Matthew 23 – Jesus Christ Pronounced Seven Woes
Introduction
A. “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat”
1. When they taught the commandments of Moses, they sat in the chair or seat of Moses.
2. Deuteronomy 6: 1-9 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.… 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
B. The Pharisees obeyed the law in a very literal way when they made boxes with words of the law written inside and tied them to their hands and as “phylacteries” or frontlets between their eyes, but at the same time, they did not keep the words in their daily lives. The phylacteries were a part of their hypocrisy.
I. Matthew 23:3-7 Jesus commanded his disciples to keep the laws of Moses that the scribes declared, but that they should not do according to their works, because they were saying one thing and doing something else.
A. They did all their works to be seen by men.
1. Matthew 6:1-8. They did their righteousness in front of men, to be seen of them, not to please God. Therefore, they will not receive reward from God. They gave alms to the poor to be praised by men and loved to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that men would say they were very holy and devoted to the Lord. They used vain repetitions in their prayers thinking that by their many words and empty phrases they would be heard.
2. John 5:44. They couldn't believe, because they received glory from one another, and did not seek the glory that comes only from God.
B. They widened their phylacteries: Deuteronomy 6:8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes”
C. They extended the fringes of his robes: Numbers 15:38 “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.”
D. They loved the seats of honor at dinners, and the places of honor in the synagogues. (Luke 20:45-47)
1. Luke 11:43; 14:7-11 Jesus told them the parable of Proverbs 25:6-7. It is best not to sit In the place of honor “lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
2. Matthew 20:20-28. The mother of the sons of Zebedee asked for the highest honors of the Kingdom of Jesus. To begin with, Jesus said they didn't know what they were asking for, but then He said that the honors will be given to those for whom the Father has prepared them.
--The one who wants to become great and first will be the servant, the slave, as the Son of Man.
E. They also loved the greetings in the court yards, and that men should call them: Rabbi, Rabbi.
1. Romans 12:3, 15-16. We should not have a higher opinion of ourselves than is appropriate. If so, we will not be able to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who weep and be united among ourselves if we are haughty, and we will not be able to associate with the humble. We should not be wise in our own opinion.
2. 1 Corinthians 3:18. “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.”
-- 4:6-10. Paul taught the Corinthians “that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.”
3. 1 Corinthians 8:1-2. In the controversy of eating things sacrificed to idols, he said, “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.” He added (in 13:4) that true love, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way…”
4. 2 Corinthians 10:12. “Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” 2 Corinthians 10:18. “For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”
5. Galatians 6:3. “For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Philippians 2:3. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
6. James 4:6. “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
F. Matthew 23:8-12. Jesus commands us not to call ourselves Rabbi, Teacher, or Father.
1. Presumptuous titles rob God of the honors that belong to Him who is the Lord of the Earth.
2. Jesus is the Rabbi and our Master. The Father is our Heavenly Father.
3. Men have the habit of inventing more and more titles and honors to elevate certain men. "Reverend" implies the reverence that belongs to God. The Universities award certain men titles of Master and Doctor. In armies, they identify rank by title and the same in government to identify the offices of authority and service. We must be very careful not to become proud in undue ways.
II. Matthew 23:13 They closed the Kingdom of Heaven before men
A. Luke 11:52 The door is opened with the key of knowledge.
1. “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
2. They rejected John the Baptist. Matthew 21:23-32, “Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’” V. 32, “For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.”
3. They caused the weak to stumble by denying the Lord Jesus. John 9:22, 33; 7:13, 45-52; 12:42; Luke 6:22.
A. John 9:22. “His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.”
B. John 12:42 “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue”
4. The traditions of the Jews closed the door to obedience.
A. Matthew 15:1-20; Colossians 2:8
B. Today, the traditions of men as to the plan of salvation also close the door, because they deny that forgiveness and salvation are conditional, that repentance and baptism are essential to salvation. Therefore, they deny that the church and the pattern of worship and order are necessary for salvation. They deny that salvation can be lost if one is not faithful unto death. Many are neither saved nor are they careful to obey after “being saved,” and they do not enter the Kingdom of Christ.
B. Matthew 16:19 Christ gave the key of knowledge to Peter, and also to the other apostles.
C. Jesus condemned the stumbling blocks that made the little ones fall, the humble disciples. Matthew 18:1-9
III. Matthew 23:14 (of Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47) Widows were robbed.
A. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”
1. Widows are named among the weak, because they are without the defense of a husband and without financial support. When the husband dies, some would take advantage of them robbing them of their homes and throwing them into the street along with their fatherless children or threatening them with slavery to pay their debts.
--The Pharisees were greedy. (Luke 16:14) When they heard of the death of a married man, they offered themselves as trustworthy counselors. After gaining their confidence, they would steal all they had.
2. Exodus 22.22 –“ You shall not afflict any widow or orphan.” Deuteronomy 10:17-18 – “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. 18 He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” (14:29 "Tithing" was for them; 16:11 from the “freewill offering,” to eat with joy with the widows, 14 26:12); 24:19-21 What fell to the ground during the harvest (the gleanings) was for widows (remember Ruth); 27:19
3. Psalm 68:5 – “A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. 146:9 – “The Lord protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow”; Isaiah 10:1-2 – “Woe to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions,
2 So as to deprive the needy of justice And rob the poor of My people of their rights, So that widows may be their spoil And that they may plunder the orphans.”
4. In the church, they cared for widows: Acts 9:39-41; 1 Timothy 5:16; James 1:27
-- James 2 is dedicated to teaching that our faith is dead if it has no works: precisely the works of mercy for the needy, the widows and the orphans.
5. Jesus taught us that we should pray and not give up. He used the parable of the unfair judge and the widow who persisted until he heard her. It was a very common story of a helpless widow. (Luke 18)
B. The sin of abusing widows was very serious and produced strong feelings on the part of the Son of God. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their hypocrisy to open the eyes of the disciples who held them in high esteem and followed their teachings and were in danger of following their unbelief. Jesus warned them of the leaven of the Pharisees. (Matthew 16:5-12)
Iv. Matthew 23:15 They made their proselytes twice as much the sons of hell as they were.
A. The word “proselyte” refers to the Gentiles that were converted to Judaism. According to the custom of the first century, certain proselytes were called "proselytes of righteousness." Those were circumcised and accepted the law of Moses. Others were called "proselytes of the door" because they had renounced the pagan religion, and had accepted some things from the law of Moses and even prayed to God, but they were not circumcised.
1. In the case of the Pharisees, since they taught the traditions of men, Matthew 15:1-20, they were (V14) "Blind guides of the blind; and if the blind lead the blind, they'll both fall into the pit. "
2. They made them "twice as much sons of Hell” as the Pharisees themselves." In this phrase, Jesus meant that God was going to judge them for sending others to hell. It's like the phrase, "son of Perdition." (John 17:12; 2 Tes. 2:3)
B. “Travel across sea and land to make a proselyte"
1. They had an admirable zeal. Paul wrote (Romans 10:1-4), “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. 3 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”
2. Their zeal is an example for us. Men were more encouraged in follow the traditions of men than to follow God. It is the same today with the "Witnesses," the "Mormons," and "Marxists."
V. Matthew 23:16-22 They spoke false testimony. They were liars.
A. “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.’”
1. Obviously, the scribes and Pharisees had the bad habit of swearing falsely. They were liars and justified themselves by legal arguments that allowed the lie in the case of swearing by something inferior instead of swearing by God. The law condemned all kinds of falsehood.
-- Exodus 23:1; Leviticus 6:2-7; 19:11-16; Psalm 12:2; 31:18; 34:13; 52:2-5; Isaiah 28:15; 32:7; 59:13; Jeremiah 9:3-8; Hosea 4:1-2; 3:13.
2. Matthew 5:33-37, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (James 5:12)
B. God condemns more than falsehood and lies. There are several sins that spring from false swearing.
1. The oath is to confirm what is said, whether it be a promise or a warning. It is a guarantee of the word, to give more confidence to the promise. It has strength when men fear God and call upon God to witness the spoken word.
2. Hebrews 6:13-20. God swore by Himself when he gave promise to Abraham. “People swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
-- It is not evil to swear, but Jesus and James condemned swearing lightly by physical things. Some swear today "for the life of the mother," or "by the memory of the dead daughter."
-- The Jews swore by the temple, and by the gold of the temple, by the altar, and by the offering that on the altar. They swore by heaven, and by the throne of God. They denied their obligation to carry out their oath in certain of these cases.
--It's like someone who crosses their fingers to tell a lie, and to escape the obligation to tell the truth. Isn't it lying when you cross your fingers?
3. Exodus 20:7. “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.” One who calls God as a witness and lies, takes the name of God in vain. It is an insult to our Creator and Judge. He makes a mockery of God's power and righteousness. It implies that there is nothing to fear from God.
4. Ecclesiastes 5:5-6. “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?”
--"Every human relationship is based on trust. It is vital to the harmony of the home. What happens when husbands don't take their vows seriously? ¿When the wife cannot and does not trust her husband or the husband no longer trusts his wife? ¿When there is no trust between children and parents? How Important is trust in work or business? How important is it to pay what you promise to pay? ... Even in the church it is necessary to remind ourselves of the importance of keeping our promises. If a burden is accepted, it is a promise and if it is not fulfilled, there is distrust between siblings. In every relationship and in all human activity we need to be trustworthy. " (Wayne Partain, Notes on Matthew, p. 200)
C. Blind Guides, Foolish and Blind, Fools and Blind.
1. They are blind because they honor more what comes out of the traditions of men than what comes out of the Sacred Word. Matthew 15:3, “He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” 15:13-14, “He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
2. God's thoughts and ways are higher than those of men. They're sacred. Being of the omniscient God, they are wiser. Isaiah 55:8-9. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
3. Therefore, the scribes and Pharisees were blind to what Jesus taught them. They were foolish and senseless because of their fidelity to men and the vanity and glory of men took away the good judgment of recognizing that the Son of God walked among them. Senseless and foolish because they ignored the glory of God. On the contrary, they insulted and crucified Him.
4. We have the same problem today, because traditions are called "Theology," and Catholicism and even the plan of salvation of Evangelicals, "Faith Alone," and "once saved, always saved" are doctrines that conceal the understanding of modern churches. They are blind guides and the blind follow the blind. They don't know God. Their ways of worship ignore the biblical pattern. They have changed the pattern for the function of the church. Morality is neglected and women are dressed half-naked without shame.
VI. Matthew 23:23-24 They were careful in the small matters, but didn't keep the most important demands of the law.
A. “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!” (Luke 11:42 “You tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God.”)
1. “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” Tithing was an obligation of the law which God gave to Israel through Moses. It was good that they fulfilled that law. To be scrupulous was necessary and good.
--The law of tithing also required mercy toward the needy, widows, orphans, and foreigners. Deuteronomy 14:48-49.
2. Jesus condemned them for not fulfilling the demands of righteousness, mercy, and faith. Jesus condemned them twice for not keeping the law of mercy. (Matt. 9:9-13; 12:7)
-- Matthew 9:9-13 When they saw that Jesus ate with the "sinners," the Pharisees asked him, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Hosea 6:6)
-- Matthew 12:7. One Sabbath day, Jesus' disciples walking next to a wheat field, were hungry, and began to pluck the heads of grain and eat. The Pharisees condemned them, but Jesus defended them with two arguments and then said, “And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”
3. Jesus condemned the “righteousness” of the Pharisees in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:19-20): “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” The Lord demanded that they keep all the laws and by implication said the Pharisees did not.
4. “You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”
B. Matthew 5:7. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will attain mercy.
1. Colossians 3:12, 13. “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
2. Ephesians 4:32. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
3. 1 Corinthians 13:13. “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
VII. Matthew 23:25-26 They Cleaned the outside, but inside they were full of robbery and injustice.
A. Matthew 3:4-10 John the Baptist called them "generation of vipers."
B. Matthew 5:19-20 They not only violated some laws of Moses, but they also taught others to do the same.
C. Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus called them false prophets, dressed in sheep’s clothing, but inside they were ravening wolves. They were better known by their fruits. They bore the fruit of injustice and robbery.
D. Matthew 12:7 Because they did not know the meaning of: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,” they condemned the innocent. They were full of injustice. In Verse 34, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” In Verse 39, Jesus called them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (Again 16:4) In See. 41 Jesus condemned for not repenting. In 13:15, they were not converted to the Lord.
E. Matthew 15:6 They didn't honor their parents.
F. Matthew 23:27-28. On the outside they appear to be righteous men, but inside they are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
VIII. Matthew 23:29-39 They praised the ancient prophets but killed the prophets of their own time.
A. They adorned the graves of the prophets and the monuments of the righteous, and said: “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.” V30
1. They give witness against themselves, that they were children of those who killed the prophets, because they also filled up the measure of their parents. They tried to kill Jesus and then they were going to persecute and kill the prophets of their own time. (V34-36)
2. Jesus called them, "snakes, generation of vipers! How shall they escape the damnation of hell?
B. Jesus wept aloud for the city of Jerusalem. (V37-39)
1. Luke 19:41-44 "And when he came near the city, seeing her, he wept over her."
2. “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! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate.”