Matthew 23:1-12
“What’s This God Thing All About?”
Vs. 1-7 Mans Religion
Vs. 8-12 Gods Relationship
Intro
As we approach chapter 23, we need to realize that Jesus was still in the temple, where He had silenced the religious opposition. They had heard Him speak in stories that, instead of convicting them, angered them. So they in turn came to entrap him in some man-made controversy, which failed on every front. Finally, Jesus silenced them with a question as to what they thought about the Messiah.
Now in this chapter Jesus is still in the temple, around the multitudes, disciples, and Pharisees, and here utters His last public message. Now one would think that this being His last public message, Jesus would have spelled out some powerful argument to try to convince folks to trust in Him. Instead, what we have is perhaps His most scathing words ever uttered.
This chapter is easily divided into three sections: First, you have in verses 1–12 Jesus words to the multitudes and His disciples. Then in verses 13–36, you have a series of eight woes pronounced upon the religious leaders. Lastly, in verses 37–39 are Jesus’ words of remorse over Israel’s failure.
Gone from the words of Jesus are pleadings, and all that is left are warnings of impending doom. One Sunday in a church service, a small boy was sitting next to his parents. The boy would not sit still, and the more the parents tried to get him to settle down, the more he acted up. The parents whispered warnings, looked at him sternly, and still the boy continued.
Finally, the father knew what he had to do, so he grabbed the boy by the hand and began to walk with him to the back of the church to the outside, where the boy was going to be delivered from being a pain in the buttocks. Now the young boy knew by the way his father had a hold of him that he was in big trouble, so he did what every young boy does: refused to walk. At this, his father quickly picked him up and slung him over his shoulder.
By now all eyes were on the father and his son as the boy looked back over his father to all that were staring at him. There was a slight pause, and the boy realized that he had only one chance to save his fate. At the top of his lungs, he uttered these words to all that watched: “Please pray for me; pray for me quickly!” Folks, this is all that is left for Israel, and they won’t even respond to this.
Vs. 1-7 Mans Religion
Vs. 1-2 Now it is important to see who it was that Jesus was saying these words to. The first seven verses are primarily for the interest of the multitudes who counted the Pharisees as the religious leaders of the nation. As Jesus said these words about the Scribes and Pharisees, the multitudes were no doubt a bit shocked, as these were the most righteous and religious folks in Israel. It would be like attacking some of the most visible Christian authors, radio, and TV people of today.
Now the Pharisees & Scribes were about 6,000 in number, made up of middle-class businessmen who were sincere in their desire to be holy. Their name comes from the word “to separate,” and it signified their desire to “separate” from anything that would render them unclean, which included gentiles, Jews who did not practice the law, and anyone else who did not support the traditions that governed their lives.
May I just say that not all of them were hypocrites? Nicodemus was a Pharisee, and so was Joseph of Arimathea, who was the one that retrieved Jesus’ body and placed Him in his own tomb. Yet with that said, a great majority were only interested in promoting themselves and their own businesses.
Folks, it never ceases to amaze me, within Christian circles, when we tend to elevate men and their ministries to “super star” status based upon the world’s concepts. Just when we tend to think that we are not like the Pharisees, we go and get impressed by those same qualities that tend to elevate them. What am I saying?
Well, folks, let’s not be impressed by the instrument that God uses, but rather the master who plays so beautifully through them! I mean, can you imagine going to some concert with the best pianist in the world and after the concert going over to the piano that he played the masterpiece upon and beginning to touch the keys and say, “Man, you’re the greatest pianist I’ve ever heard.” People with white coats would pick you up and put you in a way. Now let’s look at several things that impress so many people about religion.
1.) Vs. 2: “…they sit in Moses’ seat.” The proper rendering of this verse would read, “They seat themselves in Moses’ seat.” Let’s look carefully at what Jesus is saying here.
A.) First, “they seat themselves.” Jesus is not saying that in so doing that they were in a place that they should not be, because the very next verse He tells them that whatever the Pharisees tell them to “observe & do,” in so much that they correctly interpret the word of God. Jesus recognized that they had authority. Yet with that said, they had appointed themselves to that position.
So what does that tell us about religion? Well, it tells us that many times we are impressed with a person’s office and that though that office may be of the Lord, it may be that the person who occupies it has placed themselves there instead of allowing the Lord to. Watch out for religious leaders who walk around talking about their titles and positions.
B.) Now let’s move to where they placed themselves, “Moses’ seat.” The word for “seat” here is an interesting one; it is the word “cathedra,” which is where we get the idea in colleges where a certain professor “chairs” the department. In other words, these guys had placed themselves in the position of “final authority” in the law.
So what does that tell us? Well, it tells us that we are prone to be impressed with how a person cares for himself. In other words, if so & so says something in an absolute way, as an expert, we tend to give them more credit. Again, if a religious leader sets himself up as the final authority on the Bible, then you know that they are religious!
Do you get the picture? Religion and religious people tend to be impressed by outward things like their position and how much authority they have. Is that what should impress us? No, it’s the inward condition of the heart.
2.) Vs. 3 Here we have another thing about man’s religion: there were two sets of books: ones they kept for everybody else and ones they kept for themselves. These guys were concerned with rules that governed every aspect of life, including what spices you kept in the cupboard, but inwardly they did not keep the laws that they required others to.
Simply put, there was a lack of integrity. Hey, folks, don’t just examine what a person says; examine what a person does with what they say! So in man’s religion there will inevitably be a lack of integrity. In the April 29th Denver Post, there was an article stating that Liberal Christians and others were offended by the memorial service for the slain at Columbine High.
One pastor was upset because no person of color spoke; his statement was that “it was pretty vanilla.” Now think of the lack of integrity here. What would happen if some Caucasian pastor said that the service was “pretty chocolate?” Folks, if something is wrong with some, then it is wrong for all!
3.) Vs. 4 Here we see yet another aspect of religion: a lack of sympathy and compassion. The picture is that of a donkey so piled upon with a load that you can’t see the donkey. What this shows is that these guys had a false idea about leadership; they were into piling on things for others to do rather than helping people unload. Simply put, they were harder on others than they were on themselves. Jesus came to lighten people’s burdens; religion seeks to make the load heavier.
“You’ve got to give a certain amount or do certain things in order to be right with God.” All too often, what people see in religious leaders is dictators, not servants. Jesus never asked us to do anything that He did not do Himself. So? Well, if the pastor or leaders ask others to do what they are not willing to do, then you are into religion, not relationships. I’ve seen this kind of attitude from people, where the pastor or leadership sets up on some hill overlooking what the rest is doing.
4.) Vs. 5 Here we see that all these folks do is summed up in the words, “All their works they do to be seen by men.” Here we again see what motivated them—the praise of men instead of the approval from God. Another mark of religion is the lack of humility, and more than that, the coveting to be seen by man. Now this lack of humility and the courting of the praise of men can be seen in several areas:
A.) Vs. 5b It was seen in what they wore. Those little leather bags that they tucked scripture in were larger than everyone else. Perhaps today we might see it in having a big old Bible with every study help or a special translation. Anyway, they would wear these big leather bags so that people would recognize them as being super spiritual.
Now numbers 15 tell us that the borders of all the men’s garments were supposed to have these fringes with blue thread in them, but these guys took it to an extreme by enlarging them. Hey, I see these guys today wearing priestly garb with the collar and all or preaching with some robe on, and I wonder what the purpose is. It is not what I know that ought to be what identifies me; it is who I know, Jesus!
B.) Vs. 6 It was seen in where they sat. They were into positions of honor. They thought that the mark of greatness was where they were placed in public functions. Religion is always seeking to define success and spirituality based upon how many people are serving so that we can claim honor at the number. Jesus determines greatness by how we serve and who we honor.
C.) Vs. 7-10 They were into titles. I’m sorry if I offend anyone here, but I can’t get into that reverend thing, but many are! I’m a pastor so & so. God is not impressed with titles, and the only one I long to hear is from Him when He will one day say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Do you see the difference between the religion of man and true Christianity?
Vs. 8-12 Gods Relationship
Now we move on to what Jesus had to say to His disciples concerning how they were to be.
Vs. 8 Notice that Jesus says, “But you…” He is speaking just to His disciple’s now. And in so doing, I believe that He sets forth the true purpose of Christianity and what His servants ought to be doing.
Now it is interesting because it is the same as what He will say in John 14:6, where He says that “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Now it won’t be in the same order, but it is the purpose.
1.) Vs. 8 The truth: God’s design is to lead people to truth, and clearly Jesus is “the” truth. So here Jesus tells them not to call themselves “Rabbi.” Why? Because the Rabbi’s job was one of authority in truth. Mankind is in a quest for truth, and God understands that man is looking for truth with authority, something that they can bank on.
But why were they not to call themselves authorities on truth? Because there is only one final authority on truth, Jesus, in the Word of God. Now notice the order. Rms. 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So that a person can’t come to Christ apart from the Word of God, and Jesus is the Word. Folks, there is only one teacher, and everyone else is dependent upon Him.
2.) Vs. 9 The life: God’s plan is to bring people to life. So here Jesus tells them not to be called father. Why? Well, the father was seen as the life giver, and there is only one who gives us spiritual life, God the Father. You can ask me, “Dale, how many people have you saved?” And I will tell you no one; I can’t save anyone; there is only One that imparts spiritual life. So the second purpose of Christianity is life. Jesus said that He had come to give life and that more abundantly.
3.) Vs. 10 The way: Here then is the last purpose of Christianity, the practice of truth in everyday life. Now the word teacher is a better rendered guide. Perhaps today we say Guru. That is someone who guides us into the practice of truth in every situation. I am not your guide; I only want to keep pointing people to Jesus.
Vs.11-12 Lastly, Jesus tells His men how to accomplish this.
A.) Be a servant. A true person who is accomplishing God’s plan is serving others, not being served.
B.) Be humble. Again, a person who is doing this doesn’t want the glory but instead wants to reflect the glory to God.
Matthew 23:13-39
“What the Church Should Not Be”
Vs. 13-22: Keeping People From God
Vs. 23-28 Fake & Phony
Vs. 29-36 Against the Truth
Vs. 37-39 Our Broken Hearted Savior
Intro
Last week Jesus spoke to the multitudes, then instructed His disciples in how they were to reach the world. In this section of the passage, Jesus turns His words upon the religious community and pronounces eight woes of condemnation upon their failure. I often think of the responsibility God gives us to reach this world and what a poor example I am.
Failure is a part of the reality we believers face, yet it is only when we allow Jesus to shine through our failure that the world is reached. The trouble with what often passes for Christianity is that it is not honest; it is instead religiosity or churchianity. I am not saying that this is the only reason why the world rejects Jesus’ offer of love, but it is certainly a reason. These 8 woes against the religious leaders parallel the 8 attitudes of what Christianity should be.
All too often people see us Christians as goody-to-shoes folks trying to bribe God into doing what we want Him to do. It reminds me of the story of a little boy who wanted a bike for Christmas. His mother told him that they did not have money for a bike but that if he prayed and told Jesus that he was going to be a good boy, perhaps Jesus would give him a bike. So the little guy sat down to write a letter to Jesus, promising to be a good boy. Each time he got to the part where he would promise to be a good boy, he realized that he could not be good long enough.
You see, he started out by saying he would be good for a year, then he realized how long a year was and started over. Then he said a month, but he realized he could not be good for a whole month. Finally, he was down to only a day, and he thought that this was probably not enough to get him the bike.
So he gave up and went into the living room, bummed out, and as he was sitting there, he saw the nativity scene above the fireplace. Quickly he got an idea, grabbed the statue of Mary, and went back into his room to write the letter. This time his letter read, “Dear Jesus, if you ever want to see your mother again…” Hey folks, let’s take this section to heart and evaluate what kind of Christianity we are showing the world.
Vs. 13-22: Keeping People From God
Here we have the first 4 woes against the Pharisees. Now, the word “woe” is an interesting one, for it carries with it not only anger but sorrow as well. When you read these words, you need to hear not only the holiness of God but the love of God as well. You will also see that 7 times they are called “hypocrites.” Now the original word came from the Greek word that describes an actor, a person who acts a part, wearing a mask to cover their true feelings. That is what was breaking Jesus’ heart as well as causing their judgment; they were acting the part, but it was all a facade.
1.) Vs. 13 In Matt. 5:3, Jesus had said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here we have the contrast between the brokenhearted, which enter the kingdom of heaven, and the proud hearted, which not only keep themselves out but others as well. Jesus speaks of their twofold sin:
- They did not go by themselves.
- They did not allow others to go in.
It was the Pharisees’ responsibility to teach the people the word of God; instead, they were teaching man-made traditions over the word of God and were proud hearted about what they taught. They liked the idea of teaching others, but they themselves were not teachable. These guys would carry around their necks a key that symbolizes knowledge that they were responsible to pass on to the people; instead, they kept people out of the truth.
Today we have too many churches spending all their time and energy on trying to entertain the goats instead of feeding God’s sheep! In so doing, they are acting just like the Pharisees and shutting up the kingdom of heaven. A lot of pastors have opted out of teaching the Bible, and they say that it just is not relevant any more. I am more convinced every day that this is the most relevant book that there has ever been, and if you read it regularly, it will not make you proud hearted; it will leave you brokenhearted!
2.) Vs. 14 In Matt. 5:4, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Because they were proud, they did not mourn over their own condition, which made them callous to the needs of others. When a man died, they would go to the house and offer prayers, which were to be paid for by their length.
They weren’t a comfort; they just used the situation to rip off the widows. Hey, all of what the people think today of the church is that it is only interested in money. That is not what Jesus is into; He has come to give His life away! The church ought never be in the money business. Never should we be trying to manipulate people’s emotions so that they will give. Yet you see it!
3.) Vs. 15 In Matt 5:15 Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Instead of impacting the world for Christ by their inward hearts, these guys were more interested in getting people to follow them. The word “proselyte” means a stranger who has left his own people to live among others. There were two kinds of proselytes in those days:
a.) Those who admired Judaism because of its moral aspects were called “Godfearers.”
b.) Then there were those who became Jewish converts, circumcised themselves, and upheld all the traditions with such zeal that was even greater than the Pharisees. That is the group spoken of here.
Worse yet, these guys, when someone would follow them, were usually ten times as bad. Folks, there is an attraction to religion and religious people. It always seems this way: get a smoker to quit smoking, and they are usually the most zealous anti-smokers. So what does that show us? Well, we are not to try to convert someone to our denomination or church, but rather we are to lead them to Jesus!
Today the church has gone to certain lengths that if you are not of their opinion, then you have to get re-baptized. Some churches won’t let you take part in communion if you are not a member. Folks, you are not members of Calvary Chapel; you’re members of His body, and you are fellowshipping here with us.
4.) Vs. 16-22 In Matt. 5:6, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Instead of hungering and thirsting for righteousness, they after the things of the world. They did not want more of God; they wanted more of the world. So they had all these oaths to show they were sincere, but when you think about it, if someone says to you, I swear, then they probably aren’t telling the truth because if they are, then why do they have to swear that they are?
Words and oaths seem to mean something different, so you had to be up to date on all of what it meant. So Jesus says that any time you swear, it is binding as far as God is concerned. When we were all kids, we got into some discussion that was based upon our honesty, and in order to lie, we would cross our fingers. When it was found out that we lied, we would claim that we did not because we had crossed our fingers. Some folks never learn to tell the truth, and then they end up running for president or something!
Now think of the word picture here. Can you imagine following a person down the “Grand Canyon” who was blind? These men were not seeking God’s righteousness; they were after a religious system that let them get into whatever they wanted. In all of these woes we see that what these religious leaders were doing was keeping people from God, yet when you put that next to what Jesus said in the beatitudes you can see it was the opposite. Folks, the way we live should draw people to Jesus, not to our church or ourselves. We ought to be examples of people who recognize that we are sinners and are resting in His grace.
Vs. 23-28 Fake & Phony
Here we are given three more woes, but these deal more with their own approach to God instead of how that approach affected the world.
5.) Vs. 23-24 Again Jesus said in Matt. 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” They were obsessed with trivial things while ignoring the important things. It reminds me of this guy I knew who was obsessed with driving the speed limit, and he was always telling me that it was important to obey the traffic rules as a witness to the world of our obedience to Christ, yet at the same time he treated his wife terribly. Now I’m not saying that we can break the traffic laws, but clearly loving our wives as Christ loves the church is a bit more important as a witness.
Now in Deut., they were told to tithe all that yields seeds. The mint and dill were not crops that a person would grow in large quantities; instead, they were herbs that they would grow in a little kitchen garden for cooking. Now there was nothing wrong with tithing a few leaves to the Lord, but not to the exclusion of justice, mercy, and faith. Today a lot of Christians are all caught up in what they wore to church and go with a bad attitude.
So here in verse 24, Jesus gives them a funny illustration out of Lev. It seems that the smallest unclean animal was a gnat, and the largest was the camel. These guys would take all their drinks and pour them through a gauze so that any gnat would be strained out, yet while doing so, let a camel go through.
The picture is that of a group of people who had lost proportion. At times that is what the world sees about the church—that it has lost proportion; we are into politics and things, but there is no compassion for a hurting and lost world. We are up in arms against immorality, as we should be, yet we do nothing to reach those folks.
6.) Vs. 25-26 In Matt. 5:8, we read, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” These guys were into looking pure to be seen by men instead of a pure heart to be seen by God. You see, they had all these rules for cleanliness, and it appeared that they were really concerned about holiness, but all they really wanted to do was appear that way.
You see what religion does? It masks where the real heart is! The cup might be ceremonially clean, yet the person holding it may be full of pride! Today there have been church splits over the color of the carpet in the sanctuary. Hey folks, what God wants from us is a pure heart; let’s not major in minors.
7.) Vs. 27-28 Matt 5:9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” They were careful not to touch dead things as it would make them unable to enter the temple, yet they caused all kinds of strife. As we have seen, they were not peacemakers; they were murderers.
Here is a picture that they were all familiar with. One of the places where they put tombs was along the roadside, and there was a problem because Num. 19:16 says that if they touched a grave, then they were unclean. At Passover time, the road was crowded with people, and for a person to become unclean at Passover would mean that they would remain unclean for a year, so it became the practice to whitewash all the tombs so that no one would accidentally come into contact with one of them.
So Jesus is making a comment about their hearts. You see, religious people look really impressive, but there is no life in them. I see these young men riding around on their bicycles all dressed up in suits, but their religion is dead. Folks, again, it is what we are to God that is important, not what we appear to be to others.
Vs. 29-36 Against the Truth
8.) Vs. 29-36 Lastly, we read in Matt. 5:10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Instead of being persecuted, they were prosecuting the righteous. There have always been counterfeits in the world, and that was the case with these guys. It appeared as though they had great respect for the prophets of old, as they would often beautify their tombs, but in reality they were plotting to kill Jesus, whom all the prophets spoke of.
Now in verse 35, Jesus uses a reference to their forefathers killing Abel and Zacharia. And what most don’t realize is that Able was the first recorded death in the Bible, and Zacharia was the last recorded death in the Hebrew Bible. You see, the Jewish Bible ends with 2 Chron. So Jesus is saying that they killed all of them from beginning to end.
Now you see why the world hates Christianity. They are a bit confused because they think that true Christianity is just a mere religion, and they say, Well, look at all the killing in God’s name. May I just say that Jesus is against it as well? He is not into all this phony stuff. He wants everyone to experience His love for them. How do we know that is His heart? Let’s look at the last section.
Vs. 37-39 Our Broken Hearted Savior
This passage shows four things about Jesus:
1.) It shows His patience. They had killed the prophets, yet He still desires to save them. Vs. 37 It is obvious that Jesus wanted His people to experience His love and not His wrath. Luke records his tears over the city. He had preached to the nation, but they would not hear His voice. The metaphor Jesus uses is very beautiful. When a hen sees danger of prey coming, she will make a noise to assemble her chicks so that she may cover them from danger with her wings.
2.) It shows His love: Notice that He stands outside the city, His only weapon, His love. The Bible tells us that He is not willing that anyone should perish. It will never be His sending anyone to hell.
3.) It shows the sinful heart of man: They were not willing! Folks, every human heart only has a doorknob on the inside. All Jesus can do is stand at the door and knock; it is up to you to answer. The stubborn pride of the human heart that won’t go to the door when He is knocking.
4.) It shows the consequences of rejecting Jesus: in 40 short years they would be run out of the country. Every heart that rejects God is heading for a disaster, folks; it is just a matter of time.
As we come to the end, this section ought to speak to each of us.
As believers, it ought to tell us not to pretend to be Christians but rather to start getting serious about our relationship.
As non-believers, it ought to tell you of God’s love and your responsibility.