Author: drthomasclothier

⁴ And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. ⁵ For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” Matthew 24:4–5 (ESV)

The Oxford English Dictionary defines astray as “away from the correct path or direction.” It also means to “be in error or to have morally questionable behavior.” The Greek word, (πλανήσῃ; planese), which Jesus used twice, means to mislead, to deceive and to stray from the truth. It means to cause someone to hold a wrong point of view and to be mistaken.  

Inherent in the word astray is the concept of an objective standard from which one wanders or deviates. You cannot be led, or lead someone, astray unless there is a standard and rule by which to judge, or navigate, your present position. It is on the basis of an objective standard that individuals can see if they have wandered from the correct path, are in error, or have morally questionable behavior.

The Scriptures are the objective standard which determines objective truth or reality from non-truth and fantasy. The bible determines whether people are deceived. Consider the following biblical passages affirming the reliability of the Bible’s truthfulness.

Psalm 19:7–14 (ESV) – “⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; ⁸ the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; ⁹ the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. ¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. ¹¹ Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. ¹² Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. ¹³ Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. ¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

John 17:14–19 (ESV) – “¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.”

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV) – “¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Ironically, false teachers have attempted to use The Olivet Discourse as a means of leading people astray from the truth of Scripture. They say the discourse is full of errors; principally being the time of Jesus’ predicted return to earth in power, might and glory. Therefore, skeptics conclude if Matthew 24-25 cannot be trusted as true neither can the rest of the Bible.

“When Bertrand Russell wrote his book Why I Am Not a Christian, he cited a portion of this discourse as being one of the chief reasons for his rejection of Christianity,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul. “The problem, as we will see when the disciples asked for the time reference of these things, is that Jesus makes the assertion that this generation would not pass away until all the things included in this discourse came to pass, which would include His coming in clouds of glory.”

Bertrand Russell said: “Jesus said that He would come back within the course of one generation, and He failed to do it. So, as amazing as the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem was, the credibility of Jesus and the credibility of the New Testament collapses with the time frame reference by which Jesus predicted His coming in glory.”

“I have to say that, in my estimation, conservative Christians and evangelical scholars who have struggled with the tension of this text mostly fail to feel the real weight of this problem. I think it is the weightiest problem we have in the New Testament with respect to the truth claims of the nature of Christ and Scripture,” states Dr. Sproul.

It is into these troubled waters we begin to set sail. May the Lord provide us the interpretative guidance we need to sail safely knowing the LORD will bring us to the port of truth. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

³ “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.” (Matthew 24:3–4 (ESV)

“A little while afterward Jesus is sitting on the Mount of Olives. We can imagine how, looking across the valley, a truly fascinating view disclosed itself to the eyes of the little company. There was the roof of the temple bathed in a sea of golden glory. There were those beautiful terraced courts and also those cloisters of snowy marble which seemed to shine and sparkle in the light of the setting sun. And then to think that all this glory was about to perish! The minds of the disciples reeled and staggered when they pondered that mysterious and awesome prediction.” – Dr. William Hendriksen

The disciples privately came to Jesus as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives. Mark’s Gospel indicates it was Peter, Andrew, James and John who approached the Lord (Mark 13:3). They began to continually ask Him when the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem would occur (Matt. 24:1-2). They also asked Jesus what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age? This reveals a clear distinction between the near, and the ultimate, fulfillment of these events.

The phrase “sign of your coming” is an event with special meaning. It may refer to a normal or miraculous sign (Matt. 12:38; Mark 8:11; Luke 2:12; 21:11, 25; John 2:11; Acts 2:19; 7:36; Rom. 15:19; 1 Cor. 1:22; 14:22; 2 Cor. 12:12; 2 Thess. 2:9; Heb. 2:4; Rev. 19:20). The event in question would be the second coming (παρουσίας; parousias) of the Lord. This would be the Lord Jesus Christ’s Second Advent.

“The very form in which the question is cast—the juxtaposition of the clauses—seems to indicate that, as these men (spokesmen for the rest of The Twelve) interpret the Master’s words, Jerusalem’s fall, particularly the destruction of the temple, would mean the end of the world. In this opinion they were partly mistaken, as Jesus is about to show. A lengthy period of time would intervene between Jerusalem’s fall and the culmination of the age, the second coming. Nevertheless, the disciples were not entirely wrong: there was indeed a connection between the judgment to be executed upon the Jewish nation and the final judgment on the day of the consummation of all things. As has already been indicated, the first was a type, a foreshadowing or adumbration, of the second,” explains Dr. Hendriksen.

Jesus answered the four men, and the other disciples, by saying ““See that no one leads you astray.” Jesus commanded them to personally take responsibility to not allow anyone to mislead or deceive them. The disciples were not to stray from the truth Jesus was about to communicate.

“Luke 19:11 records that the disciples still “supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” The destruction of the temple (Matt. 24:2) did not fit the eschatological scheme they envisioned, so they asked for clarification. Jesus addressed their questions in reverse order, describing the prophetic sign of his coming (actually a series of signs) in vv. 4–35 and then addressing their question about the timing of these events beginning in v. 36,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.  

“When they asked about his coming (Greek, parousia; lit., “presence”), they did not envision a second coming in the far-off future. They were speaking of his coming in triumph as Messiah, an event that they no doubt anticipated would occur presently. Even if they were conscious of his approaching death, which he had plainly prophesied to them on repeated occasions (see note on 20:19), they could not have anticipated his ascension to heaven and the long intervening church age. However, when Jesus used the term parousia in his discourse, he used it in the technical sense as a reference to his second coming.”

It is to these “series of signs” we will begin to unpack when next we meet. Until then, have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1–2 (ESV)

After His scathing denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 23:13-36), and His prophecy against Jerusalem (23:37-39), Jesus began leaving the temple mount area. At this time, His disciples came and pointed out to Him the magnificent buildings of the temple area. Mark 13:1-8 indicates it was one unidentified disciple who made the comment about the buildings.

Dr. John MacArthur provides great insight into the scale and scope of the temple area at this time.

“This temple was begun by Herod the Great in 20 B.C. (see Matt. 2:1) and was still under construction when the Romans destroyed it in A.D. 70. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, the temple was one of the most impressive structures in the world, made of massive blocks of stone bedecked with gold ornamentation. Some of the stones in the temple complex measured 40x12x12 feet and were expertly quarried to fit perfectly against one another. The temple buildings were made of gleaming white marble, and the whole eastern wall of the large main structure was covered with gold plates that reflected the morning sun, making a spectacle that was visible for miles. The entire temple mount had been enlarged by Herod’s engineers, by means of large retaining walls and vaulted chambers on the south side and southeast corner. By this means the large courtyard area atop the temple mount was effectively doubled. The whole temple complex was magnificent by any standard. The disciples’ conversation here may have been prompted by Jesus’ words in 23:38. They were undoubtedly wondering how a site so spectacular could be left “desolate.”

However, Jesus answer was not encouraging, but pessimistic. He said, ““You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Jesus predicted the impending doom the Romans would bring in A.D. 70.  They would devastate and destroy not only the   temple, but also the city.

“Some Greek philosophers were unimpressed with magnificent structures, but Jesus’ response goes far beyond this attitude—he speaks of judgment. Some other Jewish groups (including the Qumran sect) also expected the temple to be judged; but most Jews, regardless of their other differences, found in the temple a symbol of their Jewish unity and would have been appalled to think that God would allow it to be destroyed (as in Jer. 7:4–15). Some stones were left on others (e.g., part of one wall still stands), but this fact does not weaken the force of the hyperbole: the temple was almost entirely demolished in a.d. 70,” states commentator Craig Keener.

“These words were literally fulfilled in A.D. 70. Titus, the Roman general, built large wooden scaffolds around the walls of the temple buildings, piled them high with wood and other flammable items, and set them ablaze. The heat from the fires was so intense that the stones crumbled. The rubble was then sifted to retrieve the melted gold, and the remaining ruins were “thrown down” into the Kidron Valley,” explains Dr. MacArthur.

As we shall see, the disciples would be shocked and curious about the temple’s future of destruction. They wanted to know when this would happen. Jesus would provide them, and believers in Christ today, a cryptic answer.

Soli deo Gloria!

^“As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 (ESV)

The Olivet Discourse is the sixth and final instructional discourse, or sermon, found in Matthew’s Gospel. The previous five concerned kingdom ethics (Matt. 5-7), discipleship and mission (Matt. 10), kingdom parables (Matt. 13), church relationships (Matt. 18) and the Seven Woes (Matt. 23). The Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25) concerns the end times and the subsequent return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power, might and glory.

These discourses are often compared to the Pentateuch; the five books of Moses (Genesis – Deuteronomy). However, efforts by some interpreters to combine Matt. 23 with chs. 24-25 seems manipulative. The Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21) may have intended Matthew to reinforce the overall theme of Jesus being the promised prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:18).

Biblical scholars call this sermon The Olivet Discourse because Jesus delivered this address as He sat on the Mount of Olives with His disciples. The hill is directly east of the temple, across the Kidron Valley (Luke 19:29). This location provided the best panoramic view of Jerusalem. At the base of this mountain was the Garden of Gethsemane

Jesus preached this sermon in direct response to the disciples’ questions of “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” These questions were because of the preceding context of Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem and its impending destruction (Matthew 23:37-39). Like the preceding five discourses, Matthew’s language here is highly symbolic. The narrative includes many events and not just a single incident.

The text may be divided into three subjects. First, the destruction of Jerusalem. Second, the second coming of Christ in judgment. Third, the end of the ages. Jesus distinguished the Fall of Jerusalem (70 A.D.) from His second coming. Jesus prepared His disciples for the destruction of Jerusalem in their lifetime (24:15-28, 32-35), while emphasizing His glorious return would not be predicable and could happen at any time (24:36-50).

“The prophetic material found in this sixth discourse has reference not only to events near at hand (see, for example, verse 16) but also to those stretching far into the future, as is clear from 24:14, 29–31; 25:6, 31–46. Cf. Luke 21:24,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.  

“By the process of prophetic foreshortening, by means of which before one’s eyes the widely separated mountain peaks of historic events merge and are seen as one, as has been explained in connection with 10:23 and 16:28, two momentous events are here intertwined, namely, a. the judgment upon Jerusalem (its fall in the year a.d. 70), and b. the final judgment at the close of the world’s history. Our Lord predicts the city’s approaching catastrophe as a type of the tribulation at the end of the dispensation.”

The goal is to examine this discourse in small increments in order to understand the overall content. Next time, the text to be considered will be 24:1-3. Until then, have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:13 (ESV)

“My heart I offer to you, O Lord, promptly and sincerely.” — John Calvin

Oh yes, I’m the great pretender, Pretending I’m doing well. My need is such I pretend too much, I’m lonely but no one can tell. – Samuel “Buck” Ram

At the heart of any and all hypocrisy is the posture of pretending or pretentiousness. We hide who we really are from other people. We pretend to be something, or someone, we are not. We act a part and hope no one discovers who we really are.

“Of all the spiritual dangers to which Christ alerted His disciples, few of them outweigh His warnings concerning hypocrisy. And our Lord left little room for confusion about what He meant. One need only read the Sermon on the Mount, where Christ calls out the dangers of hypocrisy when it invades prayer, fasting, giving to the poor, or practices of righteousness (Matt. 6:1–6, 16). He is even more explicit in the Seven Woes, where He hammers the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who “preach, but do not practice”; do their religious deeds “to be seen”; love seats and titles of honor; are blind to worldlines, justice, and mercy; strain out gnats while swallowing camels; and appear clean without but are unclean within (Matt. 23:1–36). This is the spiritual hazard that Christ described as “leaven,” which spreads invisibly and thoroughly (Luke 12:1),” states Dr. Craig Troxel, Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary, CA.

“By talking about hypocrisy, Christ was invoking a familiar and graphic image to illustrate when you and I pretend to be something that we are not. The root of the word hypocrite refers to an actor. In ancient Greece, actors wore masks to indicate what parts they were playing. Those in the audience would see the facial shell, which hid the real person underneath. This illustrates the concept of hypocrisy—what others see makes a pleasant impression, but it is false. Our religious mask betrays what is truly underneath. The thin veneer of our religious hypocrisy hides the cheap material within. It is a lie.”

However, God knows who we are. He knows everything about us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Consider the words of King David in Psalm 139:1-4.

¹“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! ² You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. ³ You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. ⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” 

2 Corinthians 1:12 (ESV) says, “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

The Apostle Paul stated the opposite of hypocrisy is godly sincerity. Sincerity (εἰλικρινείᾳ; eilikrineia) refers to having pure motives in everything we do. Sincerity is to be done with simplicity (holiness) and godliness.   

“Paul’s point in 2 Corinthians is strikingly similar to what our Lord teaches in the phrase “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matt. 5:8). It is important to note that our Lord does not mean a heart that is washed clean. Here He uses “pure” to signify what is undivided or without mixture—a similar idea is what is printed on bottled water: “100% pure spring water.” It is water without contaminants. So also, a pure heart lacks the contaminants of idolatry. It is not divided in its interests and it does not have mixed motives. It is unified by a singular devotion,” explains Dr. Troxel.

Where is hypocrisy in your life? Is it in your private behavior? Is it in your public demeanor? Are your thoughts, emotions and will in conformity to the Word and will of God? Ask the Lord to reveal to the areas of your life in which your pretending is great. Offer your heart to the Lord promptly and sincerely.

Soli deo Gloria!

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:13 (ESV)

It is easy to criticize and condemn the scribes and the Pharisees, as Jesus did (Matt. 23:13-36). However, it would also be wrong and hypocritical. Why? It is because by exposing their inconsistency in biblical righteousness, we expose our own. By concentrating on the sin in others’ lives, we ignore the greater sins within our own (Matt. 7:1-5). We must first confess and repent of our own sin prior to confronting others regarding theirs.

The following are some introductory and concluding remarks from biblical commentators with respect to the Seven Woes. Perhaps their perspectives from the biblical text will assist us in applying the lessons in our pursuit of biblical righteousness and the rejection of religious hypocrisy.

“In warning the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees of their ultimate destruction if they continued in their present path, Jesus pronounced seven denunciations, each beginning with Woe to you. “Those woes, in contrast to the Beatitudes, denounce false religion as utterly abhorrent to God and worthy of severe condemnation” (Walvoord, Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come, p. 171). In six of the seven, Jesus called the leaders you hypocrites,” states Dr. Louis A. Barbieri in The Bible Knowledge Commentary.  

“In one of the most scathing indictments imaginable, Jesus cataloged the faults of the Pharisees—faults of which all of us must be wary; particularly those who stand in places of spiritual leadership. What was wrong with Phariseeism,” asks commentator Lawrence O. Richards in The Teachers Commentary?

• They preached, but did not practice (v. 3).
• They acted only to be seen and admired by others, not to please God (v. 5).
• They were proud, seeking to be prominent and exalted over others (vv. 6–9). Because they rejected servanthood and humility, they were themselves rejected by God (vv. 10–12).
• They were hypocrites who neither responded to God nor let others respond (vv. 13–15).
• They were blind guides who played with man-made rules and missed the great realities of faith (vv. 16–22).
• They were hypocrites who made a great to-do over strict tithing of the leaves of tiny herbs like mint and dill, but who neglected great matters like justice and mercy (vv. 23–24).
• They were hypocrites who focused on outward appearances, when within they were filled with greed and pride (vv. 25–27).

“The gospel has its woes as well as the law, and gospel curses are of all curses the heaviest. These woes are the more remarkable, not only because of the authority, but because of the meekness and gentleness, of him that denounced them. He came to bless, and loved to bless; but, if his wrath be kindled, there is surely cause for it: and who shall entreat for him that the great Intercessor pleads against? A woe from Christ is a remediless woe,” explains Puritan Matthew Henry.

We look upon evil every day. We must always biblically confront it, never ignoring the greater evil of our own. May each of us have a God honoring day today.

Soli deo Gloria!

³⁷ “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. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” (Matthew 23:37–39 (ESV)

 The Bible contains various genres of literature. The four New Testament Gospels are ancient biographies of Jesus Christ. Each of the four contain a predominant theme concerning Jesus’ person and work. The Gospel of John contains the theme of Jesus’ deity. The Gospel of Luke contains the theme of Jesus’ humanity. The Gospel of Mark has the theme of Jesus’ ministry of servanthood. The Gospel of Matthew has the theme of Jesus’ kingly majesty.

However, the Gospels also contain elements of other biblical genres. One such genre is Hebrew poetry. The largest collection of biblical Hebrew poetry are the Psalms. These 150 separate songs express various styles, emotions, perspectives or points of view. There are Messianic Psalms, Thanksgiving Psalms, and even Wisdom Psalms. Today’s text from Matthew contains the emotional tone of a Lament Psalm. A Lament Psalm is a song or expression of grief.

Jesus’ expressed grief and sorrow over Jerusalem. This tone is displayed by His words “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem.” Within this context, the repetition conveys deep sorrow by our Lord for the city of peace. Why? It is because the city represented the people God chose to be His children. However, instead of receiving God’s self-disclosure by His prophets the people of God killed the prophets of God and rejected the Word of God. In so doing, they rejected God.

“This outpouring of grief is addressed to “Jerusalem” because this city, being the capital, Israel’s very heart and center, symbolizes the spirit or attitude of the nation as a whole. Intense emotion, unfathomable pathos, finds its expression in the repetition of the word Jerusalem. Cf. “altar, altar” (1 Kings 13:2), “Martha, Martha” (Luke 10:41), “Simon, Simon” (Luke 22:31), and such multiple repetitions as “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! If only I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Sam. 18:33); and “Land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord” (Jer. 22:29; cf. 7:4),” states Dr. William Hendriksen.

“That the nation was indeed guilty of killing and stoning God’s official ambassadors has already been established; see Matt. 5:12. Proof for “How often would I have gathered your children to myself” is found first of all in the Gospel according to John (2:14; 5:14; 7:14, 28; [8:2]; 10:22, 23). Incidentally, this statement of Jesus also shows that even the Synoptics, though stressing Christ’s work in and around Galilee, do bear testimony to the extensive labor which Jesus had performed in Jerusalem and vicinity. Bearing in mind, however, that Jerusalem represented the nation, it should be pointed out that Christ’s sympathy and yearning love had by no means been confined to the inhabitants of this city or even of Judea. It had been abundantly evident also in the northern regions. See Matt. 9:36; 11:25–30; 15:32; Luke 15; etc.).”

Jesus tenderly compared His love for Jerusalem to a hen and her chicks. “How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

“The simile Jesus uses is unforgettable. A chicken hawk suddenly appears, its wings folded, its eyes concentrated on the farmyard, its ominous claws ready to grasp a chick.Or, to change the figure, a storm is approaching. Lightning flashes become more frequent, the rumbling of the thunder grows louder and follows the electrical discharges more and more closely. Raindrops develop into a shower, the shower into a cloudburst. In either case what happens is that with an anxious and commanding “cluck, cluck, cluck!” the hen calls her chicks, conceals them under her protecting wings, and rushes off to a place of shelter. “How frequently,” says Jesus, “I have similarly yearned to gather you. But you refused to come,” explains Dr. Hendriksen.

Did Israel really think that the Lord’s threats were empty, and His predictions of approaching woe ridiculous? The result of such obstinence is desolation. To be desolate (ἔρημος; eremos) means to be lonely, deserted and forsaken. This prophecy would be historically fulfilled in 70 A.D.

Jesus concluded His lament with the words, “³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” This statement did not refer to Jesu recent entrance into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1-11). Rather, Jesus referred to His Second Coming.

“The meaning is that after this week of the passion Jesus will not again publicly reveal himself to the Jews until the day of his second coming. Except for a brief transition period (Acts 13:46), the day of special opportunity for the Jews is past. At Christ’s return upon the clouds of glory “every eye shall see him” (Rev. 1:7). “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (see Matt. 21:9; Luke 19:38) will then be on every lip. Those who will have repented before they died will then, at that glorious coming, proclaim Christ joyfully; the others ruefully, remorsefully, not penitently. But so majestic and radiant will be Christ’s glory that all will feel impelled to render homage to him. Cf. Isa. 45:23; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10, 11,” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.

Jesus Christ is returning soon. Are you ready?

Soli deo Gloria!

³⁴ “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, ³⁵ so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” (Matthew 23:34–36 (ESV)

In the context of Matthew 23:13-36, Jesus heralded seven woes against the scribes and the Pharisees. Luke 11:37-54 records an earlier lamentation of six woes. Rather than an oracle from a prophet of God, these woes are an oracle from the God of the prophets; Jesus Christ.

Today’s text is not necessarily a word of woe but rather a word of warning. Jesus warned the scribes and the Pharisees judgment was inevitable and imminent. This concluding pronouncement summarized the impending doom facing these religious hypocrites.

“For centuries the Jews had awaited the arrival of their Messiah. The abiding hope in the heart of the Jew was that the day would soon come when the Messiah’s arrival and establishment of His kingdom would usher in the enduring age of promised blessing for God’s people. Every Jewish woman longed to be the mother of that Messiah, and every Jewish man thought of rising to that place of prominence, honor and service,” states Dr. John MacArthur.

“Yet when the Messiah did come and did offer His kingdom and did promise blessing, hope and salvation, instead of receiving Him in faith and love His people rejected Him in unbelief and abhorrence. They so despised Him that they murdered Him and persecuted and often murdered His followers.”

Today’s text is an overall conclusion to this extended discourse. Jesus declared He would presently and actively dispatch prophets, wise men and scribes to the Jewish religious leaders. Prophets (προφήτας; prophetas) were men who spoke forth the Word of the Lord. Wise men (σοφοὺς; sophous) were godly men clever and skilled in the affairs of life and learning. Finally, scribes (γραμματεῖς; grammateis) would be true biblical scholars and teachers of God’s Word. These would become apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor/teachers (Eph. 4:11).

Even though God sent these three people groups, the Jewish scribes and Pharisees would flog them in their synagogues and persecute them from town to town.  This abhorrent behavior is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 4-9; 13-16; 19-28).

Jesus referenced Abel and Zachariah; the first and last Old Testament martyrs. The New Testament Jewish religious leaders would continue the violent opposition of their predecessors.

“The OT does not record how he (Zechariah) died. However, the death of another Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, is recorded in 2 Chron. 24:20–21. He was stoned in the court of the temple, exactly as Jesus describes here. All the best manuscripts of Matthew contain the phrase “Zechariah, son of Barachiah” (though it does not appear in Luke 11:51). Some have suggested that the Zechariah in 2 Chron. 24 was actually a grandson of Jehoiada, and that his father’s name was also Barachiah. But there is no difficulty if we simply take Jesus’ words at face value and accept his infallible testimony that Zechariah the prophet was martyred between the temple and the altar, in a way very similar to how the earlier Zechariah was killed,” explains Dr. MacArthur.

These scribes and Pharisees would experience such persecution themselves in 70 A.D. with the utter destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple by the Romans. What these religious leaders sowed, they would eventually reap.

Galatians 6:7–8 (ESV) says, “⁷ Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸ For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

There may be those who persecute the church today. However, the Lord promises to bring and execute righteous judgment on all those who oppose His disciples. Be encouraged church.

Soli deo Gloria!

²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ 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.’ ³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. ³² Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” (Matthew 23:29–33 (ESV)

In the context of Matthew 23:13-36, Jesus heralded seven woes against the scribes and the Pharisees. Luke 11:37-54 records an earlier lamentation of six woes. Rather than an oracle from a prophet of God, these woes are an oracle from the God of the prophets; Jesus Christ.

” What really counts, as far as God is concerned, is what a man is on the inside, morally and spiritually (cf. 1 Sam. 16:7). The “lawlessness” here mentioned is not the condition of being without law but that of despising God’s law,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

As Matthew recorded in today’s text, Jesus uttered the final and most fervent of His seven woes against the scribes and Pharisees. His concluding statement in vs. 33 is an example of speaking the truth in love, which we may find hard to understand or even like. In our postmodern culture, to call anyone a snake or condemn them to hell is a sign of bad taste or a lack of decorum. I mean after all, church growth experts instruct fellow pastors to be seeker sensitive and to not offend.  

However, Jesus was concerned with truth. To communicate how things really are was more important to Him than making people feel good. The condition of the religious leaders’ souls was at stake.

Jesus acknowledged the many monuments the scribes and Pharisees erected in honor of the Old Testament prophets. He heard their affirmations they would never have martyred these OT heralds of God as did their predecessors.

Jesus was not having any of it. He accused them of being the sons of those who murdered the prophets. He called them a brood of vipers, echoing the words of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:7-11). He identified their destiny to be hell (γεέννης; geennes) The name geena was taken from the valley near Jerusalem where trash and garbage continually burned. It ultimately referred to the place of lamentation and punishment for evil.

“The seventh woe shows that in spite of their inner perversity these men boast about their superior goodness. But their murderous designs against those who warn them prove that they are the opposite of what they claim to be,” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.

Jesus did not tell people, especially those facing eternal punishment in hell, what they wanted to hear. Rather, He told them what they needed to hear; the truth. May each believer in Christ be found faithful by God to do the same.

Soli deo Gloria!