The King’s Judgment (Part 2): A Warning Against Hypocrisy
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
The tragedy of Cassandra: Cursed to prophesy correctly, but never to be believed.
· Unfortunately, we often miss even the clearest warnings and bear the consequences.
Context
Context
· Audience: Scribes and Pharisees or the crowds?
o Both.
o Jesus turns to rebuke the Scribes and Pharisees in light of what he just warned the crowds about. (Matthew 23:1-12)
§ He will explain His case by directly confronting the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees.
o Why? The Scribes and Pharisees are the theological giants of the day. They command a great deal of influence and respect.
§ Because there can be no chance that the way of the Scribes and Pharisees and the way of Jesus can be reconciled.
· They are fundamentally incompatible paths.
· Jesus knows what is in the hearts of the Scribes and Pharisees.
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. (John 2:24-25)
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
· So, he must make clear the sinfulness of the Scribes and Pharisees. To tear down their immaculate image and let the people see the truth.
· Definitions:
o Woe: A short word that carries a great deal of meaning.
§ Three senses: grief, anger, and sorrow.
§ Woe condemns evil yet also laments it.
§ Woe righteously calls for judgment yet makes a plea for repentance.
§ In this way, Jesus, in His final hours of public ministry, will warn the people about the judgment that will come upon those that reject him.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. [Psalm 2:12 (ESV)]
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
o Hypocrite: we often define it simply as being inconsistent; saying one thing and doing another.
§ But if we are honest, we are all inconsistent.
· We are forgetful, weak, fearful.
· But this isn’t enough for us to bear the title of hypocrite.
§ Hypocrisy is putting on a false appearance of virtue, religious or otherwise.
§ A refresher from the Sermon on the Mount. There are two types of hypocrites.
§ Malicious hypocrite:A person who purposefully deceives others through appearing one way and acting another.
§ Sincere hypocrite: A more dangerous version. The person has first deceived themselves. They believe the lie that they are something they are not.
· Chiasm: A literary device that uses the form of a cross to shape its meaning.
o The successive arguments point towards a central point before coming back out again.
§ Each argument corresponds in an inverted order around the middle.
o Jesus will use a chiastic argument to illustrate the true reason for the judgment that is coming upon the Scribes and the Pharisees.
§ He will expose what is underneath the surface appearance.
· This is a wake-up call. This is why Jesus’s tone will be so harsh.
o We must not make the mistake of thinking that the Scribes and Pharisees are uniquely evil and that this judgment declared against them has nothing to do with us.
o The church is as susceptible to this kind of sincere hypocrisy, as I hope to demonstrate this morning.
o Jesus is speaking through the corridors of time to the church today.
· 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
· By examining the judgment against the Scribes and Pharisees, we may avoid their fate.
The Scribes’ and Pharisees’ Sincere Hypocrisy (Matt. 23:13-22)
The Scribes’ and Pharisees’ Sincere Hypocrisy (Matt. 23:13-22)
· The first two woes address the ways in which the Scribes and Pharisees prevent others from entering the kingdom.
The First Woe: Failing to Recognize the Messiah (Matt. 23:13)
The First Woe: Failing to Recognize the Messiah (Matt. 23:13)
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”
· This woe demonstrates how the Scribes and Pharisees are doomed because they have failed in their consistent opposition to Jesus and His message.
o They have consistently rejected Him publicly and sought His destruction.
§ Accusing Him of using demonic power.
§ They have laid trap after trap for Him.
§ They have accused Him of blasphemy.
o They were willing to go to great lengths to keep the people from hearing and believing His message, as is illustrated in John 11:47–48 (ESV)
47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.
48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
· The tragedy is that Jesus’s message was the only one which would allow them entrance to the kingdom.
o Jesus opened the door to the kingdom by His sacrifice and by His message.
§ The message that by grace alone through faith alone we are saved.
o But the Pharisees preferred to work for their salvation.
§ They believed in avoiding big sins and performing good works to outweigh the little ones to earn God’s favor.
· This is a false gospel of synergism, that we cooperate with God to fulfill our salvation.
· The danger here is zeal without knowledge.
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Romans 10:1–4, ESV)
1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
· Hosea testified about what comes from such zeal:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” (Hosea 4:6, ESV)
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
o Uninformed enthusiasm leads us to inconsistently conform our ministry with our mission.
We have one ministry, the ministry of reconciliation (proclaiming the gospel.)
We are not the choosers of who enters the kingdom.
o The uninformed enthusiasm of the Scribes and Pharisees led them to not only reject the gospel, but to insist that people not enter the kingdom freely but try and earn it.
· The Scribes’ and Pharisees’ hypocrisy leads the to become the exact opposite of the Beatitudes.
o Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3, ESV)
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
o The Pharisees proudly slam the door shut.
· Sadly, the sinful hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees does not remain contained with them.
o The lesson of the fall is that sin never remains contained.
Second Woe: Zeal in the Wrong Direction Makes Things Worse (Matt. 23:15)
Second Woe: Zeal in the Wrong Direction Makes Things Worse (Matt. 23:15)
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.”
· This woe is somewhat poetic.
· Remember, the Pharisees were laymen, and many were well-traveled merchants.
o Wherever they went, they spread Judaism with them…their brand of it, at least.
o The first century was a time of great evangelistic enterprise for the Jewish faith.
§ Evidenced by the fact that Jews from all over the world were present in Jerusalem for the Passover.
· But the Pharisees were creating disciples after their own image rather than the who were even more blind, legalistic, and self-righteous than their teachers.
o Each generation grows further and further from the truth and essence of the faith.
§ And so, the student exceeds their master in zealous hypocrisy.
And so, even worse than closing the door to the kingdom, they take pains to create even more door-blockers.
Christianity without Christ is worse than pointless. No matter how zealous, Christless Christians
If we make the business of this church to teach people how to live righteously by rule-following, and don’t preach justification by faith, we will find that we are creating the same kind of door-blockers.
Let’s not be a church that does the double dishonor of keeping people from Christ and making others do the same.
· Zeal is not the measure of truth or righteousness.
o Rather, zeal following truth leads to righteousness.
· Jesus says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4, ESV)
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
o But the Pharisees give now comfort, only the false hope of earning salvation through works.
· But what are the ways that the Scribes and Pharisees teach their false religion?
Third Woe: Manipulating the Scripture (Matt. 23:16-22)
Third Woe: Manipulating the Scripture (Matt. 23:16-22)
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’
19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.”
· The Scribes and Pharisees are focused on the mundane aspects of the scripture and not the divine.
· Jesus deviates from His pattern of address by calling the Scribes and Pharisees “Blind Guides.”
o This is an allusion to Isaiah 56::
“His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all.” (Isaiah 56:10–11, ESV)
10 His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
11 The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all.
· To illustrate their blindness, Jesus examines their defective moral reasoning.
· First, they use slippery language around swearing oaths.
o In this way, they can manipulate oaths and promises toward their own ends.
o For example, they say that oaths are only binding if they are made in God’s name.
§ So, they would allude to God without explicitly naming Him.
· In this way, they could hold themselves guiltless of breaking a promise.
§ Swear by the temple and it means nothing.
· Swear by the gold in the temple and its binding because it has been consecrated to God.
§ Swear by the altar and it means nothing.
· Swear by a sacrifice on the altar and its binding because it has been consecrated to God.
o This is faulty thinking.
§ It is the temple where God dwells. The gold is nothing until it is brought to the temple and offered to God. If anything, the temple is what matters.
§ In the same way, the animal being sacrificed is made sacred by the act of being sacrificed on the altar.
o But in a greater sense, it fails to consider that everything; the Temple, the Altar, and indeed all of creation belongs to God.
§ God is greater than the temple.
· So, by swearing false oaths, they fail to take into account that God is in all creation.
o They take the Lord’s name in vain.
o And Jesus has said,
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36–37, ESV)
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
· The Scribes and Pharisees have corrupted the concept of honesty and made the human response (gold and sacrifices) more important that God’s interest in the Temple practice.
· So, where Jesus says in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”(Matthew 5:5, ESV)
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
o The Scribes and Pharisees put their hope in their own powers, understanding, and practices.
· They mistreat the Scriptures, and this is indicative of a greater failure though, and the center of Jesus’s argument.
The Heart of the Matter (Matt. 23:23-24)
The Heart of the Matter (Matt. 23:23-24)
The Fourth Woe: Missing the Message of the Scripture
The Fourth Woe: Missing the Message of the Scripture
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
· The Pharisees neglect the important principles of the law while focusing on issues such as the particulars of tithing.
· Jesus accuses the Scribes and Pharisees of tithing their mint, dill, and cumin.
o While these are staples of modern cuisine.
I think I might not survive without Basil (mint) and Cumin (Mexican food).
· They were not important or valuable in the day of Jesus.
o They were aromatic weeds, minimally useful or desirable.
· The tithe was meant not for God, but for the Priests, the Levites, and the poor.
o Every practicing Israelite was to tithe grain, oil, wine, and firstborn animals.
o Spices were not required.
· Yet, the Pharisees made a point to tithe on the smallest amounts of their spices.
o By doing this that would make a show of their righteousness and obedience to the Law.
· But in so doing, they neglected the true message of the Scripture. The “weightier” matters of the Law.
o As we saw earlier, Jesus has said that all the Law hangs on love.
§ Here, He mentions three great expressions of love: Justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, ESV)
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6, ESV)
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
· Take the tithe, in God’s providence, it was designed to show God’s good character in taking care of those given over to His service.
Or, take the building of parapets from Deuteronomy 22:8
“When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.” (Deuteronomy 22:8, ESV)
8 “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.
· It’s not arbitrary, it demonstrates God’s character.
· Tithing the spices is like picking a gnat out of your drink (which was unclean) but eating a whole camel (also unclean, but much bigger.)
o They have exchanged true, godly values for distorted ones.
· Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6, ESV)
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
o The Scribes and Pharisees are hungry for the appearance and recognition of their self-righteousness.
We must always remember that the Bible has at its core the story of God’s redemption of sinners. The gospel is the center of Scripture, and it is what shapes everything about Christian life. That’s why every sermon should be a gospel message.
· The Scribes’ and Pharisees’ failure to see the message and intent of Scripture means that their practices are doomed to fail and doom them.
The Scribes’ and Pharisees’ Doomed Purity
The Scribes’ and Pharisees’ Doomed Purity
Fifth Woe: Improper Application of the Scripture (Matt. 23:25-26)
Fifth Woe: Improper Application of the Scripture (Matt. 23:25-26)
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
· Obsession with external purity without the same internal holiness.
· Jesus uses a metaphor to demonstrate the Pharisees’ sinful practices.
o They were known for their practice of separation…keeping themselves from the appearance of sin and for their ritual cleanliness.
· But ritual purity does nothing to deal with the problems underneath, namely greed and self-indulgence.
o Greed: compulsively desiring what others have.
o Self-indulgence: a lack of self-control tending toward lustfulness.
· No one would wash the outside of a cup while leaving disgusting, moldy leftovers on the inside.
· But that is what the Pharisees are doing when they meticulously focus on ritual purity.
· Jesus says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7, ESV) A self-giving love.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
o But the Scribes and Pharisees are full of self-serving greed and lust.
There are too many examples to count when we think of the tendency of Christians to mask their sinfulness by attempts to appear outwardly holy.
Politeness covering anger/envy
Charity covering selfish ambition.
· External goodness is a symptom of internal godliness, but not its cause.
· We need to make sure we deal with the condition of our hearts before we can truly deal with our external lives.
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8–10, ESV)
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
· The Scribes’ and Pharisees’ obsession with appearance doesn’t just affect their practices, it reflects a greater problem.
Sixth Woe: Outward Zeal Hides Inward Corruption (Matt. 23:27-28)
Sixth Woe: Outward Zeal Hides Inward Corruption (Matt. 23:27-28)
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
· There was a practice among the Jews of whitewashing the tombs in Jerusalem.
o The reason was supposed to be one of safety and purity.
· The Law proclaimed that death was a defilement.
“Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.” (Numbers 19:11, ESV)
11 “Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.
o To touch the dead meant one had to seek ritual cleansing, a process taking seven days.
“He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean.” (Numbers 19:12, ESV)
12 He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean.
o If one remained unclean, he would be cut off from Israel:
“Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.” (Numbers 19:13, ESV)
13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.
o Further, anything touching the unclean became unclean:
“And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”” (Numbers 19:22, ESV)
22 And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”
· So, in order to prevent one from stepping on or touching the tombs, they would whitewash the tombs at Passover.
· The Pharisees, of course, took this practice to extremes. Even casting a shadow on a tomb made one unclean.
· The beautification of the tombs was incidental.
· Jesus’s charge here is that the Pharisees have made themselves beautiful to look at. Large Phylacteries, long fringes.
o But underneath, they are full of deadmen’s bones. Unclean and undefiled.
o They are spiritually dead.
o Thus, everything they touch (making their brand of disciples) is tainted and corrupted with the same death.
· Failing to apprehend the message of the Scripture means that the Pharisees only offer death and destruction covered in the beauty of ritual purity.
· Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8, ESV)
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
o But the Pharisees have cold dead hearts.
o New hearts are needed, and what had been promised in the New Covenant:
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:26–27, ESV)
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
o The pure heart received through faith in Jesus Christ.
We must beware of reserving our Sunday best for Sunday. God sees us all the time.
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23, ESV)
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
· Having proved how the Scribes and Pharisees have missed the mark, Jesus completes his warnings by identifying the reason for their prideful self-righteousness.
Seventh Woe: Sons of the Wrong Father (Matt. 23:29-32)
Seventh Woe: Sons of the Wrong Father (Matt. 23:29-32)
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
· The Scribes and Pharisees engage in chronological snobbery.
· There were monuments built upon the burial sites of famous Israelites (prophets and kings).
· The Scribes and Pharisees looked down upon those who had been murdered in the dark days of the past.
o Hindsight is 20/20, and the Pharisees loved to show their perfect vision report.
o They claim there is no way they would not have recognized the truth of the great prophets like their foolish forefathers.
o In this way, they grant themselves status by tearing down those who came before them.
· Jesus rejects this by saying that these men have testified against themselves.
o In their deluded hypocrisy, they have ignored that they are direct descendants of their fathers.
o He is speaking of their spiritual genealogy as well.
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:42–44, ESV)
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
· Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9, ESV)
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
o But the Scribes and Pharisees are full of murderous intent.
· Thus, Jesus challenges them, “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.”
o From the beginning, sin’s days have been measured against the kindness and patience of God. There will come a day when God’s patience comes to an end.
o There were shadows of this in the Old Testament;
§ The sin of the Amorites (Genesis 15:16) not yet complete
16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
“And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”” (Genesis 15:16, ESV)
§ In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul says:
“For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!” (1 Thessalonians 2:14–16, ESV)
14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,
15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind
16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!
· Jesus is challenging them to do what is in their hearts to do (murder him) and so fulfill their judgment.
· The warning for us this that we should not forget that we are sinners saved by grace.
o We should not act as if we are better than others, especially sinners that came before us.
“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12, ESV)
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
o Israel’s failure should not make us proud as Romans warns us:
“That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” (Romans 11:20, ESV)
20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.
“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.” (2 Peter 3:17, ESV)
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
Apart from the grace of God, we are all children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) and we must constantly remind ourselves of the gospel that has made us what we are.
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
The Judgment of the Pharisees
The Judgment of the Pharisees
33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
· Jesus moves away from woe and into prophecy, with a strongly worded challenge.
o How will they stand the judgment that is coming?
· The implication is that they will not because they have already made their decision to reject and murder the Messiah.
· Jesus promises that he will send prophets, wise men, and true scribes to teach the true message.
o This is clearly a reference to the apostles and those of the early church in Acts.
o The sending is two-fold, to spread the gospel to the nations, and to bring about the judgement of unbelieving Israel.
§ To reveal the depth of the Scribes’ and Pharisees’ wickedness.
§ To show God’s righteousness in unleashing His wrath.
o True to His Word, the Scribes and Pharisees would continue to oppose Jesus’s message and followers.
§ They would flog them, crucify them, and in other ways execute their murderous wickedness upon them.
· Jesus said in the final beatitude, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10, ESV)
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
o But the Scribes and Pharisees would prove themselves to be the persecutors of the righteous and enemies of the kingdom of heaven.
· Through their relentless violence against Christ and His church, they would finally fill up the measure of their ancestors’ sins. God’s long-suffering patience would come to an end.
o Not only for this, but as the last in a long line of murderers, God would hold them accountable for all the blood of the righteous whom the wicked had taken in violence.
· From Abel to Zechariah.
o This is a poetic way of speaking about the murdered righteous of the Old Testament.
§ Abel was the first murdered in Genesis 4. Killed by Cain in envy of his righteous offering.
§ Zechariah is a little more difficult.
· That he is called “son of Barachiah” here indicates that it is speaking of the prophet Zechariah.
· There is some textual evidence that this may have been added later and that the Zechariah in view here is the one from 2 Chronicles.
“Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’ ” But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lordsee and avenge!”” (2 Chronicles 24:20–22, ESV)
20 Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’ ”
21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.
22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, “May the Lord see and avenge!”
o So, in essence, Jesus is laying upon their heads all the murder of the righteous from A-Z, or from the beginning of the Old Testament to its end.
· This would take place “in this generation.”
o This is a clear reference to the terrible events of AD 70, when Jerusalem and the temple would be completely destroyed, bringing an end to Second Temple Judaism.
Conclusion
Conclusion
· Christians are not Pharisees, even when we are inconsistent, but we can still fall prey to hypocrisy of another kind.
· When we separate public and private practice of religion.
o How is our prayer before meals and at appropriate times different from the Pharisees’ twice-daily prayers? Only in the heart with which we approach it.
· We engage in hypocrisy when we allow inconsistency in our lives.
o Acting one way when we think no one “important” is watching.
o But we must remember that God sees all. We live before a divine audience.
· The question of Jesus must be answered: How will you escape being condemned to hell?
· Our sin makes us fit only for the wrath of God, yet there is hope in Christ’s warning.
· All who heed the warning and turn to Jesus in repentance and faith will be received by Him.
· Paul, the Pharisee of Pharisees, spoke eloquently of the hope that we all have in Him if we turn and believe:
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.
6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down)
7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
· It’s no coincidence that the hope that we have to escape the fate of the hypocrites is the very center of the message of the Bible.
