After the Lord had been examined and tested by the religious leaders, in His wisdom He muzzled them. Eventually, He reached the point where He did not talk to them any further. Rather, in chapter twenty-three, He gave them a final word. In this message we shall consider the Lord’s rebuking of the Jewish religionists and His forsaking of Jerusalem with its temple.
In His rebuke of the Jewish religionists, the Lord first spoke against their hypocrisy (Matt. 23:1-12).
In verses 2 and 3 the Lord said, “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in Moses’ seat. All things therefore, whatever they tell you, do and keep; but do not do according to their works, for they say and do not do.” The scribes and Pharisees said certain things concerning the law, but they did not do them. For this reason, the Lord told His disciples to do whatever the scribes and Pharisees said, for their speaking was according to the Bible. However, He told His disciples not to follow what they did, for their deeds were hypocritical.
Verse 4 says, “And they bind heavy burdens and hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with their finger.” The scribes and Pharisees put the burden of law on others, but they would not use even their finger to lift it.
In verse 5 the Lord said, “And all their works they do to be seen by men.” The scribes and Pharisees did everything to make an outward show so that others could see them. They did this because of their pride and because they wanted to receive the praises of men.
Verse 5 also says, “They broaden their phylacteries and enlarge the fringes of their garments.” A phylactery is a part of the law written on parchment and worn upon the forehead as a frontlet and upon the left arm, according to Deuteronomy 6:8 and 11:18. The scribes and the Pharisees broadened it to make it a charm. They also broadened it for the purpose of making a display of how they loved the law, were for the law, and kept the law. This reveals how much they desired to maintain a good appearance in the eyes of others.
The law required the Israelites to make fringes on the borders of their garments with a band of blue, signifying that their conduct (typified by the garment) was regulated by the heavenly rule (indicated by the band of blue), and reminding them to keep God’s commandments (Num. 15:38-39). The scribes and Pharisees enlarged the fringes, pretending that they kept God’s commandments and were regulated by them to a surpassing degree. They did this in order to glorify themselves.
Verse 6 says that the scribes and Pharisees “love the chief place at the dinners and the chief seats in the synagogues.” This indicates that they enjoyed being above others and that they desired to be great among the people.
Verse 7 indicates that they loved “the salutations in the market places and to be called by men, Rabbi.” The scribes and Pharisees liked to be saluted by the people in the market places. They also enjoyed being called Rabbi, a title of honor which means teacher, master.
The behavior of the scribes and Pharisees is in contrast to the humility of the kingdom people. The kingdom people must be the exact opposite of them. For example, in verse 8 the Lord says, “But you, do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers,” This indicates that Christ is our only teacher and master. Verse 9 says, “And do not call anyone your father on the earth; for One is your Father, He Who is in the heavens.” This verse reveals that God is our only father. We all have one heavenly Father, and that is God Himself. In verse 10 we see that Christ is our only Leader, Guide, Instructor, and Director. This verse says, “Neither be called leaders, because One is your Leader, the Christ.” The Greek word rendered “leaders” can also be translated “guides,” “instructors,” “directors.” In verses 11 and 12 we see that the greater among us should be our servants, that whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and that whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Thus, the self-exalted one will be humbled, and the self-humbled one will be exalted.
In 23:13-36 the Lord pronounces an eightfold woe upon the scribes and Pharisees. In chapter five we have a ninefold blessing, but here we have an eightfold woe.
Verse 13 says, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of the heavens in the face of men; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to enter.” The Pharisees shut up the kingdom of the heavens. They neither entered in themselves nor allowed those who were entering in to enter. Among today’s Christians, some are just like this. They do not have the heart to enter into the kingdom of the heavens, and at the same time they do not allow those who desire to enter in to do so. Nearly all the opposition against us comes not from unbelievers, but from devoted Christians who desire to frustrate those who want to come this way. In the eyes of the Lord this is a most subtle thing.
Verse 14 says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, even while for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore, you shall receive greater condemnation.” While they were pretending to make long prayers, they devoured widows’ houses.
Verse 15 says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you compass the sea and the land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twofold more the son of Gehenna than yourselves.” This also happens today. In the Far East I observed that the Catholics made proselytes of some Buddhists only to make them twofold more a son of Gehenna than themselves.
Verse 16 says, “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 a debtor.” Their blindness is exposed here. In verse 17 the Lord continues, “Fools and blind, for which is greater, the gold or the temple which sanctifies the gold?” To sanctify the gold is to make the gold holy positionally by changing its position from a common place to a holy one. The temple is greater than the gold because it sanctifies the gold. Sanctification has two aspects, the positional aspect and the dispositional aspect. Here we see that the gold is sanctified by the temple. This is positional sanctification, not dispositional sanctification. Perhaps the gold was once in the market place. When it was there, it was common, not holy, not separated to God. But when the gold was taken from the market place and put into the temple, it was positionally sanctified by being in the temple. Formerly it was the common gold in the market place; now it is the sanctified gold in the temple of God. Although the position of the gold has been changed, its nature remains the same. This is positional sanctification.
The principle is the same with respect to the altar and the gift in verses 18 and 19. The sanctification of the gift by the altar is also a kind of positional sanctification. The sanctification of the gift comes about by changing the gift’s location from a common place to a holy one. Because the altar was greater than the gift, the altar sanctified the gift. For example, when a lamb was with the flock, it was common, not separated to God or sanctified. But once it was offered upon the altar, the altar sanctified the lamb to God. However, as in the case with the gold, the nature of the lamb remained the same. Only its outward position was changed. Formerly it was with the flock; now it is on the altar for God. This type of sanctification, positional sanctification, does not affect our nature. The sanctification spoken of in Romans 6, however, is dispositional sanctification; it touches our being, our inward nature.
In verses 20 through 22 the Lord says that he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things upon it; that he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it; and that he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.
Verses 23 and 24 contain the fifth woe. The scribes and Pharisees tithed mint, anise, and cummin, but left aside the weightier matters of the law, judgment and mercy and faith. The Lord said they were blind guides, who strained out a gnat, but swallowed a camel.
Verses 25 and 26 say, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, but within they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and the dish, so that their outside may become clean also.” The scribes and Pharisees cared only for the outside. The situation was the same in chapter fifteen. Although they washed their hands, they were inwardly full of robbery and self-indulgence. Robbery is related to the love of money, and indulgence is related to lust. Thus, although the scribes and Pharisees cleansed themselves outwardly, inwardly they were full of the love of money and lust.
Verses 27 and 28 say, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you resemble white-washed graves, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So also you outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” The Pharisees were like tombs. Have you ever thought that fallen people are like tombs? Outwardly they may be beautiful and appear righteous to men, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and uncleanness, full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
In verses 29 through 36 we have the eighth woe. Verse 29 says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you build the graves of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous.” Monuments here refer to the tombs of the righteous. Outside of Jerusalem there are a number of monuments. The Pharisees remodeled the graves of the prophets and adorned them in order to make a show. The Lord said that by doing this they were proving that they were the sons of those who murdered the prophets (v. 31). Thus, the Lord called them “serpents” and the “brood of vipers” (v. 33). As verse 34 indicates, the scribes and Pharisees later scourged and killed the New Testament apostles sent out by the Lord.
The Lord’s rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees affords us an accurate picture of today’s religion. Everything found in 23:1-36 resembles the situation today. Remember, this rebuke is found in the book of the kingdom. Matthew’s intention is certainly to present the negative in order to reveal the positive. The kingdom life must be the opposite of what is exposed in 23:1-36. It must be an absolute contrast to this black and hellish picture. Only by the mercy and grace of the Lord can we escape the situation portrayed here. Thus, we all need to pray, “O Lord, save me! Rescue me! Take me away from this terrible situation.”
After the Lord had been tested and examined and after He had rebuked the scribes and Pharisees, He forsook Jerusalem with its temple. In 23:37-39 the Lord spoke a final word to Jerusalem. After this word, the Lord had nothing more to do with her.
Verse 37 says, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!” Jerusalem and her children were chosen by God to fulfill His purpose. However, when God sent His prophets to them, they killed them.
Verse 37 also says, “How often I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her young under her wings, and you would not!” It has always been God Himself who cared for Jerusalem, like a bird fluttering over her young (Isa. 31:5; Deut. 32:11-12). Hence, when the Lord Jesus said, “I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her young under her wings,” He indicated that He was God Himself. The Lord is like a loving bird, fluttering, brooding, over her young. Often He desired to gather the children of Jerusalem together, but they were not willing. As the Lord Jesus was declaring this final word to them, He was still like a loving hen, stretching out His wings to brood over the little ones. But they were not willing to be gathered under His wings.
In verse 38 the Lord said, “Behold, your house is left to you desolate.” Since “house” here is singular, it must denote the house of God, which was the temple (21:12-13). It was the house of God, but now it is called “your house,” because they had made it a den of robbers (21:13). The prophecy about the house becoming desolate corresponds with that in 24:2, which was fulfilled when Titus destroyed Jerusalem with the Roman army in A.D. 70.
According to the context of the whole Bible, the house here refers to the temple, the unique house, the house of God. But at this point the house of God had become “your house”; it was no longer the house of God, but the den of robbers. When the Lord was cleansing the temple, He said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers” (21:13).
In ancient times, according to the book of Ezekiel, God left His temple. The same thing was happening here. In chapter ten Ezekiel saw in a vision the glory of God leaving the temple. Thus, the temple was left desolate for the rebellious Jews, and eventually it was burned and destroyed. Here in Matthew 23 the Lord was once again about to leave the house desolate. Not too long afterwards, the temple was destroyed by the Roman army under Titus. Thus 23:38 corresponds to 24:2, which indicates that not one stone was to be left upon another. Both of these verses refer to the desolation of the temple in Jerusalem. At the time the temple was destroyed, it was no longer the house of God; rather, it had become the house of rebels.
Verse 39 says, “For I say to you, You shall by no means see Me henceforth until you say, Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.” This will be at the Lord’s second coming, when all the remnant of Israel will turn to believe in Him and be saved (Rom. 11:23, 26). Ezekiel saw the glory leaving the temple. This glory typified the Lord Jesus, who is the real glory, the manifestation of God. Israel will not see Him again until His second coming. According to Zechariah 12, the remnant of Israel will repent when the Lord comes again. Then they will say to Him, “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.”
The Lord’s word here is brief, but it includes a number of things from the destruction of Jerusalem until the Lord’s second coming. Here the Lord made a clear declaration that He, the very glory of God, was leaving the nation of Israel and that they would not see Him until His coming again. Nearly two thousand years have passed since that time, and Israel still has not seen the Lord Jesus. Some may ask, “Does this mean that the Jews have no opportunity to believe in the Lord Jesus?” As individuals, the Jews still have the opportunity to believe, but as a nation they do not have this opportunity today. As a nation, Israel is through with the Lord. Thank the Lord that He is still merciful to the Jews. Even though He has left the nation of Israel, the back door is still open for individual Jews to come to Him. Today no Jew has the position to come to God as a representative of his nation. But when the Jews are persecuted by their enemies at the end of this age, they will cry out to their God. Then Christ will descend and place His feet on the Mount of Olives, which will be cleft like the waters of the Red Sea. This will enable the Jews to escape from persecution. At that time they will repent to the Lord and call upon Him, and the nation will be saved. This salvation will be not only for individuals, but for the entire nation. However, before the Lord’s coming back, it is impossible for the nation of Israel to repent. But, as we have pointed out, individual Jews can still repent today and come into God’s grace.
