Matthew 23:25-39

Scripture Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16

Introduction

Why is it that Our Society…

Can Look Back and Condemn:

American Slavery & Racism?

Nazi Germany?

We can Clearly See the Evil of…

Treating Black & Jewish People as Sub-Human

But at the Very Same Time…

Our Society is Willing to Fight for the Right…

For Parents to Murder Their Own Babies

Why?

Well, for a Number of Reasons:

Selfishness & Convenience Being High on the List

But the Argument is:

Babies in the Womb are “Sub-Human”

How can Our Society Not See that We’re No Better Than Our Ancestors?

Our Society Can’t Condemn Them…

While Following Their Lead!

It’s So Easy to Recognize & Condemn the Sins of the Past

Even in the Church, Slavery & Racism Used to Be the Norm

Now We Look Back and Say:

“What were They Thinking!?”

“How could They Think/Believe/Practice…”

“Such Wicked/Godless Things?”

We Find No Difficulty in Recognizing/Condemning Past Sins

But When We Look at the Present Church…

It’s Difficult to Analyze Our Own Ways of Thinking/Believing/Practicing…

With that Same Clarity

Is it Possible that Our Future Brothers/Sisters in the Church…

Will One Day Look Back at Us and Say:

“What were They Thinking!?”

“How could They Think/Believe/Practice…”

“Such Wicked/Godless Things?”

Will Future Generations of Christians Look Back at Us & Say:

“Why were They So Divisive Over Such Minor/Secondary Issues?”

“Why were They So Shallow in Their Understanding of Scripture?”

“Why were They So Prone to Follow Their Creeds Instead of Scripture?”

“Why were They So Entranced By Idolatry?”

(Money, Sex, Entertainment, Politics)

“Why were They So Quick to Judge & So Slow to Be Merciful?”

“Why Did They Spend So Much Time Gossiping…”

“And So Little Time Reconciling?”

“Why Did They Spend So Much Time Locked in Their Buildings…”

“Reading the Laws of God But Never Going Out & Practicing Them?”

“Why Did They Put More Trust in Their Ability to Obey…”

“Than in God’s Ability to Be Gracious?”

“Why were They More Concerned with Being Right…”

“Than in Being Obedient?”

If Any of These Things can Be Said about Us…

Then I Hope Future Christians will Recognize it

I Hope that the Church Continues to Grow to the Fullness of Jesus

But Why should We Wait…

For Future Generations to Wag Their Fingers at Us?

Why Not Seek to Rectify These Things Now?

It’s Easy to See the Sins of Past Generations

But it can Be Difficult to See Our Own

That’s Why We Need to Be Constantly Growing…

In Our Knowledge/Understanding of the Teachings of Jesus

And We Need to Stay Vigilant in Examining Ourselves…

And Conforming Ourselves to His Image

If Future Generations will Look Back and Recognize Our Flaws…

I Hope They can at Least See that We Recognized Them Too…

And that We were Trying to Be More Like Jesus

Matthew 23:25-39

In this Chapter, Jesus is Rebuking & Condemning the Scribes & Pharisees

Not Really for Their Benefit…

But for the Crowds’ & Disciples’ Benefit

He’s Telling Them How Not to Be Like the Religious Leaders of Their Day

Jesus Announces 7 “Woes” Against the Scribes & Pharisees

7, the Number of Completeness…

Represents the Completeness of the Doom…

That’s Coming Their Way Due to Their Hypocrisy

Matthew 23:25–28 (NASB95)

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

The Scribes & Pharisees Focused Their Attention on the Outside

But They Neglected the Inside

Jesus Compares Their Hypocrisy to Cleaning the Outside of a Cup/Dish…

While Leaving the Inside Unclean

I have Here a Bowl from Home

On the Outside, it’s as Clean as can Be

But on the Inside, it’s Full of:

Ranch Dressing

Ketchup

Grape Jelly

Cheddar & Onion Chips

An Apple Slice I Pulled Out of the Trash

And was Mixed Together with a Dirty Spoon

Does Anyone Want to Eat There Lunch from this Bowl?

Why Not?

The Outside is Spotless!

It May Look Good from the Outside…

But the Inside is Disgusting!

It Doesn’t Matter How Clean the Outside is

If the Inside is Unclean, it’s Unacceptable

And Along the Same Lines…

Jesus Compares the Scribes/Pharisees to Whitewashed Tombs

If a Jewish Person were to Make Physical Contact with a Grave/Tomb…

They’d Be Unclean for 7 Days (Numbers 19:16)

Because of this, Especially During Festival Times…

They would Whitewash Tombs…

So that They’d Be Easily Visible

This Way People would Be Less Likely…

To Accidentally Come into Contact with One

I’ve Done a Several Funerals in the Past Few Years

I’ve Seen a Lot of Beautiful Caskets

But I have Never Once Thought:

“I Think I’m Going to Jump in There & Lay Down!”

Why Not?

Because There’s a Dead Body in There!

It May Look Beautiful on the Outside…

But on the Inside is a Lifeless Corpse!

The Primary Focus of the Scribes & Pharisees…

Was the Outward Appearance of Purity/Holiness/Righteousness…

Not Inward Purity/Holiness/Righteousness

It was All a Big Facade

Jesus Said These Hypocrites (Actors) were Full of:

Robbery (Or Greed)

Self-Indulgence (Lack of Self-Control)

Lawlessness (Disobedience to the Law)

Outwardly They Looked like the Picture of:

Generosity

Self-Control

Lawful Obedience

But the True Nature of Their Character was Far From it

In the Sermon on the Mount…

Jesus Taught the Same Idea that He’s Teaching Here:

You First Need to Focus on the Inside

Once Your Inside is Pure…

Then Your Outside will Become Pure as Well

Your Actions will Follow Your Heart/Mind

When Your Heart/Mind is Pure…

Then Your Actions will Be Pure

When Your Heart/Mind is in the Right Place…

Your Actions/Behavior will Follow

Legalism is Heartless/Insincere Obedience

And Heartless/Insincere Obedience Leads to:

“I Can’t Murder, But I can Be Bitter, Angry, & Hateful”

“I Can’t Commit Adultery, But I can Lust & Fantasize”

But Every Murder Begins with Bitterness, Anger, and Hatred

And Every Adultery Begins with Lust & Fantasizing

What’s in Your Heart will Always Find its Way Out Through Your Behavior

The Only Way to Christ-Like Behavior…

Is Not Through Heartless/Insincere Obedience to a List of Rules

Transformed Christ-Like Behavior…

Only Comes Through a Heart/Mind…

That’s Been Transformed By the Gospel of Jesus

The Message of What God has Done, is Doing, & Will Do Through Jesus:

Is Capable of Making the Hardest Heart Feel Sorrow Over Sin

Can Spark an Overwhelming Sense of Gratitude in an Ungrateful Heart

Can Trigger a Powerful Desire/Zeal to Give One’s Entire Life to God

The Gospel Transforms Hearts/Minds

And Transformed Hearts/Minds Lead to Transformed Lives

The Scribes & Pharisees Only Focused on Outward Actions

We’ve Got to Focus on Inward Transformation…

Conforming Our Hearts/Minds to the Heart/Mind of God

Matthew 23:29–33 (NASB95)

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 “So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 “Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

Here We have the 7th & Final Woe Against the Scribes & Pharisees

This Final Woe is Going to Lead…

To Jesus Prophesying of Jerusalem’s Coming Destruction

The Scribes & Pharisees are Hypocrites Because…

They Greatly Respect the Prophets/Righteous of the Past

They Build Their Tombs & Decorate Their Monuments

They Say:

“We would’ve Never Done What Our Fathers Did…”

“By Persecuting & Killing the Prophets!”

And Jesus’ Response to that is:

“Well, You Got One Thing Right”

“You Call Yourselves the Sons of Those Murderers”

“And that’s Exactly Right”

“You are Their Sons, Because You’re Just Like Them!”

“So Go On & Finish What Your Fathers Started!”

“Bring it to its Completion!”

“Bring Their Mission to its Climax, its Grand Finale!”

What’s Jesus Saying?

“Just as Your Fathers Killed the Righteous…”

“You’re Going to Kill Me”

“You’re Going to Kill God’s Own Son & Your Anointed King”

They Looked Back on the Acts of Their Ancestors…

And Sincerely Believed that They were Wrong for Killing God’s People

But They were Unable/Unwilling to See…

That They were in the Process of Doing the Very Same Thing

Just 3 Days from Jesus Speaking These Words…

These Scribes & Pharisees are Going to Murder Him

They Think They Agree with What the Prophets Said in the Past

But Jesus Came Speaking the Very Same Things…

And They Hated Him for it

Jesus, Like John the Baptizer in the Beginning of this Account…

Calls the Scribes & Pharisees a “Brood of Vipers”

Then He Begins His Prophetic Warning Against Them

Continuing in the Hypocritical Footsteps of Their Fathers…

Will Only Lead to the Judgment of God

Matthew 23:34–36 (NASB95)

34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and 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 so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Just as God Sent Prophets, Wise Men, and Scribes…

To the Religious Establishment of the Past…

Jesus is Going to Send His Disciples to Them

And They’ll have All Kinds of Horrible Things Done to Them

This will Bring All the Righteous Blood that has Been Shed Throughout Time…

Upon the Heads of the Scribes & Pharisees

They’ll Be Considered Guilty of All of it

From the Very First in Scripture, Abel…

To the Very Last in Scripture, Zechariah

This Present Jewish Generation is Going to Be Held Accountable…

For the Righteous Bloodshed…

That’s on the Heads of Their Leaders

In Other Words, God’s Terrible Judgment is Coming Upon the Jewish Nation…

And it’s Coming Quickly (“This Generation”)

Matthew 23:37–39 (NASB95)

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 “For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Even After All the Wickedness that’s Been Done…

Both Past & Present…

Jesus (God) Still Cares for His People

He Wants to Protect Them as a Mother Hen Protects Her Chicks…

But They were Unwilling

Unwilling to Trust Him/Repent

Jesus Doesn’t Enjoy having to Rebuke & Condemn Israel’s Leadership

Jerusalem should have Been a City of Justice, Compassion, and Faith

But, Instead, it was Known as the City that Murders…

The Just, Compassionate, and Faithful

So, Now Jesus is Leaving the City “Desolate” - Abandoned

They’ve Chosen to Reject God & His Anointed

Now He is Rejecting Them

Jesus Brings an End to His Public Ministry with:

Matthew 23:39 (NASB95)

39 “For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Jesus Entered Jerusalem to the Crowds Singing Those Words

He’s Going to Enter the New Jerusalem at His Second Coming…

To the Singing of These Very Same Words

Application

This is All Leading Up to the Very Climactic & Detailed Prophesy…

Of the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD

We’ll Look at that Next Week in Chapter 24

Chapter 24 Begins the Final Teaching Discourse of Jesus in Matthew’s Account

Then, Beginning in Ch. 26…

We’ll See the Events that Lead Up to Jesus’ Crucifixion in Ch. 27…

And Resurrection in Ch. 28

As We Close Out this Last Section of Matthew 23…

We See 2 Overarching Teachings of Jesus…

And 1 Incredible Characteristic of God

The 2 Teachings are:

1.) Obey God from the Heart

God isn’t Honored By Heartless/Insincere Obedience

He Doesn’t Want People Who are Going Through the Motions…

But Inwardly are Filled with Sin & Indifference

He Wants Transformed, Purified Hearts…

That Lead to Sincere Obedience

And Transformed Purified Hearts Only Come…

From Focusing on the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

What God has Done, is Doing, & Will Do Through Jesus

2.) Don’t Be a Hypocrite

Technically, That’s the Message of the Entire Chapter

But, in His Final Woe…

He Says the Scribes & Pharisees are Hypocrites…

Because They Claim to Be Better Than Others…

While Simultaneously Practicing the Same Sins

What’s the World’s Biggest Complaint Against Christians?

“They’re All a Bunch of Hypocrites!”

Sometimes that’s Just an Excuse

But Sometimes it’s True

Sometimes Christians’ Hearts/Minds are Filled with Sin…

While Still Claiming to Be Pure, Holy, & Righteous

Sometimes, What You See on the Outside…

Is All an Act/Facade

You Might Fool Me & I You…

But God isn’t Fooled

Let’s Listen to Jesus & Remove the Log in Our Own Eye…

Before Attempting to Remove Specks from the Eyes of Others

The 1 Incredible Characteristic of God that We See in this Text is:

Even in Our Sin, God Still Loves Us

He Sees Himself as the Mother Hen…

Who Wants to Protect Her Chicks

The Jewish Religious Leaders…

Were Unwilling to Place Themselves Beneath His Wings

Submit to the God Who Loves & Wants to Save You