Did you hear that difference in spirit is the main cause of dislike! As we continue examining the bigotry and prejudice of the Pharisees, another reason why they were angry with Lord Jesus was because of His declared interest in the Gentiles whom the Pharisees hate with a passion. While it was true that the Jews were God’s chosen people, Lord Jesus made it equally clear that although He had come to them first, it was not to them only. The implications of His message were universal. Beginning at Jerusalem, it was to encompass the whole world. He had time for the Samaritan woman at the well; He had time for the Syro-Phoenician or “Canaanite” woman also. This greatly angered the Pharisees, for they saw in His actions an attempt to belittle the separateness and spiritual superiority of (their) the Jewish race. Another thing that angered them was Lord Jesus’ indifference to their Puritanism. Puritanism is behaviour or beliefs that are based on strict moral or religious principles, especially the principle that people should avoid physical pleasures. Synonyms: strictness, austerity, severity, zeal. Puritanism is the beliefs or principles of a group of English Protestants of the 16 and 17th centuries who regarded the Reformation of the Church under Elizabeth 1 as incomplete and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship. They believed the Church of England was too similar to the Roman Catholic Church and should eliminate ceremonies and practices not rooted in the Bible. Their ideas can be summarized in five words: depravity, covenant, election, grace and love. The Pharisees would never have eaten with tax collectors and sinners –but Lord Jesus did! On one occasion, He invited Himself to the home of a tax collector as seen in Luke 19:5 which reads, “And when Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” If the tax collectors and sinners had a party and asked or invited Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus went. When Matthew forsook his old life to follow Christ and gave a farewell feast for his friends, Lord Jesus was there; and it was very shocking to the Pharisees how He mingles with these people whom they regard as profane people based on their Puritanism. But perhaps the biggest cause of their anger with the Lord Jesus was the fact that sometimes Lord Jesus verbally lashed them; which is exactly what they deserve and what the people of our generation also deserves because they are as hypocritical as were the Pharisees of Lord Jesus day and age. Yes, I mean lashed. He called them hypocrites to their faces. Five times in a few verses He utters woes upon them. He calls them ‘blind guides’ and ‘whitewashed tombs’. Whitewashed tombs! It is not in human nature to like people who talk about us in this way, lashing us with our ills and hypocritical nature and attitude. Well, there it is. These were the things that brought about their animosity against Lord Jesus. They disliked Lord Jesus because they were so unlike Him.

The chapter of Matthew 23 contains the following contents: 1. Lord Jesus reproves the scribes and Pharisees as seen in verses 1-12. 2. Crimes of the Pharisees exposed as seen in verses 13-33. 3. The guilt of Jerusalem as seen in verses 34-39. Matthew 23:1-12) The scribes and Pharisees explained the law of Moses, and enforced obedience to it. They are charged with hypocrisy in religion. We can only judge according to outward appearance; but God searches the heart. They made phylacteries. These or phylacteries were scrolls of paper or parchment, wherein were written four paragraphs of the law, to be worn on their foreheads and left arms as seen in Exodus 13:2-10; Ex. 13:11-16 “11 And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He promised and swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 You shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstlings of your livestock that are males shall be the Lord’s. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem by [substituting for it] a lamb, or if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn among your sons shall you redeem. 14 And when, in time to come, your son asks you, What does this mean? You shall say to him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage and bondmen. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and of livestock. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem. 16 And it shall be as a reminder upon your hand or as frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt”; also in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 reads “4 Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord [the only Lord]. 5 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being and with all your might. 6 And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then] 7 You shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets (forehead bands) between your eyes. 9 And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates”; Deut. 11:13-21 ‘’So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today-to love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-then I will send rain...’’. They made these phylacteries broad, that they might be thought more zealous for the law than others. God appointed the Jews to make fringes upon their garments as seen in Numbers 15:38 “38 Speak to the Israelites and bid them make fringes or tassels on the corners in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and put upon the fringe of the borders or upon the tassel of each corner a cord of blue”, to remind them of their being a peculiar people; but the Pharisees made them larger than common, as if they were thereby more religious than others. Pride was the darling, reigning sin of the Pharisees, the sin that most easily beset them, and which our Lord Jesus takes all occasions to speak against. For him that is taught in the word to give respect to him that teaches, is commendable; but for him that teaches, to demand it, to be puffed up with it, is sinful. How much is all this against the spirit of Christianity! The consistent disciple of Christ is pained by being put into chief places. But who that looks around on the visible church, would think this was the spirit required? It is plain that some measure of this antichristian spirit prevails in every religious society, and in every one of our hearts. This is why we have to be very careful! Matthew 23:13-33; The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep away from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others from Him. Yet it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the greatest enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckoned double iniquity. They were very busy to turn souls to be of their party. Not for the glory of God and the good of souls, but that they might have the credit and advantage of making converts. Gain being their godliness, by a thousand devices they made religion give way to their worldly interests. They were very strict and precise in smaller matters of the law, but careless and loose in weightier matters of the soul. It is not the scrupling a little sin that Christ here reproves; if it be a sin, though but a gnat, it must be strained out; but the doing that, and then swallowing a camel, or, committing a greater sin. While they would seem to be godly, they were neither sober nor righteous. We are really, what we are inwardly. Outward motives may keep the outside clean, while the inside is filthy; but if the heart and spirit be made new, there will be newness of life; here we must begin with ourselves. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was like the ornaments of a grave, or dressing up a dead body, only for show. The deceitfulness of sinners' hearts appears in that they go down the streams of the sins of their own day, while they fancy that they should have opposed the sins of former days. We sometimes think, if we had lived when Christ was upon earth, that we should not have despised and rejected Him, as men then did; yet Christ in His Spirit, in His word, in His ministers, is still no better treated. And it is just with God to give those up to their hearts' lusts, who obstinately persist in gratifying them. Christ gives men their true characters. Matthew 23:34-39; Our Lord Jesus declares the miseries the inhabitants of Jerusalem were about to bring upon themselves, but He does not notice the sufferings He was to undergo. A hen gathering her chickens under her wings, is an apt emblem of the Saviour's tender love to those who trust in Him, and His faithful care of them. He calls sinners to take refuge under His tender protection, keeps them safe, and nourishes them to eternal life. The present dispersion and unbelief of the Jews, and their future conversion to Christ, were here foretold. Jerusalem and her children had a large share of guilt, and their punishment has been signal. But ere long, deserved vengeance will fall on every church which is Christian in name only. In the mean time the Saviour stands ready to receive all who come to Him. There is nothing between sinners and eternal happiness, but their proud and unbelieving unwillingness. This is what we all need to deal with in our lives: pride; unbelieving attitude; and that stubborn unwillingness that makes us not having the zeal and fear to do implicitly Christ commands, knowing fully well that when we fail to do any of Christ commands, surely we meet with our doom! Now let us read Matthew 23:1-36 Then Jesus said to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat [of authority]. 3 So observe and practice all they tell you; but do not do what they do, for they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to bear, and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to help bear them. 5 They do all their works to be seen of men; for they make wide their phylacteries ([a]small cases enclosing certain Scripture passages, worn during prayer on the left arm and forehead) and make long their fringes [worn by all male Israelites, according to the command]. 6 And they [b]take pleasure in and [thus] love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 And to be greeted with honor in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi (teacher), for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone [in the church] on earth father, for you have one Father, Who is in heaven. 10 And you must not be called masters (leaders), for you have one Master (Leader), the Christ. 11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself [[c]with haughtiness and empty pride] shall be humbled (brought low), and whoever humbles himself [whoever has a modest opinion of himself and behaves accordingly] shall be [d]raised to honor. 13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are about to go in to do so. 14 [e]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you swallow up widows’ houses and for a pretense to cover it up make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation and the heavier sentence. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes one [a proselyte], you make him doubly as much a child of hell (Gehenna) as you are. 16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, If anyone swears by the [f]sanctuary of the temple, it is nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the [g]sanctuary, he is a debtor [bound by his oath]. 17 You blind fools! For which is greater: the gold, or the [h]sanctuary of the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 You say too, Whoever swears by the altar is not duty bound; but whoever swears by the offering on the altar, his oath is binding. 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar which makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And he who swears by the [i]sanctuary of the temple swears by it and by Him Who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him Who sits upon it. 23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you give a tenth of your mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected and omitted the weightier (more important) matters of the Law—right and justice and mercy and fidelity. These you ought [particularly] to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, filtering out a gnat and gulping down a [j]camel! 25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but within they are full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may be clean also. 27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure. 28 Just so, you also outwardly seem to people to be just and upright but inside you are full of pretense and lawlessness and iniquity. 29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 Saying, If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have aided them in shedding the blood of the prophets. 31 Thus you are testifying against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ sins to the brim [so [k]that nothing may be wanting to a full measure]. 33 You serpents! You spawn of vipers! How can you escape the [l]penalty to be suffered in hell (Gehenna)? 34 Because of this, take notice: I am sending you prophets and wise men (interpreters and teachers) and scribes (men learned in the Mosaic Law and the Prophets); some of them you will kill, even crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue and persecute from town to town, 35 So that upon your heads may come all the blood of the righteous ([m]those who correspond to the divine standard of right) shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar [of burnt offering]. 36 Truly I declare to you, all these [[n]evil, calamitous times] will come upon this generation.

Have you ever been in a moment where things are cordial between people, or maybe even fun, and then all of a sudden something changes? Perhaps one of your children says something disrespectful to their mother. Perhaps a co-worker takes things too far with a joke. Perhaps two football players continue the physicality a little too long after the play is over. The atmosphere can change in these situations very quickly, can’t they? Well, in today’s passage we’re going to see a change in the temperature of the interactions with Lord Jesus and the religious leaders of His day. We’re continuing our series in the book of Matthew, called “God’s Fulfilled Promise.” Here we are at the beginning of Matthew 23 and we’re going to cover 36 verses today, so buckle up! At this point, Lord Jesus seems to have reached the level where He’s heard enough. Now, He’s about to bring the thunder, so to speak. He’s going to bring accusations against the scribes and Pharisees that will paint a picture of how He really feels about them. The famous pastor of yesteryear, J. Vernon McGee, says that these are some of the most scathing words to come from the lips of our Lord. Yet, one cannot help but see some lessons for the modern church as well. One cannot help but see warnings for modern religious pretenders and hypocrites in our generation. David Platt says, “By all accounts, Matthew 23 is a difficult text. It’s not difficult to understand, as most people can grasp what Lord Jesus is getting at in this passage. But this text is difficult in that its message is especially penetrating and convicting.” So, as we look into this passage, let us consider these warnings for the preservation and spiritual health of our own hearts, minds, and lives. Let us look now at these two warnings found in Matthew 23. First, . . . I. Warnings of religious pretenders (vv. 1-12): Lord Jesus, the religious leaders, and those who are listening are more than likely gathered in the temple courts with the crowd and the disciples listening in as Lord Jesus and the religious leaders interact with one another. Now, Lord Jesus addresses the crowds and His disciples directly. As He does so, He offers some warnings. Look now with me, at Matthew 23:1-12. Let’s see what Lord Jesus has to say: Then Jesus said to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat [of authority]. 3 So observe and practice all they tell you; but do not do what they do, for they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to bear, and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to help bear them. 5 They do all their works to be seen of men; for they make wide their phylacteries ([a]small cases enclosing certain Scripture passages, worn during prayer on the left arm and forehead) and make long their fringes [worn by all male Israelites, according to the command]. 6 And they [b]take pleasure in and [thus] love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 And to be greeted with honor in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi (teacher), for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone [in the church] on earth father, for you have one Father, Who is in heaven. 10 And you must not be called masters (leaders), for you have one Master (Leader), the Christ. 11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself [[c]with haughtiness and empty pride] shall be humbled (brought low), and whoever humbles himself [whoever has a modest opinion of himself and behaves accordingly] shall be [d]raised to honor. Notice in verses 2 and 3 that Lord Jesus speaks of the Pharisees and scribes having some sort of authority. He says that they are seated in the chair of Moses, which means that they have the authority to teach the people on behalf of God. In fact, we learn later that in history some of the synagogues would have an actual seat where the teacher would sit and teach with authority called, “The Seat of Moses.” This might be the equivalent today of something like the pulpit in the modern church. So, Lord Jesus implies that there is a certain amount of honour and respect that should be paid to religious leaders and teachers. Then, Lord Jesus basically says in verse 3 to do as the scribes and Pharisees say, but don’t do as they do. Now, some think that maybe Lord Jesus is being sarcastic here. They say that perhaps Lord Jesus didn’t want people to do what the Pharisees said. However, I’m not convinced of that. Generally speaking, Lord Jesus wasn’t there to fight against Judaism. Lord Jesus was there to fulfil Judaism. So, Lord Jesus first establishes that the presence of religious leaders, in and of itself, is not wrong. However, Lord Jesus does have some concerns about the religious leaders of His day and He’s not afraid to share those concerns. The end of verse 3 gets into the heart of Lord Jesus’ concern with the scribes and Pharisees. He says, “. . . they don’t practice what they teach.” The main problem with the scribes and Pharisees is that they are religious pretenders. They are hypocrites! We’ll see in these coming verses that Lord Jesus is going to give us all the nitty-gritty details about how these men are religious pretenders! Notice these accusations that Lord Jesus levels against them (you may want to jot these down): First, notice their unfair hypocrisy. Lord Jesus says in verse 4, “4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to bear, and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to help bear them.” Second, notice their prideful showing-off. Lord Jesus says in verse 5, “5 They do all their works to be seen of men; for they make wide their phylacteries ([a]small cases enclosing certain Scripture passages, worn during prayer on the left arm and forehead) and make long their fringes [worn by all male Israelites, according to the command].” They do everything to be seen by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. These phylacteries and tassels were part of their religious attire. The religious pretenders thought if they made their phylacteries look really large and their tassels look really long then people would be impressed with how religious they were. Third, notice their selfish honor-seeking. Lord Jesus says in verses 6 and 7, “ 6 And they [b]take pleasure in and [thus] love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 And to be greeted with honor in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi. The basic point of these first four accusations is that the religious leaders thought a lot of themselves and they wanted others to think a lot of them as well. Following the citations of the religious pretenders’ prideful behaviour, Lord Jesus offers a quick corrective. Basically, this comes down to three main points: First, we are not to seek honour for ourselves. Lord Jesus says we are not to be called by special titles. We’ll talk more about this in Digging Deeper as our series advances, but the point is not that you can’t use these titles, but that we aren’t to seek these titles for ourselves in order to be honoured. We are to give honour to God and His Messiah first and foremost, not seek it for ourselves. We are to point people’s focus to the Lord God and not making people get focused on our being by whatever name we are called. Second, Lord Jesus says that we are to serve others. The antidote to religious pretending is spiritual servanthood. That’s worth repeating: the antidote to religious pretending is spiritual servanthood. Rather than being all about ourselves, we should be all about others. Third, Lord Jesus says to humble ourselves. We are not to be full of pride like the religious pretenders. We are, instead, to be filled with humility and let God exalt us in His timing. So, we have here these warnings of religious pretenders. Don’t be like them. Don’t let them influence you and teach you. Church, you should not be led by self-serving religious leaders. Be careful! If I ever become a pastor that is led by pride, please go find another church or please find another pastor. I hate pride and arrogance and you should as well. Be careful when it comes to religious pretenders. Second, we see . . .

Lord Jesus not only warns His disciples and His listeners about the religious pretenders, He also warns the religious pretenders about themselves. As He does so, He uses a format that is similar to the prophets of the Old Testament. Lord Jesus pronounces seven different woes upon the scribes and Pharisees. Saying, “Woe to you,” is sort of like saying, “May God condemn you.” Lord Jesus is condemning the scribes and Pharisees for certain things. The gloves are off and Lord Jesus is levelling verbal attacks against the religious pretenders. These woes can be broken up into four sections, three pairs and one stand-alone. So, let’s look at these different woes and what Lord Jesus says: First, look at verses 13-15: 13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are about to go in to do so. 14 [e]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you swallow up widows’ houses and for a pretense to cover it up make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation and the heavier sentence. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes one [a proselyte], you make him doubly as much a child of hell (Gehenna) as you are. These first two woes can be categorized as setting up spiritual roadblocks for others. You see, the scribes and Pharisees were part of the religious leaders of Israel. They should have been leading people closer to God. However, instead, Lord Jesus says that they, “shut the door to the kingdom of heaven,” and make people, “twice as much a child of hell.” They should genuinely be leading people closer to God, but instead, they are just pretending. Next, look at verses 16-24. 16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, If anyone swears by the [f]sanctuary of the temple, it is nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the [g]sanctuary, he is a debtor [bound by his oath]. 17 You blind fools! For which is greater: the gold, or the [h]sanctuary of the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 You say too, Whoever swears by the altar is not duty bound; but whoever swears by the offering on the altar, his oath is binding. 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar which makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And he who swears by the [i]sanctuary of the temple swears by it and by Him Who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him Who sits upon it. 23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you give a tenth of your mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected and omitted the weightier (more important) matters of the Law—right and justice and mercy and fidelity. These you ought [particularly] to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, filtering out a gnat and gulping down a [j]camel! These third and fourth woes have to do with improper spiritual prioritization. How you place things and lay importance to them! You see, the religious rulers of the day of the Lord Jesus had set up loopholes in taking oaths so that folks could get out of an oath that they didn’t want to keep; they think they are smart and wise. You could swear by the temple and get out of it, but not if you swore by the gold of the temple. Lord Jesus said that this is nonsense! The temple represents God; the altar represents the worship of God. Any vow that is made in connection with God should be kept. Further, they were concerned about the specific letter of the law-keeping of the tithe of something as small as their herb garden. Yet, they have neglected these major traits of a follower of God such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Lord Jesus said this was like straining a gnat out of your drink then swallowing a whole camel! The religious leaders should have prioritized that which was most important when it comes to following God. Instead, they were just pretenders. The third section is verses 25-28. 25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but within they are full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may be clean also. 27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything impure. 28 Just so, you also outwardly seem to people to be just and upright but inside you are full of pretense and lawlessness and iniquity. These fifth and sixth woes have to do with spiritual hypocrisy. The religious leaders appeared to be spiritual; they appeared to be followers of God. In reality, they were filthy and dying on the inside. They were like a coffee mug that’s been washed on the outside but is full of mildew and dust on the inside. They were like a tomb that was beautiful on the outside, but on the inside is full of death. The religious leaders were supposed to be genuinely filled with godliness on the inside, but instead, they were just pretenders. Last, in terms of the woes, look at verses 29-32. 29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 Saying, If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have aided them in shedding the blood of the prophets. 31 Thus you are testifying against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ sins to the brim [so [k]that nothing may be wanting to a full measure]. This seventh woe has to do with spiritual persecution. The religious leaders claimed to love and support the prophets and messengers of God. They claimed that they would not have been like those Jewish leaders of the past who persecuted the messengers of God. Yet, Lord Jesus says instead that they are descendants of those who murdered the prophets and would follow in the same footsteps of their ancestors. The scribes and Pharisees should have supported the work of God’s sent ones, but instead, they were just pretenders. Finally, Lord Jesus offers this striking condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees. Look at verses 33-36: 33 You serpents! You spawn of vipers! How can you escape the [l]penalty to be suffered in hell (Gehenna)? 34 Because of this, take notice: I am sending you prophets and wise men (interpreters and teachers) and scribes (men learned in the Mosaic Law and the Prophets); some of them you will kill, even crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue and persecute from town to town, 35 So that upon your heads may come all the blood of the righteous ([m]those who correspond to the divine standard of right) shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar [of burnt offering]. 36 Truly I declare to you, all these [[n]evil, calamitous times] will come upon this generation. This scathing description that He uses is the same used of John the Baptizer towards the religious leaders. He calls them. “Brood of vipers.” Basically, He’s saying they are snakes and they are children of snakes. Lord Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees are just as guilty as those evil pretenders of the past and that judgment awaits them as well. Lord Jesus levels these warnings directly for the religious pretenders. If there is any hope for them, they must heed these warnings. In like manner if there will be any hope for us; we too must heed these warnings!

Church, we must also heed these warnings, both from religious pretenders and for religious pretenders. Why should we heed these warnings? Well, let our bottom line help us with answering that question. Here’s our bottom line: Bottom Line: Religious pretending leads straight to hell. Lord Jesus said in verse 33, “33 You serpents! You spawn of vipers! How can you escape the [l]penalty to be suffered in hell (Gehenna)?” Church, we must take these warnings seriously! The author of the InterVarsity Press commentary on this passage says this: “I suspect that much of what passes for Christianity today is little more than human religion with the name of Lord Jesus tacked onto it, because like most of the religion of Lord Jesus’ contemporaries, it has failed to transform its followers into Christ’s servants passionately devoted to His mission in the world.” Folks, our only hope to escape hell, enter the kingdom of God, and live with God forever is found in Lord Jesus and His ways. We must truly follow Lord Jesus! Challenge yourself to live out this passage in the following ways: 1. Identify my potential areas of religious pretending; This is where we need to look at ourselves, church. We must not take in this chapter of the Gospel of Matthew and think of it just as a history lesson or a scathing condemnation of the scribes and the Pharisees. We must be willing to look at ourselves and allow the Word of God to cut to our hearts and search it. Are we pretending by setting up spiritual roadblocks for others? Are we pretending by having improper spiritual priorities? Are we pretending by being spiritual hypocrites? Are we pretending by bringing persecution on the true servants of God rather than supporting them? Take some time this every day and seek the Lord on these matters. 2. Submit to genuine discipleship; Do you really want to be a disciple of Lord Jesus or do you just want to pretend? That’s a question for all of us. Are we really sold out to justice, mercy, and faithfulness? Are we really sold out to loving God and loving others? Will you submit to genuine discipleship, rather than pretending? Take some time this every day and think through that. 3. Demonstrate genuine discipleship; Do you want to know the best way to kill an imitation? Let the real thing go on display! So, this week demonstrate genuine discipleship! Lead others to Lord Jesus, prioritize true spiritual treasures, put others first, be committed to God, and love and support those who serve God. Closing: In all this, let us truly commit HOJ Ministries to the Lord Jesus and be true disciples of the Lord and not be spiritual pretenders. Let us commit to be genuine Lord God-followers.