O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Matthew 23:37-24:2

Introduction

Today we come to the conclusion of the address Jesus gave in the Temple courts to His disciples and the crowds just days before His trial and crucifixion.

At the end of this were the seven woes He pronounced against the scribes and Pharisees.

In these strong and direct words, Jesus specifies a number of their infractions to highlight this simple truth: their hearts were far from God.

These religious leaders were meticulous in their attempts to keep the Law of God.

There were diligent to practice their religion through their 613 commandments - rules that had developed over the centuries that were distilled from the Law.

Yet these rules had perverted God’s holy Law - by adding to, twisting, and neglecting what He plainly put forward in it through the prophets He sent.

Yet Jesus’ address wasn’t against the particulars per se - rather, He went after their hearts.

For in their hearts, they were motivated by the praise of men - they did their deeds to be seen by others.

In their hearts, they were filled with greed, self-indulgence, lawlessness, and uncleanness. 

Quite simply, they neglected the heart of God’s Law which is love, expressed in mercy, justice, and faithfulness.

The result was that they were hypocrites - those who proclaimed 613 commandments that they could perform - while in their hearts they both broke and neglected the Law to love God and their neighbors.

Many might look at the scribes and Pharisees and call them “good people.”

They kept the rules.

They “” (O’Donnell, 692)regularly attended worship services, were overseas missionaries, made religious vows, tithed their income, meticulously tried every hour of every day to observe God’s Law, and even built magnificent monuments to the heroes of the faith.

According to most religious standards - they were the faithful.

This is how the world measures faithfulness to any religion.

Those who keep the tenants of the faith are the faithful.

But to this understanding, we must clearly attest that their religion had become their own creation - a tradition of man.

Their rules were not the Gospel according to the God of the Bible.

(1)Isaiah 26:3-4.       You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock 

(2)Psalm 130:7. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption

Additionally, God had told them how to live: to practice justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him.

But they had exchanged the weightier matters of the Law for their own rules by which they could measure themselves and others.

Not only had they exchanged the Law of God for their own, they had rejected His messengers over and over.

They had not only stiff-armed those sent by God with the truth of His saving power, they abused and even murdered some of them. 

And now, God had sent forth His Son - the Anointed One, the Messiah - and they rejected Him.

They rejected His teaching and they opposed Him personally.

They sought to trap Him so that ultimately they could carry out their plan to destroy Him.

And in the coming days, from a human perspective, they would succeed in this attempt - through an unjust trial and an abominable sentence of death.

So then, this message of warning and judgment Jesus presented this day in the Temple courts served to call them to repentance and teach the disciples of Jesus that they would not follow their patterns.

The words Jesus spoke were truth - and they were blunt.

To many they appear harsh and unloving.

But in His closing statement, we see the motivation of Jesus - it was compassion rooted in love.

For Mathew’s gospel, as well as the other three, present to us that Jesus came in love, spoke the truth in love, and carried out the greatest act of love in laying down His life for His sheep.

Merrill Tenney writes, “” The genius of the Gospels, lies not in their rhetorical or philosophical qualities, but lies rather in their presentation of Christ who is unparalleled in all other literature. His supernatural origin, His sinless life, His penetrative teaching, His triumphant death and resurrection might seem to belong to fiction; and if the Gospels were fiction, they would rank among the world’s greatest stories. They are, however, sober history, and are consequently all the greater. The Gospels did not make Jesus; He made them. Because of Him they are distinctive, and through their individual emphases and peculiarities He bids the successive generations of men to come to Him.

So may we hear the words of Jesus today, and take to heart His call to come to Him in faith - knowing that His love is steadfast and unending, His faithfulness is immeasurable, and His goodness knows no bounds.

II.The Lament (37-39)

Looking now at verse 37, we read Jesus’ words, “” O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

The repetition of the name of the city is important, for it is a practice of attributing deep significance to the message and those to whom the message is being addressed.

We see another example of repletion to emphasize a longing for the people to hear, (Jer 22:29) O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!

Or we might think of Jesus’ addressing Martha when she was troubled over Mary’s unwillingness to help her with the chores, “” (Lk 10:41–42) Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.

When Jesus warned Simon Peter of his imminent betrayal, He said, “” (Lk 22:31–32) Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.

The repetition demonstrates the deep grief and compassion Jesus has for the city.

Jerusalem is singled out as representative of the people of God, for it is in Jerusalem that God established His Temple and the altar - it was the centerpiece of God’s dwelling with man.

While Jerusalem symbolized God’s people, the words of judgment and warning have application for His people everywhere. 

The focus was Jerusalem - for it symbolized the spirit of Israel and its people wherever they were.

Jerusalem was also the geography of so many atrocities against the messengers God had sent.

As Jesus has already made clear, and as we saw last week that the whole of the OT attests to this - Jerusalem had killed the prophets and stoned those who were sent to her.

Jerusalem, as the capital city, had the unquestionable history of rejecting those sent by God with His message.

Now, in the great city, these leaders were rejecting The Prophet - as they conspired even in these days leading up to crucifixion of Jesus. 

This statement of Jesus reflects the deep sadness He has over this rejection, but also for the judgment that must rightfully come against her.

God rightly declares judgment against wickedness, but is not gleeful in doing so.

For as we read in the prophet Ezekiel, “” (Eze 33:11) Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Or we might think of what Peter would later write in his second letter,. (2 Pet 3:9) The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance

The heart of the Son of God who laments, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…” is the heart that desires repentance. 

Jesus expresses it this way, “” How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

In His final message to the city, before He departs the Temple courts for the last time, He describes Himself tenderly as a mother hen.

(1)In an agrarian culture, animals such as chickens were often like pets in our own day.

(2)Little fuzzy chicks are cute - and they are also delicate when the dangers of a storm arise or a predator comes near.

(3)Almighty God in the flesh stoops to describe Himself like a protective mothering hen, who brings her chicks close under her wings for protection and deliverance.

From words that appear harsh in the seven woes, Jesus now concludes with the tender motivation behind these words - that they, His people, would run to Him for salvation. 

(1)They have only to repent and fall on His mercy, and they will receive this warm reception and safety.

(2)But His people - represented here by the city of Jerusalem - would not.  

(3)The scribes held on to their letter of the law, believing their ability to keep it would save them.

(4)The Pharisees held on to their performative righteousness, believing their good deeds would save them.

(5)Together, they were leading the people astray, and it broke the heart of God who says, “” I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.

But the people as a whole were not willing, Jesus says.

They had put their hope in their own efforts and their own self-righteousness.

And in another example of the Hebrew repetition, Jesus has said of these that the self-righteous would one day protest, “” (Mt 7:22–23) Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

And because they refused, Jesus says in verse 38, “” See, your house is left to you desolate.

Some might understand Jesus’ words to mean that the city is spiritually desolate - that the hearts of the people had become spiritually void.

That is certainly the case. 

It is a point that Jesus has made numerous times in his addresses to the scribes and Pharisees.

But Jesus is speaking prophetically here - foretelling of the judgement that is to come against Jerusalem. 

We don’t have to look very far to see this, for as He leaves the Temple as described in the next few verses, He gives specific details of the destruction of Jerusalem. 

But here He doesn’t give those details to the crowds.

(1)To that we can wonder what their response might have been to His words.  

(2)For the Temple and city were great - incredible architecture and construction were on display in Jerusalem.

(3)Known as the Second Temple - for it had been rebuilt following the Babylonian destruction of the city in 586 BC.

(4)Even more recently, Herod the Great had renovated it so that it’s limestone walls and gold-plated facade rose 150 feet in the air.

(5)The whole mount of the Temple encompassed about 36 acres, and the stones that supported the foundation of the mount were the size of modern-day buses.

(6)It was a sight to behold.

So imagine how the people might have responded in thinking that anything could come against this marvel of engineering in its day.

Yet Jesus says, “Behold, desolation is coming,” a topic He will expand upon in the upcoming Olivet Discourse in chapter 24.

After saying this, Jesus adds in verse 39, “” For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ 

Jesus is approaching the end of His earthly ministry and His impending departure from the Temple grounds would be a declaration of the beginning judgment.

He quotes Psalm 118 - a phrase the crowds had shouted as He entered the city.

This statement will be shouted again when Jesus returns and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord of all.

There is hope in this statement.

Again and again, Jesus had preached, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” 

To all who had yet to repent and believe, there was still time - as long as it called today - to trust in the Messiah who came to save His people from their sins.

That hope is ours as well - that if we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord and Savior - then we will join those who gladly receive Him at His second coming, saying, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” 

But for those who refuse, they will face the just judgment for their sins - the ultimate of which is rejecting the merciful Savior.

III.The Coming Judgment (1-2)

Following those words, Jesus departs as we read in 24:1,. Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple 

His departure is symbolic, for He would not return to the Temple.

He abandons the physical structure as an act of judgment.

We might remember in our study of Jeremiah how the people had turned the Temple into a superstitious icon in which they put their hope.

God spoke through His prophet to the people, ” (Jer 7:3–4) Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’

They believed they were safe because of physical building, but God said to them that such hope was false. 

Instead, He corrected them, “” (Jer 7:5–7) For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.

How similar were the words through Jeremiah to Jesus’ own words in His day - the people had not yet changed their hearts.

As He left the Temple grounds, His disciples were pondering the words He’d just spoken about the city being laid desolate, and they pointed out the buildings and large stones to ask how this could be.

In Mark’s account of this event, we read,” (Mark 13:1) And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!

The disciples marveled at the construction of the buildings and in particular the size of the stones. 

They were huge.

The historian, Josephus, wrote that some stones were 43 x 14 x 21 feet in size.

Even in our own day, such size would be amazing.

The disciples pointed this out in an effort to ask the question, “How could these buildings be destroyed?” 

It seemed humanly impossible. 

Jesus responds in verse 2,” But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. 

Jesus takes their awe and magnifies it with great clarity, “You see all these, do you not?”

He wants them to look and notice how incredible the coming judgment will be. 

It will be monumental when the army God sends to judge the city will overturn every stone.

RC Sproul writes, “” I cannot think of any prophecy, in either the Old or New Testaments, more astonishing than the one our Lord Jesus gave on the Mount of Olives regarding the temple and Jerusalem…if there was any building on the face of the earth that was deemed impregnable in the first century, it was the temple in Jerusalem. No one could conceive that such a magnificent building could be demolished to such an extent that not one stone of it would be left upon another.

Yet we know with certainty from multiple historical sources that when the Roman army came against the city in 70 AD, every word of Jesus came to pass.

IV.Conclusion

The destruction of Jerusalem is both disheartening and reassuring.

It is sad to see judgment of any kind, for we know God’s heart in the matter, as we saw in Ezekiel God say,” (Eze 33:11) As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Yet it is reassuring that God’s word is always trustworthy.

We are warned by His trustworthy word to repent, and we are comforted by His trustworthy word that all who do so will receive mercy.

The reassurance we have in the Gospel is our only comfort in life and in death. 

For all who put their trust in Christ alone can say with assurance, “” I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

This reassurance of our hope is declared in His Word to us today, and is now proclaimed in His Table that He spreads before us, that we may come together to taste and see that the Lord is good, and prepare to sing at His return, “”Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!