Chapter 97
THE PHARISEES
Part II – Jesus’ Condemnation
Matthew 23:1-37
Before we begin this chapter, let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father God, as we go through this study please open our eyes, ears and heart so we can truly see, hear and understand what You are teaching us. Almighty God, please reveal how some of Jesus’ condemnations to the Pharisees might also be applicable to us. As this may occur, please Father God, please move upon us to repent and seek your forgiveness for the things in our life that are not pleasing to You.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter, which is Chapter 96, we reviewed the warnings Jesus gave to the people concerning the spiritual pride and hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
In this chapter we will review and explore,
1. Eight condemnations or woes Jesus declared to the scribes and Pharisees concerning their actions and behavior.
2. The consequence of the scribes and Pharisees’ behavior.
3. Jesus’ great sorrow over the city of Jerusalem.
4. The message for us.
With this introduction in mind, we begin with,
JESUS’ EIGHT CONDEMNATIONS OR WOES
To see and understand what Jesus had to say, we begin with the,
FIRST WOE
The first woe or condemnation Jesus declared is recorded in,
[13] “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”
In considering the above Scripture we find the following two fundamental issues: (1) The Pharisees and scribes did not believe or accept Jesus as the Christ or the promised Messiah and (2) They also hindered others from accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. To see this, we begin by reading what Jesus said to them as it is recorded in,
John 5:39-40
[39] “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. [40] but you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
Let us notice the following verse,
39 … The Scriptures testify that Jesus is the Christ, Messiah.
To see how they prevented others from receiving or believing in Jesus Christ, we go to the interaction the parents had with some of the Pharisees who did not believe their son was born blind. This interchange is recorded in,
John 9:19-23
[19] And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” [20] His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; [21] but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” [22] His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. [23] Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
Let us notice the following verse,
22 … The Jews made it clear that if anyone confessed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, they would be put out, i.e., expelled from the synagogue.
It is noted, in addition to the Temple, the synagogue was the center for all of the Jewish religious activity. Thus, to be put out of the synagogue meant they we would be excluded from worshipping God and excluded from fellowship with their community. Consequently, people, such as the parents of the blind man, were afraid to even mention the name … Jesus.
This type of behavior and/or thinking might also apply to some Christian congregations. This occurs when they believe and teach that to be in right standing with God, they must also follow the commandments of the Ceremonial Law and various manmade church traditions, such as keeping holy days, tithing, etc. This belief, teaching and behavior have the same effect as the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. In other words, this belief and teaching prevents people from going to and only trusting in Jesus Christ for their salvation, righteousness and right standing before God.
To see this let us remember that the primary foundation of Christianity begins with the understanding and belief that no one can be justified or made righteous before God by following the Ceremonial Law and/or manmade traditions. This principle is clearly expressed in,
Romans 3:19-20
[19] Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. [20] Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
However, the good news of Christianity is that righteousness before God comes to us by faith and trust in Jesus Christ. This truth is recorded in,
Romans 3:21-22
[21] But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, [22] even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
The result or conclusion of this truth is presented in the following verse,
Romans 3:28
[28] Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
With all the above in mind the following question may arise; “What then was/is the purpose of the Law?” To answer this question we go to,
Galatians 3:24-25
[24] Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. [25] But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Therefore, if one believes and/or teaches we must also follow the law and/or various manmade traditions to be justified or made righteous before God, they are preventing themselves and/or us from going to Jesus Christ and Him alone for our salvation.
We now move on to the,
SECOND WOE
Jesus’ second condemnation or woe is recorded in,
Matthew 23:14
[14] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”
An illustration of this type of behavior or tradition that devours widows’ houses is found by reading from,
Matthew 15:3-7a
[3] He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? [4] For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ [5] But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— [6] then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. [7] Hypocrites! …
This activity or behavior could also be seen within some of the so-called Christian congregations. As we covered in Chapter 96, this behavior manifests itself in financial drives for the purchase or construction and/or the upkeep of a building or buildings set aside for the ministry. Unfortunately, many members of the congregation are coerced to give financial assistance that was needed for the needs of their own family. The error of this activity or tradition is twofold:
First of all, the church is not a building! The building(s) are for the convenience of the membership. Thus, the New Testament is silent with respect to the congregation’s obligation for this type of support.
However, the church is composed of the born-again believers in Jesus Christ, who are temples of God. To see this let us first read from,
1 Corinthians 3:16
[16] Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Thus, the New Testament does teach that the assistance we are to provide is for: (1) those people who are in need see James 2:14-17, and (2) those who provide us with spiritual nourishment, see 1 Corinthians 9:13-14.
Secondly, we are instructed to not give contributions that are beyond our means. To see this, let us read the following excerpt from Paul’s instruction about giving to the support for those who are in need.
2 Corinthians 8:12-14
[12] For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. [13] For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; [14] but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality.
THIRD WOE
Jesus’ third condemnation concerning the behavior or practices of the scribes and Pharisees is recorded in,
Matthew 23:15
[15] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
Thus far in my studies I was not able to find any examples for the above condemnation that would illustrate what Jesus was referring to. So, rather than speculate, let us move on to the,
FOURTH WOE
The fourth condemnation Jesus declared to the Pharisees is recorded in,
Matthew 23:16-22
[16] “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ [17] Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? [18] And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.’ [19] Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? [20] Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. [21] He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. [22] And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.”
Within the above rebuke there are at least the following two issues with the practice and behavior of some of the Pharisees: (1) their love for money and (2) the practice of swearing oaths. We begin with,
Their love of money
In verse 16 and 17 above, Jesus revealed that the Pharisees’ love for money was at least equal to their love for God and His altar. To see how much God detests this type of divided love, let us read Jesus’ teaching about the love of money as it is recorded in,
Luke 16:13-15
[13] “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” [14] Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. [15] And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
Let us notice the following verse,
13 … You cannot serve God and Mammon (the word for money).
To expand upon this issue of money as it may relate to some of the born-again Christians, let read what Paul wrote to Timothy as it is recorded in,
1 Timothy 6:6-11
[6] Now godliness with contentment is great gain. [7] For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. [8] And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. [9] But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. [10] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. [11] But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
Let us now explore the issue with respect to the,
Practice of swearing of oaths
As we read the New Testament, we find that the swearing of oaths is from the evil one. To see this let us read from,
Matthew 5:33-37
[33] “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ [34] But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; [35] nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. [36] Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. [37] But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
For the Christian, the swearing of an oath can take the form of making a pledge for periodic religious offerings. It can also take the form, but not limited to, of making a promise to speak the truth or to perform an act or to remain faithful to a cause or a person. To illustrate why this activity is not of God, let us again read what Jesus said in,
Matthew 5:37
[37] “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ “For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”
Let us now move on to the,
FIFTH WOE
The fifth condemnation Jesus declared to some of the scribes and Pharisees is recorded in,
Matthew 23:23-24
[23] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. [24] Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
Perhaps another way to express this woe is for us to read the prophet Micah’s question of what could he do to please the Lord. To read the Micah’s question and the Lord’s reply we go to,
Micah 6:6-8
[6] With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? [7] Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? [8] He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
For the born-again Christian, the burnt offerings of animals or offerings of oil is certainly not applicable or even to be practiced.
However, for the Christian the exercise of spiritual gifts are to be used for the glory of God and for the benefit of the members within the body of Christ, see 1 Corinthians 12:1-10. Therefore, Micah’s question and the Lord’s answer are certainly applicable with respect to the motivation and behavior of those exercising spiritual gifts. To see this let us read from,
1 Corinthians 13:1-8a
[1] Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. [2] And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. [4] Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; [5] does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; [6] does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; [7] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [8a] Love never fails …
Let us proceed to Jesus’
SIXTH WOE
In the Old Testament we discover that one of the ways God chose to teach the Israelites to distinguish right from wrong was by the Ceremonial law of foods. Basically, within this law various animals were separated as to be clean to eat from those that were identified as unclean and not to be eaten. If a person ate or touched an unclean animal that person was declared defiled and unclean until evening, see Leviticus 11:1-47.
To be sure that they would not accidently ingest some impurity from an unclean animal and become defiled and unclean the elders imposed the tradition that before eating or drinking one must rigorously and religiously wash their dishes, cups, hands, etc. With this in mind, let us now read Jesus’ sixth woe as it is recorded in,
Matthew 23:25-26
[25] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. [26] Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.”
In other words, by using of the tradition of the washings, the main point our Lord was making to the scribes, Pharisees and now the Christian, is that it is not what we put into our stomach that defiles us. No, it is what comes out of our heart. To expand upon what Jesus said we go to,
Mark 7:14-19
[14] When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear Me, everyone, and understand: [15] There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. [16] If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” [17] When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. [18] So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, [19] because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?”
Let us notice the following verse,
19 … Jesus purified all foods.
With this in mind, let us now read Jesus’ instruction about the things that do defile a person. To do this we continue our reading from,
Matthew 7:20-23
[20] And He said, “What comes out of a man that defiles a man. [21] For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, [22] thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. [23] All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
This now brings us to Jesus’
SEVENTH WOE
This condemnation is similar to the sixth woe. However, this time, to illustrate their hypocrisy, Jesus used the Pharisees’ manner of dress. As you may recall in Chapter 96, we found that to set themselves apart and to appear to be more holy and devoted to God than others, the Pharisees wore enlarged phylacteries and elongated the tassels on their garments. With this background in mind, let us now read Jesus’ seventh woe as recorded in,
Matthew 23:27-28
[27] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. [28] Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
The point Jesus was teaching the scribes, Pharisees and now us is what God told Samuel while Samuel was deciding which of Jesse’s sons God wanted him to anoint as king over Israel. To read what God said we go to,
1 Samuel 16:6-7
[6] So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” [7] But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
It is noted that after seven of Jesse’s sons were passed over, God told Samuel that David was the one to be anointed king over Israel.
Unfortunately, this, seventh woe may also be applicable to some of those who belong to the Christian community. This behavior of trying to appear outwardly beautiful and/or holy can manifest itself in two ways.
First of all, this type of hypocrisy may manifest itself is within the Christian leadership. For example, as we discovered in Chapter 96, to be set apart when presiding over a Christian congregation, some may wear a flowing robe or a special garment or may even wear a copy of the clothing worn by the Old Testament priest.
A second way this behavior may manifest itself is when some members of the congregation would cloth themselves with set aside “Sunday garments”, for the gathering of believers. This is not mean we should not wear respectful clothing. To read what God the Holy Spirit wrote about this type of activity let us read from,
1 Peter 3:3-4
[3] Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— [4] rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
EIGHTH WOE
The eighth and most devastating of Jesus’ condemnations to some of the scribes and Pharisees is recorded in,
Matthew 23:29-31
[29] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, [30] and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ [31] “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.”
Let us notice the following verses,
29 … By building and beautifying the monuments and tombs of the prophets, the scribes and Pharisees demonstrated they knew these men were righteous and messengers sent by God.
30 … The scribes and Pharisees acknowledged that their fathers committed very serious and evil acts.
31 … By doing and saying the things recorded in verses 29 & 30 above, they bore witness against themselves that they were the sons of those who murdered the prophets.
In reflecting upon Jesus’ statement recorded in verse 31, the following question may arise: “What did Jesus mean or imply by saying this?” To gain more insight for the answer to this question let us read Jesus’ statement as it is recorded in the Gospel according to Luke and translated in the “Amplified Bible:”
Luke 11:48
[48] “So you bear witness, and give your full approval and consent to the deeds of your fathers; for they actually killed them and you rebuild and repair monuments to them.”
In other words, the scribes and Pharisees were no better than their fathers. To amplify upon this a bit more let us read the following excerpt from Stephen’s discourse to the Sanhedrin.
Before we do this, let us recall the reason Stephen was in front of the Jewish ruling council was because of his preaching about Jesus Christ and all the signs and wonders God had performed through Him. The excerpt of interest for this study is recorded in,
Acts 7:51-53
[51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. [52] Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, [53] who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
Let us notice the following verses,
51 … Stephen, under the anointing of God the Holy Spirit, accused the members of the Sanhedrin of resisting the Holy Spirit just as their fathers had done.
52 … God the Holy Spirit, through Stephen, accused the members of the Sanhedrin of betraying and murdering our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
With all of the above condemnations we now come to,
THE CONSEQUENCE OR JUDGMENT
To read the consequence or judgment that was to come upon some of the scribes and Pharisees, we begin by reading what Jesus told them as it is recorded in,
Matthew 23:32-33
[32] “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. [33] Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”
In considering the above consequence, the question arises as to: “How were the scribes and Pharisees going to be filled up with their father’s guilt?”
The answer to this question is revealed by reading the actions Jesus Christ was going to do. To read what He said we go to,
Matthew 23:34-36
[34] “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, [35] that on you may come all the righteous bloodshed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. [36] Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”
To see how the above prophecies were fulfilled, let us now read five examples of those whom Jesus sent to the scribes, Pharisees and Jews and what they did to them.
1. Stephen – stoned to death, see Acts 7:55-60
2. James, brother of John – put to death by the sword, see Acts 12:1-2
3. Peter and John – placed in prison, see Acts 4:1-4
4. The apostles – beaten and placed in prison, see Acts 5:12-18; 40-42
5. Paul – beaten, stoned and place in prison, see 2 Corinthians 11:16-33
After Jesus gave the above prophecy, we find that Jesus had no joy in what was ultimately going to occur. In fact, as Jesus approached the city,
JESUS WEPT OVER JERUSALEM
To see this, we begin by reading from,
Matthew 23:37
[23] “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one 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!”
To expand upon this Scripture let us now read from,
Luke 19:41-44
[41] Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, [42] saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. [43] For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, [44] and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
It is noted that, as we read in earlier studies, the destruction described in verses 43 and 44 foretold the 70 AD invasion of Jerusalem by General Titus and the Roman army.
We now come to,
THE MESSAGE FOR US
Have we recognized our time of visitation? Have we recognized that this is the time of God’s Grace and Mercy? Have we recognized that this is the time when we can come, with a repentant heart, to Jesus Christ to receive forgiveness of our sins, be at right standing with God and have everlasting life with Him?
(Or)
As did some of the scribes and Pharisees, are we still content and determined to live in our spiritual pride and hypocrisy?
Shall We Pray?