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This is Jesus’ last public message before He
dies on the cross. It is stunning...a scathing denunciation of false
religion and hypocrisy.
Let’s set the scene: Jesus is speaking to 3
groups of people...
·A multitude
·The disciples
·The scribes and Pharisees
Talk about name calling, Jesus holds nothing
back! Bold and courageous, He calls them fools, snakes, vipers, blind
guides, and 7 different times He calls them hypocrites. They are wearing
masks, and He pulls them off. I have told you before [ch. 15, Truth or
Tradition] that the Greek word for hypocrite is a term from the world of
Greek drama, meaning the mask wearer. They come to church appearing to be
one thing, but at home they are entirely different. They are religious play
actors. Jesus demanded sincerity and reality. “Get Real” is how we would
say it today.
v. 1-12 An EXPLANATION to the Crowd
v. 13-36 A CONDEMNATION of the Scribes and
Pharisees
v. 37-39 A LAMENTATION over Jerusalem
I. Explanation to the Crowd
This is to the crowd, so they will understand
the flaws in the teachings of the Scribes and Pharisees.
Flaw #1: They had a false concept of
authority.
v. 2-3 “Moses’ seat” = they had
assumed authority that was not their own. They had their own list of rules
not found in the Bible, which they called the Traditions. That’s wrong, but
more wrong is that they didn’t follow their own rules, they were hypocrites!
Flaw #2: They had a false concept of
ministry.
v. 4 Their idea of ministry was
loading people down with rules and regulations, which made life a drudgery.
They loved feeling superior and keeping their people beaten down.
I’m happy to report that Jesus wants
Christianity to be a blessing, and not just a burden...a feast, not a
funeral!
Flaw #3: They had a false concept of
greatness.
v. 5-12
v. 5 Phylactery = a leather box they tied
around their forehead or forearm, w/ scriptures written on parchment
inside. They had taken literally the command of...
Deuteronomy 6:8 8 And thou shalt bind them for a
sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Deuteronomy 11:18
Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and
bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between
your eyes.
But to show off, they made their phylacteries
bigger and bigger, like they were more spiritual!
Ill.—Bro. Mike and I want to see who is the
most spiritual...I have my little Bible here, and he has his bigger one, so
I have to outdo him and I get our family Bible from off the coffee table and
start preaching with it. He comes the next week pulling a red wagon full of
Bibles and commentaries, so I have to purchase Thomas Nelson Publishing just
to win!
v. 5 borders = this was a border of blue
around the hem of their garments.
Numbers 15:38
Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes
in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they
put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
This was a reminder that they could have a
heavenly walk while here on earth. It was a good idea, but they just had to
make their blue ribbons bigger and bigger! The pig in Charlotte’s web won
the blue ribbon, but that was for being humble!!
Joke—man snored badly, dr. advised wife to
tie a ribbon around his nose during the night, she found some that was blue
and tried it that nite, and it worked. He woke up, looked in the mirror,
and there it was. She walked in behind him and asked, how was your night
last night? He said, “I don’t even remember where I went, but I won first
place!”
But these guys were just religious show
offs.
v. 6 They wanted to sit on the platform w/
the dignitaries.
v. 7 Rabbi = “my great one”. They wanted
this honor. Don’t call me Phil, they said, if we’re in public, call me ‘my
great one’.
I don’t care for the term Reverend, because
the Bible says, “reverend is His name” [Psalm 111:9...He is due
reverence...I am not! If I ever get my Doctorate of Divinity I don’t want
to be called Dr. Shirley.
Joke—“There once was a preacher named Tweedle,
who refused to accept his degree, he said it’s bad enough to be Tweedle,
without being Tweedle, D.D.
The Pharisees loved the title, but didn’t
want to do the work to earn it.
v. 8-10 Here we see Jesus condemning the
use of 3 titles: rabbi, father, and master. Can you think of any who are
in violation of this?
v. 11-12 Greatness is not found in being
served, but in serving others.
It’s easy to point our fingers at such
religious hypocrites, but we would be the same if we didn’t engage in self
examination now and consistently, daily!
Explanation to the crowd...
II. Condemnation of the Scribes and
Pharisees
v. 13-36
8 woes are found here, and they contrast to
the beatitudes of Matthew 8.
v. 13
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
But they were proud in spirit, and they not
only were lost, they kept others lost, too! We never want to keep others
from being saved!
v. 14
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
They that mourn are comforted, they that
destroy are condemned.
v. 15
Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
But these guys circle the earth trying to
convert some, but send them to hell!
v. 16
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they shall be filled.
But these guys were more about religious
trinkets than true spirituality. They filled their treasuries with gold,
but real fulfillment comes in another way!
The blind comparison is funny if it wasn’t so
true. They needed help, not to help others!
Joke—why don’t blind people sky dive? It
scares the dog!
v. 23
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
They had no mercy, and their giving was
rejected because of the motive behind it, so they receive no mercy either.
Jesus isn’t condemning the practice of
tithing, but that they were taking it to a ridiculous level, tearing off 1
leaf for every 10 on a plant! They were sticklers for details, but blind to
basic Bible principles.
v. 24 They put gauze over their
drinking cups to strain out something like a gnat, but didn’t seem to notice
the camel they swallowed [not their cigarette!] This is reminiscent of
Jesus’ teaching about the speck of sawdust vs. the beam [telephone pole]
sticking out of their own eyes!
Let’s not major on the minors and go easy on
the majors!
v. 25, 27
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
It’s the inside that counts. They were
defiled in their hearts, no matter how they dressed up the outside.
v. 29
Matthew 5:9-10 9 Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
v. 30-31 Christians are to be peacemakers,
even if persecuted, but these were the actual persecutors. They honored the
prophets’ tombs, but they put them there!
Jesus is pulling the masks off the
hypocrites. It is His job, not yours! And don’t let hypocrites keep you
from being the real thing!!
An EXPLANATION to the Crowd...
A CONDEMNATION of the Scribes and
Pharisees...
III. A LAMENTATION over Jerusalem
v. 37-39
You get what you ask for. These wanted
praise of men, and they got it, but we must seek the praise of God!
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