Matthew 23:13-24

Scripture Reading: Micah 6:1-8

Matthew 23:13-24

This Whole Chapter is One Long Rebuke…

Of the Scribes & Pharisees By Jesus

But He’s Not Speaking to the Scribes & Pharisees

He’s Speaking to the Jerusalem Crowds & His Disciples

His Purpose Isn’t to Lead the Scribes & Pharisees to Repentance

It’s to Admonish/Warn the Crowds & Disciples…

To Not Be Like Them

So, When We Study this Chapter…

That Purpose should Remain the Same for Us

As We Read Jesus’ Rebukes…

We Need to Look at Ourselves

The Very Worst Approach We can Take to this Chapter…

Is to Simply Read it as a List of Troubling Facts…

About the Scribes & Pharisees

These Rebukes from Jesus were a Warning:

“Don’t Be Like the Scribes & Pharisees!”

For the Rest of this Chapter…

Jesus is Going to Pronounce 7 “Woes” Against the Scribes & Pharisees

“Woe” = Distress, Horror, and Pain Be Upon You

These 7 Woes Represent the Completion/Filling Up…

Of the Jewish Leaders’ Wickedness…

Which is Going to Lead to Their Destruction

We’ll Read All about that in Chapter 24

Matthew 23:13 (NASB95)

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Distress, Horror, and Pain Be Upon the Scribes & Pharisees

Why?

Because They were Keeping People from Entering the Kingdom

People were Believing in the Messiah…

But the Scribes & Pharisees…

Were Slamming/Locking the Door in Peoples’ Faces

Throughout John’s Gospel Account…

There are Multitudes of People Who Believed Jesus…

But They were Too Afraid to Express Their Belief…

Because of the Intimidation of the Scribes/Pharisees

They Knew They’d Be Persecuted or Kicked Out of Synagogue

Another Way They Slammed the Kingdom Doors in Peoples’ Faces…

Was Through Their Legalistic Interpretations & Teachings

They Made Submitting to God’s Laws More Difficult…

Which Hindered People…

From Knowing/Experiencing the True Nature of the Kingdom

A Kingdom with 2 Foundational Laws:

Love God

Love Neighbor

A Kingdom Whose King Places Easy Yokes & Light Burdens on His People

The Scribes & Pharisees Kept People from King Jesus

Have We Ever Be Guilty of that?

Have We Ever Allowed Our Interpretations/Traditions…

To Hinder Someone from Knowing/Obeying the Gospel?

We’ll Say More about this When We Look at Verse 15

Matthew 23:14 (NASB95)

14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

This Verse is in Brackets in the NASB…

Because it isn’t Found in Our Earliest Manuscripts of Matthew

But it’s Found in this Exact Context in Mark & Luke’s Accounts

The Scribes & Pharisees should have Been Caring for the Widows in Need…

But, Instead, They were Taking Advantage of Them

Milking Them for Whatever They could Get Out of Them

Then They would Offer Long Prayers…

To Act as Though They were Devout & Religious

James 1:27 (NASB95)

27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

True/Pure Religion is about Caring for the Needy…

Not Exploiting Them

What’s Interesting about this Rebuke in Mark & Luke’s Accounts is…

Immediately After Saying the Scribes & Pharisees…

Devour Widows’ Houses…

Mark & Luke Tell Us about Jesus Sitting By the Treasury…

And Seeing a Poor Widow Put in Her Last Penny

This Woman should Be Honored for Her Faith…

But Her Religious Leaders are to Be Rebuked…

For Allowing & Likely Commanding Such Sacrifices…

Of the Most Vulnerable of Their Society

That Type of Corrupt Religion…

Is Not the Religion of Our God & Father

We’re to Use Our Collective Funds to Care for the Needy…

Not Make Demands that Push Them Further into Poverty

The Oppressive Hypocrisy of the Scribes & Pharisees…

Would Bring a Greater Condemnation Upon Them

And the Same will Be True for Us…

If We Feign Religiosity While Neglecting the Needy

Matthew 23:15 (NASB95)

15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Distress, Horror, and Pain Be Upon the Scribes & Pharisees

Why?

Because They would Go Through So Much Trouble…

To Make One Proselyte (Convert to Judaism)…

Only to Make Them Even More Destined for Hell than Themselves

They were Converting People to Their Group/Sect…

Instead of Converting Them to the Kingdom of God

Can We Ever Be Guilty of that?

Converting People to:

Our Interpretation of Scripture and Practices…

Instead of Converting Them…

To Faith/Loyalty/Allegiance to Jesus

How Did Jesus Tell the Apostles to Evangelize?

Matthew 28:19–20 (NASB95)

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

He Tells Them to Make Disciples/Followers of Christ

They Do that By Going, Baptizing, and Teaching

What Did Peter Do on Pentecost?

What Did Paul Do Whenever He Entered a New City?

They Preached Jesus’ Life, Death, Resurrection, & Ascension to the Throne as King

And Those that Believed the Message…

And Wanted to Submit to Jesus’ Reign…

Were Told to Repent of Their Sins…

And Be Baptized for the Washing Away of Their Sins…

And They’d Receive the Holy Spirit

That’s How They Converted People to Jesus & His Kingdom

Only Then Did Further Teaching, Instruction, Correction, Encouragement Take Place

But So Often, We Get it Backwards

We Don’t Go

We Want Them to Come to Us

We Expect the Lost to Come to Our Worship Services…

To Learn the Gospel & Obey it

But Even in the Times We Do “Go” to Make Disciples…

We Switch Baptizing & Teaching

We Try to Teach Them All Our Traditions & Interpretations & Practices…

Before We Ever Get Around to Telling Them How to Become a Christian

We Teach Them:

5 Acts of Worship

Not Using Instrumental Music

Taking Communion Every Sunday

What Words should Be on the Church Sign

These Things are Not the Gospel!

These Things will Not Save Anyone!

We can Get So Caught Up in Teaching Someone…

How to Become a Proper Member of the Churches of Christ…

That We Delay & Under-Emphasize Teaching Them…

The Whys & Hows of Becoming a Disciple of Jesus!

For Someone to Be Converted to Christianity…

They Must Be Taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

The Death, Burial, Resurrection, & Ascension of King Jesus

Their Conversion Response is to Surrender Their Allegiance to King Jesus

Belief, Repentance, & Baptism

Only After They’ve Been Converted to Christianity…

Do They Then Need to Be Taught the Teachings/Instructions of Jesus

How Many People have Been Hindered…

From Submitting to the Reign/Rule of King Jesus…

Because They were Being Led to Specific Traditions/Interpretations…

Instead of King Jesus?

We’ve Made the Gospel More Difficult than Really is

We’ve Made Evangelism More Difficult than it Really is

The Gospel is Simple to Understand

The Gospel is Simple to Obey

The Gospel is Powerful & Attractive to the Honest/Open-Hearted Person

If We would Only Stick with the Gospel of King Jesus…

We’d Open the Doors of the Kingdom to Those Who are Searching…

And We’d Make Disciples of Jesus…

Who are Eager to Learn/Grow

The Scribes & Pharisees were Concerned with Converting People:

To Their Group/Sect

To Their Way of Thinking/Believing/Practicing

And if We’re Not Careful…

We can Be the Same Way

We Don’t Convert People to the Church

We Convert People to Jesus

If We Do that, All the Other Stuff will Follow

But if We’re Not Converting People to Jesus…

We’re Converting Them to Nothing

We’ve Only Taught Them a Very Religious Looking Way…

To Go to Hell

Matthew 23:16–22 (NASB95)

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ 17 “You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? 18 “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19 “You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20 “Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. 21 “And whoever swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells within it. 22 “And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

Distress, Horror, and Pain Be Upon the Scribes & Pharisees

Why?

Because They Used Legal Loopholes in Order to Break Their Vows

“If I Word My Promise Just Right, I Won’t have to Keep it”

“If I Cross My Fingers Behind My Back…”

“I Don’t have to Keep My Promise”

This is Childish & Corrupt Behavior

Jesus Taught in the Sermon on the Mount…

That it’s Better Not to Make Vows/Promises

1st Off, Nothing You can Swear By is Actually Yours

It’s God’s

And 2nd, You should Let Your “Yes” Be “Yes” & Your “No” Be “No”

When You Say Something, Mean it

Be an Honest Person

Matthew 23:23–24 (NASB95)

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

Distress, Horror, and Pain Be Upon the Scribes & Pharisees

Why?

Because They Majored in the Minors & Minored in the Majors

They Made Sure to Tithe Even the Most Minuscule of Their Garden Herbs

But They Put No Effort into the More Important Principles of the Law:

To Do Justice

To Show Mercy

To Keep Their Word/Promises

Jesus wasn’t Condemning Their Very Detailed Tithing

He Says They Shouldn’t Neglect to Do that

But Some Things are More Important

To Put So Much Effort into the Smallest of Commands…

Only to Completely Neglect the Greatest of Commands…

Is Like Straining a Gnat Out of Your Drink…

But Then Swallowing a Whole Camel

Gnats & Camels were Both Unclean Animals

The Scribes & Pharisees would Use a Cloth to Strain Their Water/Wine…

In Order to Ensure that They Didn’t Become Unclean By Swallowing a Gnat

Jesus Compares Their Misplaced Priorities…

With a Humorous Illustration of…

Straining a Tiny Gnat Out of Their Drink…

But Neglecting to Get the Giant Camel Out

They Went Through Great Pains to Obey the Law

They wouldn’t Even Let the Tiniest Detail Escape Their Attention

But the Big, Glaringly Obvious Laws…

That God Wants His People to Obey…

They Completely Overlooked/Neglected

It Goes Right Along with Our Scripture Reading from Micah:

“God, What Do You Want Me to Do?”

“Do You Want My Best Burnt Offering?”

“Do You Want a Thousand Offerings?”

“Do You Want Me to Sacrifice What is Dearest to Me (My Own Child)?”

No!

“I Want You to Do Justice!”

“I Want You to Love Kindness!”

“I Want You to Walk Humbly with Me!”

“God, are You Proud of Me?”

“I Obey Your Commands Down to the Most Minute Detail”

“I Even Tithe My Garden Herbs/Spices”

“But You’ve Never Once Loved Your Neighbor”

“You Don’t Bring Justice to the Oppressed”

“You Don’t Show Mercy to the Poor/Suffering”

“You Don’t Keep Your Word/Promises (Untrustworthy)”

It’s Far Too Easy & Far Too Common…

For Christians to Place Ourselves in a Box…

And Become Hyper-Focused on Getting All the Rituals Right…

All While Neglecting to Do What’s Most Important:

Loving Our Neighbor

According to James (1:27)…

Pure Religion (Christianity) is Caring for Those in Need

“They’ll Know We are Christians By Our…”:

Rituals?

Worship Services?

John 13:35 (NASB95)

35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Conclusion

Distress, Horror, and Pain Be Upon the Scribes & Pharisees Because:

They were Keeping People from Jesus

They Oppressed the Needy

They Converted People to Their Sect/Group Instead of the Kingdom of God

They Used Loopholes in Order to Break Their Vows

They Strained Out Gnats & Swallowed Camels

Destruction Upon Israel’s Religious Leaders was on its Way…

Because of These Things

Now We Need to Take an Honest Look at Ourselves

Do We Think/Believe/Practice These Things?

If So, We Better Repent Before Destruction Comes for Us