5). Yet, He sometimes expresses a wish for that which He does not sovereignly bring to pass ( cf. Gen 6:6; Dt 5:29; Ps 18:13; Is 48:18 ). Such expressions in no way suggest a limitation on the sovereignty of God or imply any actual change in Him ( Nu 23:19 ). But these statements do reveal essential aspects of the divine character: He is full of compassion, sincerely good to all, desirous of good, not evil — and therefore not delighting in the destruction of the wicked ( Eze 18:32; 33:11 ). While affirming God’s sovereignty, one must understand His pleas for the repentance of the reprobate as well meant appeals — and His goodness toward the wicked as a genuine mercy designed to provoke them to repentance ( Ro 2:4 ). The emotion displayed by Christ here (and in all similar passages, such as Lk 19:14) is obviously a deep, sincere passion. All Christ’s feelings must be in perfect harmony with the divine will (cf. Jn 8:29 ) — and therefore these lamentations should not be thought of as mere exhibitions of His humanity

The Intense Compassion ( 23:37-38 )

( 23:37-38 ) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate;

— Jesus expresses grief at the hardness of His people

— The Lord reminded the people of their rebellion against Him, manifested in their killing of the prophets who were sent to her

The Insured Conversion ( 23:39 )

( 23:39 ) for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

— Jesus’s farewell words to Israel were, you shall see Me no more

— This is the end of His public ministry

— He would no longer be their God and they would no longer be His people

— if it were not for Jesus’ qualifying word until, that would have been the final word

— He withdrew from national Israel until the yet future time when they will recognize Him as Messiah ( Ro 11:23-26 )

— Men would have had good reason to never trust God again, because He repeatedly promised that His chosen people would ultimately be saved, restored and blessed (Jer 23:5-6; Is 66:10-22; Zech 14:1-11 )

— This is a quotation from Psalm 118:26, that great messianic psalm that was quoted so many times in His last week of ministry. Even the crowds had used those very words (Mt 21:9)

Additional Resources

MacArthur, John. Matthew 16-23. Moody Press, 1988.

MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.

Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011.

J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee.

Hendriksen, William. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.

Bible Study Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Matthew/Matthew%20Chapter%2023%20Continued.html

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