- This is the sermon that killed Jesus
*What was it that Jesus preached here that made it worthy of His execution?
- Answer: Jesus pins Halakhah (Jewish Law) against Torah (Gods Laws)
- Quick Note: Look at your bible version and tell me if Verse 14 is missing…if so Why?
- What is a woe? In Matthew, Jesus is painted as the new Moses. A way to think about a woe is like saying….a plague to you, teachers of the law
Signs Tradition Has Replaced your Faith
You what the Bible Teaches but do not what it teaches
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 be careful to 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, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
- Scripture was read, but often overwritten by doctrine and traditions
- In effect, they were not teaching scripture just because they quoted scripture, rather taught a preferred man-made tradition and theological system
- Seemingly, the Talmud and its commentators possessed equal or higher importance than the prophets (See Matthew 15:7-9)
Also see Acts 15:10-11 – Matthew 11:28-30
You Worship Meant for God and it for your own
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] 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 with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others
- God commands they wear the phylacteries and tassels, but religious authority exaggerated them to show their piety effectively replacing the point (Numbers 15:38-40)
- One was focused on communion and worship for God, the other was about receiving the worship of themselvers
- Genesis 3: Eve exaggerated the command of God by stating they were not to touch the tree…all led in a self-desire to be like God and worshiped
You or Titles or people with Titles
. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, 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 instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
- Rabbi was not a established, formal title in Jesus day
- Essentially, Jesus says each serve a function in the church and are valued equally. Do not elevate a teacher above all others (See 1 Corinthians 12:12-27)
- Titles are not bad, but chasing and abusing titles is.
*Real Church Leaders do not see themselves as obtaining higher status than others, rather see their supreme purpose as serving others
*Essentially, Jesus is talking about the priority of honor. You have one Father, one Teacher, one Instructor you must honor. Do not dishonor God just to honor a misguided teacher or loved one. You do not serve a church leader, but serve Jesus
You Make Non-Essential Things
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
- This includes:
- Wrong or bad teaching (prosperity Gospel, Universalism)
- Making non-essential elements essential (age of the earth, evolutionism, etc.)
- Zeal for belief/positions but not for Action or people
You Think surrounds Culture, politics, or Positions, not the
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 you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
- This is not about converting gentiles to Judaism, rather about Jews converting other Jews over land and sea to their Jewish sect
- Its equivalent to Calvinist trying to convert a traditional provisionalist to their theological camp
You Argue or Focus on Things that Holiness, but are not Holy Themselves
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
- Jesus is attacking very specific Halackah (Jewish Law) because their tradition on oaths was absurd. HE IS NOT EXAGGERATING THIS SERMON!
- Swearing by the temple didn’t count, but swearing by the gold in the temple did
- Swearing by the altar didn’t count, but swearing by the sacrifice on the altar did
- Swearing by God was not allowed, but swearing by heaven was (definition of Gods space), and to which, heaven was a euphemism/replacement for God
You over the Details of Faith, but not on the Primary of Faith
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
- You were commanded to give 10% of what planted seed or fruit produce (See Leviticus 27:30)
- But Times changed, and merchant trade was included
- Because spices was expensive, Pharisees would tithe expensive spices as a sign of piety i.e. do you see my rich offering, but it really meant to make a point show how rich I am
- They bragged about their offerings, but COULD NOT brag about the more important elements of the Law…Justice, mercy, and faithfulness
*It doesn’t matter how much you tithe, or serve, or listen to Christian music if you cant accomplish the basic tenant of forgiveness (Remember Matthew 5:23-24 – leave your gift until reconciliation is achieved)
You Spend Most Your Time trying to Christian and Not Christian
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
- You DO silly Things with DIRTY Hearts…Clean your Heart and you will do Clean things
- Dead rats in the walls…we hide the stench but leave the dead rat
You Reflect on Everyone’s and but Not Your Own
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
- Its interesting that we often despise the flawed character traits in others that we possess ourselves
- In fact, we easily recognize it in others BECAUSE we possess it ourselves
Example: This very text we read and say that we would never be like the Pharisees or scribes, but history, and honest examination of our own culture proves we are more alike than apart
Questions for Guided Discussion
- In your opinion, what are the top 3 teachings of Jesus? Do you truly prioritize those teachings to action in your life?
- In what ways do we twist spiritual, Christian things meant for Gods worship and replace or redirect it for our own? In church? In life?
- What titles do people follow and exalt? In church? In life? What titles do we chase for the honor, but not the calling? In church or in life?
- What non-essential traditions do we make essential in the church today? What non-essential things do YOU make essential?
- What elements in Christian culture or politics has taken higher position over the Kingdom of God? What traditions have over-shadowed the gospel?
- Discuss and give an example of things that represent and are treated as holy but are in fact not. Give examples of traditions that are treated as Biblical teaching, but are in fact not.
- What details in faith do we obsess over more than the primary principles of faith?
- In what ways do we try to hide the sin in our lives to others in order to look Christian? In what ways do we, in pursuit of looking Christian do we actually betray the teaching of Jesus and scripture?
- Whose sin in your life are you constantly measuring? Whose sin bothers you? Does it offend you because it’s a reflection of their heart, or a mirrored reflection of your own?