I'm reading from Matthew chapter 23, verse 13 to 39.
This kicks off right from last week.
! Jesus is addressing the scribes and Pharisees.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte,
and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
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.
You blind fools!
For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
For you say,
If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing,
but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.
You blind men!
For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it,
and by everything on it.
And whoever swears by the temple, swears by it,
and by him who dwells in it.
And whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God,
and by him who sits upon it.
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.
You blind guides,
straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate,
but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
You blind Pharisee!
First clean the inside of the cup and the plate,
that the outside may also be clean.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you are like whitewashed tombs,
which outwardly appear beautiful,
but within are full of dead people's bones
and all uncleanliness.
So you also outwardly appear righteous to others,
but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you build the tombs of the prophets
and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
saying,
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.
Thus you witness against yourselves
that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
You serpents!
You brood of vipers!
How are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
Therefore, I send you prophets and wise men and scribes,
some of whom you will kill and crucify,
and some you will flog in your synagogues
and persecute from town to town,
so that on you may come all the righteous blood
shed on earth,
from the blood of righteous,
Abel, to the blood of Zachariah,
son of Barakiah,
whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
Truly, I say to you,
all these things will come upon this generation.
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 hen-gatherers,
her brood under her wings,
and you were not willing.
So your house is left to you desolate,
for I tell you,
you will not see me again until you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Well, good morning, everyone.
Will you pray with me as we come to God's word?
Lord, all of us,
whether we are searching for you for the first time
or we've known Christ for many years,
all of us need to go deeper in what we've just sung.
that nothing but the blood of Jesus
can wash away my sin
and make me whole again.
So I pray that
in your stern word to us this morning
that you would convince our hearts
that the blood of Christ is all we need.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Well, there are some who claim to be
spiritual leaders of Christianity
that this passage,
it makes me shudder
if I imagine myself
standing before God on judgment day.
I do not want to be them.
People who preach the health and prosperity gospel,
taking the blood of Christ
and making money from it.
I do not want to be them.
On the last day.
Those claiming to represent God
as priest or pastor
and doing awful things in private,
taking advantage of the sheep.
Oh, I do not want to be them.
And then there's many, many more
spiritual leaders
claiming to be Christian leaders.
I don't want to be them either.
They just teach
that God is pleased
with our religious activity.
That's all he wants,
our religious activity.
And they're giving people
false assurance.
In generations past,
a judge in the UK
would put on a black cap
to pronounce the death sentence
over a criminal.
The case has,
it's been examined.
The jury is unanimous.
And putting on that cap
is just,
the fate is sealed.
It's time to be sentenced.
This passage is Jesus,
the judge of all the earth,
putting on that black cap.
God's patience,
it seems,
he seems almost endlessly patient.
He's incredible,
he's so much more patient
than you or I.
Like,
he gives chance
after chance
after chance.
But now it's time
for the black cap.
Seven woes.
Now that seven
might be symbolic
for completeness.
These woes
are calling down
divine condemnation
on the religious.
It's not spiteful,
he's not
just losing his temper,
this is judicial,
this is,
this is a judge.
He's talking
to scribes
and Pharisees.
Verse 13,
he's talking
to scribes
and Pharisees,
Pharisees who claim
to know God
and claim to be
leading others
to God.
And there's two
descriptions that he,
they're very prominent
in this section.
They're blind,
spiritually blind,
blind guides,
blind fools,
blind men,
blind Pharisees.
And hypocrite,
they're like an actor
putting on a mask
and performing.
All their religion
is a performance
for people to,
well done.
That's what hypocrite,
it's just a performance
when the inside
is unchanged.
all appearance,
no substance.
So Jesus
was wearing
the black cap
especially for
false spiritual leaders
but if that woe
falls on anyone
who follows them,
they've only got
a following
because our hearts
are prone
to think
like them.
I think we should
see in this passage
that this is
God's judgment
not just on
the Pharisees
back then
but on all
human-centered
performance-driven
mask-wearing
religion.
This is God's judgment
on all of it.
Well a commentator
said there's
a chiasm
to these seven
woes.
Now
as soon as
someone knows
what a chiasm
is they see it
here, there
and everywhere
in scripture
even if there isn't.
But this one's
grown on me.
I think they might
be onto something.
So a chiasm
is just a mirror
image of ideas
where once you
get to the
centre idea
that's at the
heart of it.
That's the
thrust of the
message.
So I think
verse 23 and
24
the central
woe
is the
root problem.
Why they're
blind?
Why they're
hypocrites?
And all the
other woes
are symptoms.
They flow out
from this
root problem.
It's not
uncommon to
see married
couples
focus all
their attention
on the
externals
to make a
thriving family.
Let's have a
nice house.
Let's have
good incomes
coming in.
Let's have
holidays.
Let's get the
kids the best
clothes and the
best toys and
the best
schooling.
Let's get
seven devices
so that we
can all
watch different
things and be
a harmonious
fragmented
family in the
home.
All while
the internal,
the unmeasurable
things are
neglected.
What really
produces a
thriving family
soaking in the
word and the
love of God
and the
mutual trust
and the
gratefulness
and the
sacrificial love.
I'm sure we
could add
things here
but we're
drawn to
those visible,
measurable,
tangible things
as if that's
the real
thing.
Or as a
country, we
can measure
our prosperity
by our
annual GDP
but where's
the trust?
Where's the
trust between
neighbours?
What really
produces a
healthy country?
I was
looking in
my wardrobe
recently and
I saw all
these shirts
I bought when
I first was
appointed a
pastor here.
I don't want
to wear them
anymore.
They're a bit
embarrassing.
I was focused
on just
looking like
a pastor.
Who gives
a rip?
I'm sorry
about that but
fallen mankind
is just, we're
so prone to
look for the
external, the
measurable and we
just ignore the
crucial, the
important and
often unseen.
You can't
measure it.
And that's
especially the
case when it
comes with our
relationship with
God.
So verse 23
and 24 I
think is just
that.
The Pharisees
totally missed
the point of
the Old
Testament.
They knew
their Old
Testament back
to front and
yet Jesus is
charging them
with totally
missing the
point.
Totally
missing the
thrust, the
heart of what
God says.
God gave
laws about
tithing, giving
10% and they
are so holy
they tithe
their garden
herbs.
They can
measure that.
They can
obey that
rule.
But what
God's law
emphasised, what
the prophets
called Israel
back to again
and again, what
he says he
wants the
most is
justice and
mercy,
faithfulness.
They focus on
the rules they
can see and
just skim
over the
heart of
what God
calls us
to.
God's
love.
A gnat and
a camel, they're
both unclean
animals in
Mosaic law.
So they're so
careful not to
defile themselves
with a gnat and
then they swallow
a camel.
They miss the
heart of what
God wants
from us.
It's like in
COVID days,
coming in the
door, you just
12 times you
sanitise your
hands and
then you
sneeze in
someone's
face and
you think
you're being
careful.
It's just
missing the
point.
Matthew's
gospel records
Hosea 6.6
two times,
I desire
mercy, not
sacrifice,
God said.
Ritual
isn't inherently
wrong.
He commanded
some rituals,
but it
means nothing
if you
ignore God's
call to
show mercy
to your
fellow brother
and sister.
We're going
to share the
Lord's
Supper, not
today but
next week.
It is an
expression of
our reconciling
power of the
gospel to
God and
one another.
It will
mean nothing
if we are
harbouring
bitterness in
our heart
and hostility
toward our
brothers and
sisters here
in this room.
that ritual
would be
worse than
nothing.
It would be
offensive.
It's missing
the heart.
We could
come to
church and
pat ourselves
on the back
that we're
good, godly
people and
then go into
our workplace
and not pay
our workers
or we
fudge the
laws to
make ourself
and our
company look
good and we
have no
concern for
the poor.
It's just
missing the
heart.
God says
he cares
about our
inner person,
our character.
The
Pharisees'
view of
God and
of religion
is they
cared about
the external,
the measurable.
People can
applaud that
when God
cares about
the inner
person,
the character.
Very hard
to measure
that, but
vitally
important,
justice and
mercy and
faithfulness.
He doesn't
want virtue
signalling.
He wants
real character
transformation.
So from
this fundamental
misunderstanding
of God and
what he
wants,
focusing on
the external
rules and
rituals,
it's not
surprising
then that
they
misapply
God's
laws and
that's
what we
see either
side in
verse 16
to 22.
Now this
is a bit
step removed
from us.
I don't
think we're
familiar with
oaths,
but their
rules are
bizarre.
If anyone
swears by
the temple,
it's nothing,
but if anyone
swears by the
gold of the
temple, he is
bound by
his oath.
oaths.
Now just
stepping back
big picture
here, they
are deciding,
they've got all
these technicalities,
all these rules of
what obedience
counts.
This counts,
this doesn't
count.
But they're
missing the
heart of the
matter.
Any oath
is appealing
to God.
their fixation
on rules,
this counts,
this doesn't
count, is
actually
encouraging
people to
forget God.
Any oath
is appealing
to God.
These
arbitrary
rules can
make you
miss the
bigger point.
Now,
something that
came to my
mind is,
it's not the
only thing,
maybe it's not
even the most
important thing,
but I don't
hear many
people using
swear words at
church, to be
honest.
Like, it
doesn't happen
much.
Maybe you stub
your toe and it
accidentally happens.
I don't hear many
heated arguments
over morning.
Sometimes it
happens, but I
don't hear many.
Now, is
Sunday morning
more sacred
than the
drive home
or Saturday
evening?
We've got this
strange distinction
in our minds
that this is
sacred space
and that
fixation on
rules of what
we can and
can't do at
church, it
makes us
forget the
bigger picture
of God.
God, he
wants all
our words
to be
honouring him
and building
up.
Fixation on
little man-made
distinctions can
miss the point
entirely.
Then we've got
verses 25 to
26.
You clean the
outside of the
cup and the
plate, but
inside they are
full of greed
and self-indulgence.
God's law
put cleanliness
at the
forefront of
their minds.
Every meal
had to be
clean animals,
how you
prepared the
meal.
The fabric
you wore
had to be
clean and
not mixed
fabric.
What you
wore, when
you're sick,
there's so many
laws around
cleanliness,
sick or
menstrual cycle
or attending
a funeral
or approaching
the temple
and washing
and every
aspect of
life,
clean and
unclean,
was in a
Jewish person's
forefront of
their thinking.
You would have
to be incredibly
daft to
miss that God
wants cleanliness
inside as
well.
Morally,
inside they
remain unchanged.
They're still
full of greed
and self-indulgence.
What came to
my mind was
we could be
a good
Christian and
obey every
government law
with money.
We could be
squeaky clean
legally and
inside greed
and self-indulgence
could just be
totally unchanged.
clean the
inside and
the outside
it'll take
care of
itself.
That's the
easy bit.
Clean the
inside.
In both of
these woes
with the
oaths and
with the
cleanliness
they're limiting
obedience to
just the
external
measurable
things.
it can
make you
feel like
a godly
person
missing the
obedience of
the inner
person God
calls for.
Would it
be a good
thing if we
grew in
numbers in
this church?
There's lots
of ways of
answering that
question but
it depends.
it depends what
we're teaching
people.
We could
grow numbers
and be
corrupting
them if
we're teaching
the wrong
thing.
The Pharisees
discipleship did
more harm
than good.
They corrupted
other people and
I think that's the
point of verse
15.
They make
converts to
their form of
Pharisee religion
and you make
him twice as
much a child
of hell as
yourselves.
Their false
religion corrupted
other people.
I don't think
Jesus is
exaggerating.
A child of
hell means
someone who
belongs to
they're on
their way to
hell.
Their teaching
corrupted their
understanding of
who God is
and what he
wants.
It gave
people false
assurance
while turning
people away
from Jesus.
Numbers alone
are not a good
measure of whether
we're healthy or
not.
They're not.
God is
God.
This same
corruption is
pictured in
verse 27 to
28.
I think this
picture is
you're meant to
feel it.
You are like
whitewashed
tombs which
outwardly appear
beautiful but
within are full of
dead people's
bones and all
uncleanliness.
On the way to
Passover apparently
the custom was
to whitewash
paint the
tombs so
that people
didn't
accidentally get
unclean before
they came for
Passover.
It would
prevent them
from participating
in worship.
They couldn't
partake of the
Passover so
they would
clean the
tombs and
Jesus is
saying the
tombs are
not the only
thing defiling
people.
You, you
are defiling
people by your
teaching.
You're cutting
people off
from God.
Last year a
Perth woman
opened a bag
of rice from
Woolworths and
discovered a
grey patch at
the bottom
thinking it was
mould.
It wasn't
mould.
It was a
dead mouse.
She said
there was
blood and a
stale wet
smell coming
from the
contents.
disgust.
That
disgust is
how God
feels towards
empty
religion.
It defiles
anything,
anyone who
buys into
it.
cuts people
off from
God.
They're
fundamentally
missing the
point of what
God says in
his word and
their fixation on
external rules.
They made
these,
they
show,
disobedience
counts and
neglected the
more important
obedience God
calls for and
it corrupted
people.
Anyone who
buys into
it, it
corrupts.
And so the
final woes on
either side at
bookends, you
reject those
God sends to
save you.
It's your
sense of
goodness, not
your sense of
badness that's
sending you to
hell.
It's your
sense of
goodness.
You've got no
room in your
soul to need
a saviour.
You don't
need it.
So verse
13, you
shut the
kingdom of
heaven in
people's faces
for you
neither enter
yourselves nor
allow those
who would
enter to
go in.
They're
turning people
away from
Jesus as
our only hope
of salvation.
verse 29,
they build
monuments for
the prophets.
They're thinking
they're morally
and spiritually
superior to
past generations
who killed the
prophets, yet
they're plotting
to kill Jesus.
God is so
patient.
He gives
chance after
chance and
messenger after
messenger.
They're rejecting
his son.
And then he
gives more
chances.
Jesus says,
I'm going to
send you
more.
That's
incredible.
I can't
believe God
sends more
messengers.
I'm going to
send you more
of my people
to share this
message of
hope and
salvation to
you and
you're going
to kill
them.
mention
mentioning the
blood of
Abel and
Zachariah.
Abel, you
remember in
Genesis, he's
the first
victim of
someone who
just wants
external religion
to feel good
about themselves
and murdered
Abel.
Zachariah is
probably from
2 Chronicles
24.
That was
the last
book in
the Hebrew
collection, the
canon of
scripture.
I think it's
like saying
from Genesis
to Revelation,
all the
blood of
those God
has sent
to say,
come to me
and have
salvation in
me and
you've killed
them.
All that is
landing on
you.
Time is
up.
He's been
incredibly
patient all
of history.
But it's
now time for
that black
hat.
So verse
37 to
39, the
judge of
all the
earth is
putting on
his black
hat.
Your
house, the
temple, Jerusalem,
Israel, all
these external
things you put
your trust in,
it's going to
be left to
you desolate.
You will
not see me
again.
not until
the
resurrection
but until
his second
coming.
When everyone
will acknowledge
who I am.
Blessed is
he who
comes in
the name
of the
Lord.
In
chapter 24
verse 1,
the Lord
left his
temple.
No more
opportunity.
That's it.
God's
condemnation on
all, all
human
centred,
external
performance,
people praise,
religion.
This is God's
condemnation on
it all.
God's
love.
But see, see
also the
heart.
See the
heart of
God.
Jesus is full
of emotion
here.
Oh,
Jerusalem,
God's
love.
How often
would I have
gathered your
children together
as a hen
gathers her
brood under
her wings?
Jesus.
But you
were not
willing.
I love
the Jesus
of the
Gospels.
This world
focuses on
the appearance
and externals
and, but
God, God
doesn't settle
for that and
I love that
about Jesus,
about God.
He wants
character.
He wants,
imagine if
our country
was just
filled with
justice and
mercy and
faithfulness.
He wants
substance.
And I
love the
kind of
relationship
God wants.
He's not
saying to
the Pharisees,
well, you
tried hard but
it wasn't
good enough.
He's saying,
tuck under
my wings.
That's what
I'm asking.
Tuck under
my wings.
Let me
protect you.
Let me
nurture you.
You're so
busy trying to
prove yourself
in the eyes
of people and
prove yourself
to your own
conscience.
Just be a
helpless
chick and
come,
come under
my wings.
God's
The irony
is that if
you feel
morally and
spiritually
bankrupt,
there is no
woe for you.
There's no
woe for you.
You've just got
his wings.
I know you
may not feel
it,
but you need
to tell
yourself,
preach to
yourself,
all you've
got is
his wings
to protect
you and
nurture
you.
It's those
who are
proud,
who don't
want to be
a helpless
chick.
They're the
ones in
real danger.
the one
weeping in
his judgment
is just a
few days
from the
cross when
he's going
to take
all the
condemnation,
all the
woes of
our
hypocrisy,
our religious
hypocrisy
upon himself.
He's going
to let
these Pharisees
say he
saved
others,
he cannot
save himself.
He is
the king
of Israel,
let him
come down
now from
the cross
and we
will believe
in him.
He trusts
in God,
let God
deliver him
now if
he desires
him,
for he
said I
am the
son of
God.
There's
God's
woes,
that he
took the
woes
on himself
and stayed
there while
those guys
said that.
he stayed
there for
you and
me.
Clothes
don't make
us clean,
cleansing in
his blood,
there's the
cleansing we
need.
There's the
shelter under
his wings from
the wrath of
God.
He took it
all himself.
Just come
helpless,
nothing to
offer him,
just come
as a
helpless
chick.
That's
the
relationship
God wants
with us.
You don't
want those
dreadful words
spoken to
you when
you face
him in
judgment
because you're
proud of
your religious
activity.
see,
he's going
to have
tears in
his eyes
and just
says,
you were
not willing.
You were
not willing.
You were
not willing.
Amen.