Reflections on Matthew 23 Part 3

Good Morning,

I bring you greetings from the great State of Minnesota. I am very bad at taking vacations and time away from my work. I love my job and I love the privilege of serving the saints at the Pearland Church of Christ, but from time to time a vacation is needed. I spent a week in Minnesota visiting my wife’s family and encouraging the brethren at the Roseville Church of Christ. I considered doing some writing while on my trip but I decided that I should take full advantage of my time away. After a restful visit I am back in the saddle here at Pearland and ready to continue my reflections on the seven woes found in Matthew 23.

Matthew 23:15

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

To understand this particular woe some background must be given. The Jewish people (sometimes referred to as the “Children of Israel) were God’s chosen people and there were two ways that one could become part of this chosen nation. The first, and simplest way was to be born into a Jewish family. The second way was to convert to Judaism as a convert or proselyte. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law took great pride when a Gentile would choose to convert to Judaism and the Jewish way of life. The woe that Jesus is talking about here is that after these people were converted the Pharisees and teachers of the law didn’t feed them the way they should spiritually. Rather the Pharisees and teachers of the law chose to give them a steady diet of legalism and manmade tradition. This is still an easy trap for us to fall into as Christians.

There is no greater joy than when a person gives their life to Christ in baptism. Before I left on my trip I was blessed to witness one of my teenagers, whom I have been working with for the past four years, to become a Christian. This young man made this decision with the full confidence and assurance that he was living a life that separated him from God and that the only way to live eternally was to give his life to Jesus Christ. I received the call to come up to the building to witness this blessed event and to say that I was joyful would have been an understatement. As overjoyed as I am that this young man is now a Christian I am also fearful that his young faith could be damaged by the same kinds of legalism and manmade traditions that hindered those Jewish converts of old.

We must guard our personal lives as Christians against legalism and manmade traditions as well the life of our individual congregations. When faced with a question about life or about how to move forward we must hold our decisions up to the standard of scripture. The old phrase “that’s the way we’ve always done it” is not a sufficient answer for important decisions in the life of a Christian or for the Lord’s Church. Let’s be careful and hold one another accountable to measure our lives against Word of God and not to manmade traditions.

Questions For Thought

1. What manmade traditions do you see in your life?

2. How can we make sure that we are training new converts in the Word of God and not legalism?

3. How are you going to be consistent in being free from legalism?

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Reflections on Matthew 23 Part 2

Good Morning,

I hope you enjoyed my last article on the introduction of Matthew 23. For the remainder of this series we will be looking at the seven woes found in this chapter one at a time. This may seem as if we are moving at a snail’s pace but I fear that to do otherwise might keep us from seeing some of the truths that God wants us to see.

Matthew 23:13

¹³ “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

As we discussed yesterday the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were considered the upper crust in Jewish society; the ruling class if you will, and they were extremely proud of this fact. They were so proud of this fact that they were willing to fight to protect their way of life so much so that they would not even listen to John, who was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, or Jesus himself (John 1:23). Worse than the fact that they didn’t want to believe in what Jesus was doing is that they were keeping others from believing in the Kingdom as well through their actions.

The world we live in today is in desperate need of Jesus Christ. The world we live in is plagued with people and things that are shutting the door to the Kingdom and unfortunately sometimes these people and things are Christians. Un-churched people look at Christians and see us fighting amongst each other, gossiping and backstabbing all while proclaiming to be followers of Christ. This is not a new phenomenon and the answer to this problem is not new either, it is found in 1 Corinthians 10:31-33.

1 Corinthians 10:31-33

³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — ³³ even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

As God’s people we need to consider our actions. If we are faced with the decision to do something that glorifies God or something that is sinful then we need to choose the former and not the latter. When we have the opportunity to be in the company of un-churched individuals then we need to do our best to live out a Christian example, not by putting on a fake façade, but by living the kind of life that makes God proud. We can do it but it will take a great deal of work.

As we close I would like to leave you with a quote.

“Eight times in this chapter Jesus pronounces woe upon the scribes and Pharisees. The word is an interjection and means a term of grief or dismay, and when spoken by an inspired man means that great calamity is in store for those referred to.”-E.M. Zerr

Don’t live a life that is a life of woe, rather live a life that reflects Jesus.

Questions For Thought

1. What closes the door to the Kingdom?

2. How can you help change preconceived notions about Christianity to un-churched people?

3. How are you helping to keep the door to the Kingdom open?

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul

Reflections on Matthew 23 Part 1

Good Morning,

Recently a good minister friend of mine challenged me to look at the seven woes in Matthew chapter 23. I enjoyed my study of the chapter and I decided I wanted to do something with my study that would allow me to share what I have learned. I thought about making a sermon series out of it, writing a Bible class over it or even planning a men’s retreat. At the end of the day I am still not sure what I want to do with my study but I figured that the best way to flesh out my thoughts would be to write about them. This is the first in a series of articles on my reflections on Matthew 23. I hope that you find these articles enjoyable as well as insightful.

Matthew 23:1-4

1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Imagine yourself in the crowd as Jesus begins this wonderful, if not scathing, lesson. There are so many things I admire about the life and teachings of Jesus but the aspect of his life that is most apparent to me is the fact that he never missed an opportunity to teach. Jesus was also never in fear about what he was teaching. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were considered to be at the highest level of the Jewish culture but Jesus had no fear of calling out their actions when they were wrong.

Our Church and our society has become plagued with political correctness and fear that doing the right thing will hurt someone’s feelings. I believe that we should never do anything to intentionally hurt someone but I also believe that when we see something that is morally corrupt that we must stand up for what is right. Jesus demonstrates this for us here and in many other places in the Gospels. If Jesus teaches us something then I believe we should put it into practice in our lives.

Another aspect to what Jesus is teaching us here is consistency. He tells the people that they must obey the Pharisees and teachers of the Law because they sit in Moses’ seat but to not imitate the things that those people do in their daily lives. Without saying, “you must be consistent”, Jesus is telling us that very thing. Our world is full of inconsistency and for the most part people live with it because they have no other choice, but seeing a person living a consistent life would be a breath of fresh air. As Christians we can and should be that fresh air to people of this world who are seeking consistency. 

Matthew 23:5-7

5 “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’

It has been said that vanity is one of the Devil’s favorite sins and I believe that to be true. We all enjoy our fifteen minutes of fame and if our egos are not stroked from time to time we get our feelings hurt. The Pharisees and teachers of the law had bought into the idea of being important people; they enjoyed the attention and took great strides to make sure that people noticed them. We look at these men with such disdain when really we are not far from where these men were.

When the attention we receive because of our Christianity becomes the reason for our Christianity then we just as guilty as the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. When we are more concerned about the clothes wear to worship and the cars we drive to get there then we are just as guilty as those men, and when congregations of the Lord’s church become more interested in the color scheme for the auditorium instead of seeking and saving the lost then we are walking in the shoes of these men. To put it simply, Jesus wants better for his chosen people than all of that. It won’t always be easy but the rewards will be eternal.

Matthew 23:8-12

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

It seems that everyone has a title these days. The lady that used to be a secretary is now and administrative assistant, the person who used to answer the phones is now a communications expert and even our schoolteachers are now titled individuals. This isn’t to say that title are not needed but when that title begins to define you as a person then you are treading on the ground of the Pharisees and teachers of the law.

The final verses where Jesus speaks about being a servant are some of my favorites in the Bible. His message is so clear and yet it is so profound all at the same time. As Christians our concern should not be advancing or looking good to other people, rather our goal should be seeking the lost and lifting up Jesus to the world around us.

Questions For Thought:
1. What are you doing to insure that you are being consistent in all aspects of your life?

2. Are you walking a Christian walk to be seen by others or to glorify God?

3. How can we keep from allowing our titles to define who we are?

Be Strong and Courageous,

Paul