Matthew 23

As I read through Matthew 23, I can’t help but feel convicted and that if there is ever a place I need to guard my heart, it’s the message of this chapter. A little disclosure here, I completely believe with all of my heart, mind, and soul that ALL of scripture is God-breathed, Spirit-inspired, and majestically beautiful, but with this section of scripture I find myself feeling the knife twisting just a little more. The reason for that is because this rebuke and challenge comes from the very lips of the King, the Creator of the universe. And it is relentless, righteous and perfect.

Wait, perfect? Yes. Here is a quick note on biblical numerology. The number seven, when used in the bible, seems to be an indication of perfection. In Genesis 2:2, we see the creation process completing after seven days (remember all things were perfect before the Fall in chapter 3). In Genesis 7:2, we see God directing Noah to take seven pairs of every clean animal onto the Ark. In Joshua 6, we see God instructing Joshua to march his army around the walls of Jericho being lead by seven priests, for seven days. On the seventh day, they march around seven times. Then in the book of Revelation, we see numerous mention of the number seven. There is the mention of the seven church, and the seven golden lamp stands, the seven angels, seven stars, and many other things. In Matthew 23 we see Jesus rebuking the religious leaders seven times, the righteous and perfect indictment.

The chapter opens with Jesus addressing the crowd and his disciples warning them about the teachings of the religious leaders. He builds the case against them regarding their motives being driven by the pursuit of power and status. He gives example after example of their haughtiness and hypocrisy.

Then Jesus addresses the scribes and Pharisees, charging them with multiple ways they have lead people astray and how they themselves are not sincerely looking to glorify God. They claim to teach God’s will, but lack the desire to follow it. They also discouraged others from sincerely pursuing. This would be like us learning and teaching others about Christianity, but not really wanting to be a Christian, and discouraging others when they feel lead by the Spirit to step out in faith. Jesus acknowledges they are reaching people and converting people, but criticizes them for imposing a life of rules and traditions instead of pointing them to the hope of the coming Messiah. He accuses them of overlooking the bigger meaning behind the oaths and promises. He explains how they put more emphasis on the offering than they put on the One who accepts the offering. In the forth charge, Jesus points out that the religious leaders have become blinded by the small details and lost sight of the greater intent of the law. Charge number five is an indictment about appearing externally pure but being internally corrupt. Similarly, the sixth “woe” is an accusation of putting on a polished exterior, but being dead inside. With the seventh and final charge, Jesus wisely points out how the religious leaders carry an attitude of superiority in regards to the leaders of the past. The current leaders allowed themselves to believe that they would have responded differently to the prophets, but the truth of the matter is they are doing the exact same thing. They have also rejected the warnings and pleadings of those sent by God to deliver the message of His will.

Woe to me!

As I look over the list of the rebukes, and reflect on my spiritual walk, I can see seasons of my life where I was guilty of each of these. And there are definitely areas where I still need to guard my heart. I think that is the main point for me. Because of the natural hardness of heart, I can easily fall into these traps and lies and not only cause myself to stumble, but maybe someone else. I can easily start to believe that all the blessings in my life are the result of something I did or didn’t do. I can quickly lose sight that I have an immense need for Jesus to be the Lord of my life. After considering the many areas where I have fallen short and continue to struggle, it’s really easy for me to slip into an attitude of hopelessness and desperation, but that’s not the end. The beauty of the Gospel is that there is Hope, there is a Way, there is a Rescuer.

There is one other thing I think I need to address and confess here, (which may be me guarding against “woe” number 3). While preparing to write this entry, my thoughts were focused on myself and how I have fallen short and struggle with these things. While that may be noble and admirable, my focus was on me, not on Jesus. And as I read through the chapter this last time, I noticed Jesus. I thought about how he must have felt with the attitudes of the religious leaders and how there must have been a very intense anger in his eyes when speaking to the leaders. They had been entrusted with the message of God’s will and squandered it and used it for their own personal gain, and I think that infuriated Him. That shows me that God really cares about the condition of our hearts and the value of the Truth that He has given us to steward, and if we react the same way as the leaders of that day we will be rebuked as well. But that is not what God wants, for us to be rebuked. We see this in the last few verses of the chapter. In verses 37 through 39, I think we see the much softer side of Jesus. I think we see how Jesus goes from righteous anger to a deep longing and almost pleading. I think in the message of these last verses, Jesus’ eyes may have welled up. I think maybe His voice cracked a little. He doesn’t want us to stay separated from Him. It’s through His blood spilled on the cross that makes it possible for us to draw nearer to Him.

PRAYER

Father, I thank You for Your Word. I thank You that You know the condition of my heart and love me enough to not leave me blinded to that condition. I thank You for your righteous anger and your comforting love. Through your Spirit, help me to keep my heart and desires focused on You and Your glory. Give me daily, the courage and strength to wage war against the desire to hold myself in greater esteem than I should. Help me to be reminded that I need and long for You every second of every day, and that I would not just hold that in my heart, but that it would be displayed in my words and actions so that those that don’t know you would be drawn to You and You would be glorified. It’s in the glorious name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

  Marty Pina | Elder

Marty and Cecily began attending Hutto Bible Church in August of 2008. They both began living out their faith in 2003 while attending Gateway Community Church in Austin. They were married there in 2004. Marty serves in children's ministry, as a small group leader, small group coordinator and as a shepherd. Cecily has served as a C-group leader in student ministry in the past. She currently serves on the worship team and co-leads a small group and co-shepherds with Marty. Marty is currently employed as a network engineer for Time Warner Cable. Cecily is a medical billing software trainer for Brightree. They have two daughters, Alexis (19) and Zoe (8).