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Notes
Transcript
Biblical Text
Biblical Text
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors’ sins!
33 “Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell? 34 This is why I am sending you prophets, sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all these things will come on this generation.
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 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’!”
29 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. 30 And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. 31 You protest too much! You’re cut from the same cloth as those murderers, 32 and daily add to the death count.
33 “Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? 34 It’s on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.
35 “You can’t squirm out of this: Every drop of righteous blood ever spilled on this earth, beginning with the blood of that good man Abel right down to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah’s son, whom you murdered at his prayers, is on your head. 36 All this, I’m telling you, is coming down on you, on your generation.
37 “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me. 38 And now you’re so desolate, nothing but a ghost town. 39 What is there left to say? Only this: I’m out of here soon. The next time you see me you’ll say, ‘Oh, God has blessed him! He’s come, bringing God’s rule!’ ”
Introduction
Introduction
Background
Background
23:29 Matthew introduces the seventh and final woe in the set in his standard manner. Whereas in the previous woe the scribes and Pharisees were decorated tombs, now they build and decorate the tombs of others. ‘And adorn (κοσμεῖτε) the grave monuments (μνημεῖα) of the righteous’, not found in the parallel in Lk. 11:47, is likely to be a Matthean addition designed to strengthen the link with Mt. 23:27–28.97
There is nothing obviously wrong with honouring the resting place of the prophets and the righteous. But it is yet another kind of highly visible deed, inviting questions about what lies beneath the surface. Matthew has already roundly criticised (v. 5) the concern of the scribes and Pharisees with the visibility of their good deeds. Against the background of the failure of the Jewish leaders of all categories to take with full seriousness the prophetic ministries of John the Baptist and of Jesus,98 questions must be raised about their honouring long-dead prophets. Perhaps it is quite safe to honour a prophet who is no longer able to challenge.
Main Idea: .........
Sermon Points
Sermon Points
Rejection
Rejection
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors’ sins!
29 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. 30 And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. 31 You protest too much! You’re cut from the same cloth as those murderers, 32 and daily add to the death count.
Know
Killing the Prophets
This is the final woe (23:29).
23:29–30. Ancient Judaism emphasized more often than the Old Testament had that Israel had martyred its prophets (e.g., Jer 26:20–23; cf. 2 Chron 36:15–16).
15 But the Lord, the God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of his messengers, sending them time and time again, for he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the Lord’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy.
The Jewish community in this period built tombs as monuments for the prophets and righteous (including some who were not martyred, like David or Huldah).
23:31. Jesus’ point here is, “Like father, like son”; corporate sin and guilt continued among the descendants of the wicked unless they repented (Ex 20:5; Deut 23:2–6; 1 Sam 15:2–3; Is 1:4; etc.).
A lot of us progressives have sharp criticism of the things old, but be careful that our progress doesn’t lead to piety.
We’ve rejected God.
Yes we have Worship, Yes We Pray Praise and Preach but do we make sure He’s Present first.
Do we know we know Him beyond the 90 minutes? (You come here to meet Him, but can he leave with you.)
23:32. This is an ironic challenge, typical of the prophets (Is 6:9; Jer 44:25; Amos 4:4–5): Go ahead and sin if you must, but God will judge you for it (Eccles 11:9)!
By rejecting the Prophets they were in turn closing they their ear to God’s instruction.
The Prophets of old weren’t like these Post Modern Propheliers of this generation
9 And he replied:
Go! Say to these people:
Keep listening, but do not understand;
keep looking, but do not perceive.
4 Come to Bethel and rebel;
rebel even more at Gilgal!
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
your tenths every three days.
5 Offer leavened bread as a thanksgiving sacrifice,
and loudly proclaim your freewill offerings,
for that is what you Israelites love to do!
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
The Prophets of old were persecuted because more often than not they were pointing to the peoples Rebellion
9 You who are young, make the most of your youth.
Relish your youthful vigor.
Follow the impulses of your heart.
If something looks good to you, pursue it.
But know also that not just anything goes;
You have to answer to God for every last bit of it.
2. Feel
It is possible to be very religious yet hate God’s message and messengers! In verses 29–36 Jesus challenges the hypocrisy of those who honor the prophets by caring for their tombs,* yet like their ancestors will kill the Prophet who has come to them. Their behavior proves that, spiritually speaking, they are not descendants of the prophets, but rather descendants of those who killed them. (A parallel today would be to claim, “If I had lived in 1830, I would have opposed slavery,” while treating others in racist or otherwise demeaning ways today;
We’re always talking about what we wouldn’t have done
But we ignore the prophetic call of today
Cultural Chaos
Civil Rights
Crumbling Communities
Criminalized Christianity
3. Do
In what ways do you reject God’s message daily.
You’re either responding to him or rejecting him - Either or!
Recklessness
Recklessness
33 “Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell? 34 This is why I am sending you prophets, sages, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all these things will come on this generation.
33 “Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? 34 It’s on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.
35 “You can’t squirm out of this: Every drop of righteous blood ever spilled on this earth, beginning with the blood of that good man Abel right down to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah’s son, whom you murdered at his prayers, is on your head. 36 All this, I’m telling you, is coming down on you, on your generation.
Know
23:33. Being called vipers, or a kind of venomous snake, was bad enough (Ps 58:4; 140:3; cf. Gen 3). But the offspring of a viper was reputed to eat its way out of its pregnant mother’s belly, so calling someone the offspring of vipers could imply that one was guilty of the universally horrifying crime of matricide. In other words, this was worse than just calling someone a viper!
23:34. Prophets were sent by God according to the Old Testament, or by Wisdom (cf. Lk 11:49) in some Jewish traditions; here they are sent by Jesus.
Jewish people commonly believed that fully anointed prophets had ceased at the end of the Old Testament period and would be restored only in the end time.
Here Jesus mentions several clerical categories: prophets, wise men (wisdom teachers who circulated proverbs, etc.) and scribes to explain Scriptures (cf. 13:52).
God sends a variety of Gifts for the body
Prophets - God’s Messengers // Mouthpiece
Sages - Full of wisdom - educated in the scripture - capable of sharing Teachers
Scribes
Crucifixion was the severest Roman punishment, reserved for the lowest classes of non-Romans; any Jew who delivered another Jew over to such a punishment was naturally despised by his people. Synagogue scourgings were a form of discipline inflicted on errant members of the Jewish community (see comment on 10:17); on “city to city” see 10:23.
23:35. Bloodguilt was a serious matter, affecting the whole community and not just the individuals directly responsible (Deut 21:1–9). God himself would avenge it (Deut 32:43; Ps 79:10).
The Hebrew Bible is arranged in a different sequence than our modern English versions of the Old Testament; in it Zechariah is the last martyr (2 Chron 24:20–22), and Abel is the first, as in our Bibles (Gen 4:8). Jewish tradition expanded the accounts of both martyrdoms, declaring that after Zechariah’s death a fountain of blood appeared in the temple that not even the slaughter of thousands of priests could appease (cf. also Gen 4:10
for the outcry of blood).
The blood of the slain prophetic is on the altar.
The Zechariah murdered in the temple was son of Jehoiada the priest (2 Chron 24:22), not Zechariah son of Berechiah (Zech 1:1), who lived much later in Israel’s history. But Matthew uses the Jewish interpretive technique of combining key words to coalesce two Zechariahs, referring to one and alluding to the other, as he did with Amon/Amos and Asa/Asaph in his genealogy in chapter 1. (The suggestion of some scholars that “Zechariah” also alludes to a prophet martyred in a.d. 67 is unlikely.)
23:36. “This generation” occurs also in Matthew 11:16; 13:39, 45; and 16:4; see comment on 24:34. This is the generation that would see the destruction of the temple. For the image of generations of guilt climaxing in the guiltiest generation on whom the whole judgment is poured out, see Jeremiah 16:10–13.
The blood is on our hands
We scream we’re covered by the blood the truth of us we’re covered with the blood of our recklessness
2. Feel
19 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; 20 trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; 21 the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.
22 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments,
We claim to be Kingdom Builders but why establish a Kingdom you will not enter!
We play Russian Rouhlette every day when we choose our Reckless behavior over our Relationship with God.
Repentance
Repentance
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 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’!”
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 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’!”
23:37. Jewish tradition claimed that Jewish people were under God’s wings, and when a Jewish person converted a Gentile, he or she brought that Gentile “under the wings of God’s presence.” The Old Testament also portrays God as an eagle hovering over its offspring (Deut 32:11; cf. Ex 19:4), protecting Israel under his wings (Ps 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4) and terrifying Israel’s foes in the same way (Jer 49:22). This is one Old Testament image of God’s love for his people; here Jesus fills this divine role.
Prophets sometimes addressed Jerusalem directly (Jer 13:27), and repetition of a name in direct address is common in Jewish texts. On “killing the prophets” see comment on 23:29–30.
23:38. The “house” could mean Israel (Jer 12:7), but in this context almost certainly means the temple (e.g., Judith 9:13), which would also be left “desolate” (Mt 24:15) in a.d. 70. In the Old Testament, the temple was called God’s house; perhaps it is called “your house” here to declare that God’s presence has exited it, as in Ezekiel 10–11.
23:39. On the significance of this citation, see 21:9. The Old Testament prophets and subsequent Jewish tradition suggested that the redemption would not come until after Israel’s widespread repentance (cf. Is 30:19).
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 Longs for Repentance Rather Than Judgment (23:37–39) In contrast to the woes earlier in the chapter (vv. 13–29), verse 37 represents a true lament. That Jesus wishes to gather his people under his wings recalls the image of God sheltering his people under his wings (as in Ex 19:4; Deut 32:11; Ps 17:8; 36:7; 63:7; 91:4; 1 Enoch 39:7).* But as often in the case of God in the Old Testament, Jesus’ love for Jerusalem here gives way to the brokenhearted pain of their rejection. God also weeps over his judgment of Israel (for example, Jer 8:21–22; 9:1, 10). Israel had killed (Jer 26:20–23; here especially 2 Chron 25:16) and persecuted (Is 30:10; Amos 2:12) the prophets God had sent; Jewish tradition amplified prophetic martyrology further (Manson 1979:126–27), as did Christian tradition (the interpolation in Sib. Or. 2.248). After a.d. 70, Jewish prayers also confessed that Israel’s sins had brought on the calamity of exile.
This passage reminds us that God does not forget his promises to his people. For Luke, Jesus’ grief and his promise that they will see him later (Lk 13:34–35) precedes, hence is fulfilled in, the triumphal entry (19:41); Matthew places it among the woes of coming judgment, but in so doing transforms this into a promise of future hope (compare Mt 10:23; Glasson 1963:96–98; Aune 1983:176). Israel’s restoration was a major theme of the biblical prophets and reappeared at least occasionally in early Christianity (Rom 11:26), though the emphasis of early Christian apologetic came to focus on the Gentile mission.