The King's Judgment (Part 1)
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Introduction
Introduction
The famous speech of Marc Antony in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (Friends, Romans, Countrymen). Marc Antony masterfully turns the crowds against Caesar’s murderers while sounding as if he is on their side. The use of irony is similar to what Jesus will do when he confronts the Scribes and Pharisees in the Temple.
But Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man.
Context
Context
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,(Matthew 23:1, ESV)
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
· Notice that the subject of Jesus’s speech has now changed.
o Jesus had previously confronted the leaders of Israel directly.
“You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matthew 15:7–9, ESV)
7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
o He had also warned the disciples about their bad influence:
Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6, ESV)
6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
o He turns from speaking to his opponents to speak to the crowds who have been watching and to his disciples.
o This will be a public rebuke
Jesus’s judgment will compel the crowds to recognized His authority as the Messianic King.
· It’s important before we see Jesus’s judgement of the Scribes and Pharisees that we understand some important things about them.
o The Pharisees often get a bad rap because of passages like these, and because they are often Jesus’s most vocal opponents.
· Pharisees, however, are not moustache-twirling villains. They are a complicated group.
o In some ways, they are very like Jesus and his disciples.
§ They valued faith over sacrifices. They love God’s Word.
o In other ways they are very unlike Jesus and His disciples.
§ They were incredibly litigious about their religious practice.
o Many Pharisees showed affinity and support for Jesus and the disciples.
§ Luke 13:31
31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.”
§ Acts 6:7
7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
§ Acts 15:5
5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
§ John 9:13-16
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.
14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
· The Scribes and Pharisees were highly respected leaders of the Jewish people.
o They have worked very hard to cultivate a reputation for holiness through their teaching and their public displays of piety.
We would likely look at their acts as evidence of great holiness.
o They prayed three times daily (publicly)
o They fasted two times a week.
o They tithed on everything they earned and purchased (in case the seller had not tithed).
· Chapter 23 should be understood as a warning for the hearer.
· Through it, Jesus speaks to us, to the church.
o He will build up His church by laying the foundation for faithfulness after His perfect humility.
· It serves as the climax of the entire confrontation in the Temple.
The Charge: Proclamation vs. Practice
The Charge: Proclamation vs. Practice
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” (Matthew 23:2–4, ESV)
2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat,
3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
· The issue Jesus identifies about the Jewish leaders is that the status has gone to their heads.
o The Scribes and Pharisees lay claim to Moses’ Seat and thereby the authority of Moses.
§ Jesus’s language indicates that they are pretending to that authority. Who appointed them to that seat?
· They are self-appointed heirs.
o In the synagogue was a limestone throne upon which the teacher sat. This was called Moses’ Seat.
§ So by sitting on this seat, they claimed authority.
§ To say, sit on Moses’ seat meant that one was succeeding Moses’
o But as we read last week. The one who was appointed to sit upon Moses’ seat was none other than the Messiah. Jesus.
· Jesus’s tone is one of irony. He is drawing the people’ attention to the emptiness of their authority.
o “Obey every last thing they say, but don’t do a single thing they do.”
o It’s like the Marc Antony speech.
o While appearing to uphold their authority, He will simultaneously demonstrate why they are unworthy of it.
· This is a perennial problem with the Scribes.
o In Matthew 2, they were able to explain exactly where the Messiah would be born, yet they could not be bothered to go and see for themselves.
· The problem with their teaching is that they fail to do what they teach.
o They are hard on others and lenient on themselves.
· Jesus says they tie heavy burdens and lay them upon people’s shoulders.
o The burden is the Pharisees’ teaching.
o They demanded more of others than they could every possibly achieve on their own.
o The mechanism for this is an oral tradition called the Mishnah, which they held to be equally authoritative to the Bible.
o They would pile an astounding number of commands on the smallest passages of Scripture.
o Their own Rabbis affirm this reality:
The laws of the Sabbath, festal offerings, and sacrilege—Lo, they are like mountains hanging by a string, for they have little Scripture for many Laws.
They fly in the air having nothing to support them.
· On top of this, the teachers, who were tasked with serving the people through the ministry of the Law were unwilling to help the people bear the mountainous burdens.
· They burden others with many rules and do not do a thing to help those struggling to obey.
o The Scripture makes clear that the Law is already a heavy enough burden to carry apart from the mercy of Christ.
“Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10, ESV)
10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:” (Acts 15:28, ESV)
28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
o But the Scribes and Pharisees went much further, engaging in the practice of “fencing” the Law so that they would not approach breaking the Law.
· They burdened others with crushing expectations, yet when the people, trying to uphold the law faithfully, failed, they found no compassion or assistance from the Scribes and Pharisees.
o Under the yoke of the Pharisees there was no hope and no rest.
· Yet Jesus is claiming that they do not hold themselves to the same standard in their personal lives that they lay upon others.
o They enslave people to a standard after which they strive and strive but never reach.
o By putting others in a no-win scenario, they can claim superiority under the Law.
When prominent figures desire to appear noble or pious or good, they become susceptible to hypocrisy.
· We must be careful about the expectations we place upon others.
· The standard that you hold others to must never be higher than the standard you keep.
· The Scribes and Pharisees were sincerely eager for righteousness.
o But they misapprehended the human condition.
o They saw sin as a treatable condition.
§ Avoid the really bad sins that bring notoriety.
§ Outweigh the little sins by performing meritorious good works.
o Under the Law, we are all guilty.
o Paul spoke to this reality in Romans chapter 2:
you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” (Romans 2:21–24, ESV)
21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?
22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.
24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
o The sad reality of the Scribes and Pharisees, and to us as well, if we follow in their footsteps is that we will be breaking the third commandment:
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7, ESV)
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
· Churches are susceptible to this today in many ways.
o We often start men’s and women’s ministries that put impossible standards upon people and constantly place unrealistic and unbiblical standards of living and performance.
o There are entire church movements that promise miracles in return for impossible standards of giving and faith and blame the person if their life doesn’t turn out right.
o There are many fundamentalist movements built upon an exacting standard of obedience. Where every doctrine is a salvation doctrine.
The Root of the Pharisees’ Fruit: Conceit
The Root of the Pharisees’ Fruit: Conceit
“They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.” (Matthew 23:5–7, ESV)
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
· Rather than live up to their impossible standard, the Scribes and Pharisees engaged in a carefully curated display of law keeping meant to elevate their status among the people.
o When they prayed, fasted, and tithed, they made sure to do it in public.
o Jesus explained this very thing in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6)
· They seemed zealous and righteous to the people because their acts were so public.
o But they were more concerned with their honor than with Gods.
· They demonstrate their superiority over others in many ways, first in their appearance.
· For they make their phylacteries broad:
o Phylacteries were seen as the literal fulfillment of the Shema (Deut. 6:8)
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
o The language here makes it clear that the phylactery was a superstition.
§ Jewish people were prone to believing that by wearing them, they were earning the favor and blessing of God.
o There were exacting rules about the appearance and use of the phylacteries.
§ They were to be cubical, never cylindrical.
§ Scripture was to be written on a square parchment in Assyrian script.
§ Phylacteries were supposed to be worn on most occasions.
· Wearing it in the wrong place was tantamount to heresy.
· And they were never to be made ostentatious (adorned with gold, etc.)
o The Pharisees would follow these rules exactly, but they would expand the width of the phylactery so that it would be more visible under the sleeve or on the forehead.
§ Drawing attention to their phylacteries without technically breaking the law.
· Their fringes long:
o Jewish law required the sewing of tassels at the four corners of the robe.
o This was designed to remind the wearer of their covenant commitments.
“The Lordsaid to Moses, “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.” (Numbers 15:37–40, ESV)
37 The Lord said to Moses,
38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner.
39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.
40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God.
o Though there was a specific rule about the length of tassel, the Scribes and Pharisees would lengthen their fringes.
o While it was meant to remind the wearer to obey God, they made it a sign to others of how obedient they were.
· They also pursued prestige in social situations.
o They pursued the seat closest to the host at any banquet (the seat of honor).
o They chose the front row at the synagogue (closest to the teacher).
o All were designed so that they would be seen by others, perhaps with broad phylacteries and long fringes. (Look how holy I am!)
· Further, they seek public acknowledgment of their prestige.
o The normal greeting given to someone in public was “peace be unto you.”
o But the greeting given to a Rabbi was more grandiose, “Peace be unto you my master and teacher.”
§ It was a demonstration of subordination and submission.
It’s all about them.
· Sadly, we are not immune to the same tendencies today.
· We all can recognize that the ornate displays of the Roman Catholic Church represent a kind of return to this error.
o But there is no functional difference between the Pope in all his splendor and the hipster pastor in skinny jeans, a trendy shirt, and expensive sneakers…or, dare I say, a Baptist preacher in a finely tailored suit.
§ It’s all a display meant to impress.
· Further, we can easily fall to pride about our status.
o I belong to the oldest Baptist church in Ottawa County.
o I belong to a church with umpteen thousand members.
o I don’t belong to any big church, but a small church that really cares about following Jesus.
o No functional difference.
· Jesus is not pleased by such displays, and we cannot presume on our works to win us success or favor from God.
· So, does Jesus want us to conduct ourselves?
o How will we avoid the judgment pronounced upon the Scribes and Pharisees and all who exalt themselves above others?
The Solution: Christlike Character
The Solution: Christlike Character
“But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:8–12, ESV)
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
· You are not to be called rabbi
o The rabbis of Jesus’s day demanded for themselves titles of honor rivaling God’s.
Rabbi Elazar ben Shammua said: let the honor of your student be as dear to you as your own, and the honor of your colleague as the reverence for your teacher, and the reverence for your teacher as the reverence of heaven. (Avot 4:12)
o But heaping such honor on someone else, or worse, seeking them for oneself is nothing short of blaspheming the name and honor of God.
§ Glory and majesty belong to God alone.
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11, ESV)
11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
· For you have one teacher
o We have one true teacher and spiritual guide, Jesus Christ our Messiah.
o He demonstrated perfect humility and showed us how we are to live before others:
“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” (John 13:13–15, ESV)
13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
· You are all brothers
o We are free from striving for status because we have all received every blessing from Him.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3–6, ESV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
o So, there is no need to seek status because we have grace through our Lord Jesus Christ.
· Titles aren’t the problem, superiority is. It’s a misunderstanding of the purpose of our lives.
o The Westminster Catechism’s first question: What is the chief end of man? The answer: To glorify God and enjoy him forever.
§ We fail in this purpose by attempting to accumulate honors for ourselves.
· The Greatest among you shall be called your servant
o Jesus didn’t just teach this message, he demonstrated it to the fullest.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5–8, ESV)
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
o This humility was the path to ultimate exaltation for Jesus, and our path to exaltation as well.
· Whoever exalts himself will be humbled
o To say that the Scripture teaches of the dangers of pride and self-exaltation is an understatement.
§ There are no less than 16 times where this lesson is taught.
o Today, we see this warning borne out in more subtle, but no less dangerous ways.
§ We love our spiritual heroes.
§ Your pastors love to hear “well done.”
§ We laud those who are open about faith in Jesus Christ.
§ But there is a line we cross when the accolades become what we long for.
· Whoever humbles himself will be exalted
o Similarly, the bible teaches that if we humble ourselves before God, and lay aside every pretension to honor, we will be lifted by Him.
o Humility is worked out in service to others after the pattern of our Lord.
o Comparing ourselves is necessary but let us not compare ourselves to others…this is the way of pride.
““Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”” (Luke 18:10–14, ESV)
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
o But if we compare ourselves to the thrice-holy God of heaven, humility becomes easy, as Isaiah discovered.
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lordof hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” (Isaiah 6:5–7, ESV)
5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Conclusion
Conclusion
· We need to learn from the Scribes and Pharisees’ failures and seek to exhibit Christlike humility in all that we do.
· They seek applause, but we should take captive every thought of gaining others’ approval.
o The Christian life is not about being popular, powerful, or influential.
o Rather we are to seek the approval of God alone.
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (Romans 14:17–19, ESV)
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
““Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:17–18, ESV)
17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10, ESV)
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
· The Scribes and Pharisees sought to display their piety publicly, but we should keep our works to ourselves.
o What we do in public should draw attention only to God.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, ESV)
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
o Give in private.
o Pray in private.
o Fast in private.
· The Scribes and Pharisees loved to exalted before others, but we should humble ourselves before everyone.
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10, ESV)
10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
· We must be very careful in this church about the expectations that we place on each other and especially on those we seek to win to Christ.
· The Scribes and Pharisees tied up heavenly burdens that no one could carry.
o Their yoke was hard, and the burden was crushing. For those that carry it, there could be no rest.
· The promise of Jesus was the exact opposite:
“All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:27–30, ESV)
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
· The gospel is dear to us because it demonstrates exactly how we may be free from the cycle of self-exaltation and judgment.
