Jesus was hurt by the unwilling

JESUS WAS HURT BY THE UNWILLING
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 23:37 37"Jerusalem, Jerusalem,you who kill
the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I
have longed to gather your children together, as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not
willing.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Lament Over Jerusalem
Matthew 23:37
W.F. Adeney
These are among the most touching words ever uttered by our Lord. They
revealhis strong patriotism, his deep human affection, the greatness ofthe
salvationhe brought, and at the same time the frustration of the hopes which
these things naturally raise, owing to the stubborn self-will of the Jews. Here
is a lessonfor all time.
I. THE GUILTY CITY.

1. No city was more privileged. Jerusalemwas the favoured city of a favoured
land. David, the greatsinger, celebratedher praises;David, the greatking,
raisedher fortunes. But better than royal fame was her religious glory. Great
prophets, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, taught in her streets. More than once
signalDivine providences helped her in direst necessity. Here was the temple
of the Divine Presence. Finallythe city was honoured by the coming of Christ.
2. No city was more sinful. When accountis takenof her privileges, Jerusalem
excels in guilt as she excels in favour. The most favoured people prove to be
the most ungrateful and rebellious. She murders her best friends. She crowns
her guilt by delivering her Christ up to death.
II. THE PITYING SAVIOUR. Jesus is grieved and loth to think of the doom
of the wickedcity.
1. It was his own city. Not his native city, but the capitalof his land, and the
royal city, to which he came as King (ch. 21:4, 5). Jesus was a patriot.
2. It was the city of God. Its ruin was like the ruin of God's owndaughter.
They who have once known God touch the heart of Christ with peculiar
compassionwhenthey lose their happy privilege.
3. It was a doomed city. Already with prophetic eye Jesus saw the Roman
legions compassing it about. It lay as the prey ready for the eagle. The heartof
Jesus grieves overthe sinner's doom.
III. THE WONDERFULSALVATION. By a homely and yet most touching
illustration Jesus tells what he has longed to do for the city in its peril.
1. He comes to save. This is his greatmission, and his salvationbegins with
"the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).
2. He is able to save. Jesus speakswith the utmost confidence. He can save a
whole city; nay, we know he cansave a whole world. No doubt, if Jerusalem
had acceptedChristand his teaching, the mad revolt which calleddown the
vengeance ofRome would have been prevented. But in his deeper work, as
our Lord has redeemed many of the worstprofligates, he has shownhimself
able to save all men.

3. He offers to save. The pathos of this wonderful utterance of Jesus lies in his
own heartfelt desire and its disappointment. With long suffering patience he
repeats his often-rejectedoffer. He stands at the door, and knocks.
IV. THE FINAL DOOM. The house is to be left desolate atlast.
1. There is an end to the opportunity for escape.This has lasted long. Many
were the occasionswhenJesus would have welcomedthe people of Jerusalem,
and have extended to them his saving grace. But at last the end has come. The
day of grace must be followedby the day of judgment.
2. Even Christ's desire to save may be frustrated. It is not enoughto know
that he yearns to save. Men may be lostnow, as Jerusalemwas lost.
3. Obstinate rejectionof Christ will lead to ruin. Man's will may thus frustrate
Christ's desire. Note:It was not for stoning the prophets, but for rejecting
Christ's salvation, that Jerusalemwas ultimately doomed. Christ can save
from the worstsin; but none can be saved who wilfully reject him. - W.F.A.
Biblical Illustrator
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killestthe prophets.
Matthew 23:37-39
The invitation refused
J. Vaughan, M. A.
Considersome of the different modes in which the rejectionof God's call has
been made. Far, all do not rejectHim alike.
I. Some will even rise up and say, "I Do NOT CONSIDERTHAT I HAVE
EVER YET BEEN CALLED."
1. Those who wish they could believe they had been called, but cannot think
such goodnews true.

2. Those who are waiting for a louder, more irresistible call, saying, "Why
does not God, if He would indeed save me, make some greatinterposition on
my behalf?" Alas for the guilty unbelief of the one, and the awful,
blasphemous presumption of the other!
II. Those who, although conscious ofhaving been called, yet treat the matter
with INDIFFERENCE. Theseare "men at ease in Zion"; familiarized with
stifled convictions; of secularhabit of mind; to whom invisible things carry no
reality in daily life. Three classesofthem depicted in Luke 14:18-20.
III. Those who recognize the importance of the Divine call, BUT WHO PUT
OFF THE ACCEPTANCE OF IT. Satandecoys them by enticing pictures of
their own future. They live in fancies of their own coming holiness, thinking
that to-morrow's goodness willmake up for to-day's worldliness. Oh the sin l
As if they could command the sovereignworking ofthe Holy Ghost! As if —
having refusedHim their attention now — they may recallHim when they
please.
IV. Those who, at the time, receive," welcome,reciprocatethe love of God;
and then, when the excitement of the moment is past, THEIR FEELINGS
EVAPORATE, and nothing remains. Their religion never becomes a
principle.
V. Those who listen to the heavenly call, draw nigh, taste the heavenly gift;
and then the old, carnalnature asserts its sway, and they draw back again.
(J. Vaughan, M. A.)
God's continual calls
J. Vaughan, M. A.
Oh that "how often"!Do not let it be a mere impassioned exclamation. Make
it what it is, a distinct, definite question put to you this day — "how often?"
And what arithmetic canwrite the answer? I never yet visited a man upon a
sick-bed— I never talkedwith a single person in any of those moments which
unlock the breast, and set it free to speak its secrets — that I did not receive

this confession:"I have been greatly consciousallmy life of the inward
striving, and the oft-repeatedcalls of God in my soul." Sometimes, doubtless,
those calls fall louder and deeper upon the spiritual ear than they fall at other
times. They lie thickest, I believe, in early life. There are states ofmind we can
scarcelysayhow, and there are providential scenes we canscarcelysaywhy,
which give an intensity to those many voices, when a verse of Scripture will
sometimes roll its meaning like thunder, or when a whisper of the soul will
carry an accenttenfold with it. But the callis not confined to those specialities.
There is a "fingerof a man's hand" which is always waking the strings of
thought. It is when we lie down; it is when we rise up; it is when we sit in the
house; it is when we are walking by the way. We can see it on the little face of
early childhood, before the date when our utmost memories reach; we can
trace it in ourselves back to the utmost dawn of rising reason. Perhaps not a
room in which we have ever laid down to sleep; perhaps not a church into
which we have ever entered, even with carelessfoot;perhaps not a sin which
we ever deliberately went and did; perhaps not an incident for wealor woe
that lies on the chequered path of life, but there was something there which
swelledthat "how often?"
(J. Vaughan, M. A.)
Why the Divine invitation is refused
J. Vaughan, M. A.
Of all the refusals of God's grace, the real secretis the same. They may cover
themselves with various pretexts — just as persons, having made up their
mind to decline an invitation, begin to look out for some convenient excuse —
but the cause is one. It is not in any outward circumstances;it is not in any
particular temperament; it is not in the want of power; it is not in the
straitenings of Divine grace:but the Saviour points to it at once with His
omniscient mind — "ye would not." It is the absence ofthe will; it is the want
of that setting of the mind to God's mind; that conformity of the affections to
God's promises; that appreciationof unseen things; that spiritual sense, which
is the essence andthe beginning of a new life. Therefore they cannot come.

(J. Vaughan, M. A.)
CompassionofJesus towards the guilty
B. Beddome, M. A.
Scripture is full of the sublime and pathetic. It opens to us the very heart of
the Redeemer. Observe here —
I. THE CRUELTY AND WICKEDNESSOF THE JEWS. Theypaid no
regard to the characterand Divine commissionof God s prophets.
1. An act of greatinjustice and ingratitude.
2. An act of rebellion againstGod.
II. CHRIST'S TENDERNESSAND CARE. The hen an affectionate creature
to her young. When justice pursues, Satanassaults, andhosts of enemies
compass us round about; if we can but get under the shadow of Christ's wings
we are safe, and, being safe, may be content. The wings of Christ are so large,
they are sufficient to coverthe whole Church. They are also strong and
impenetrable, and ever stretchedout to screenus from danger.
III. CHRIST'S EARNESTNESSAND IMPORTUNITY. "Jerusalem,
Jerusalem." "How often."
IV. STUBBORNNESS AND PERVERSENESS OF THOSE SO TENDERLY
REGARDED. "Ye wouldnot." Not a want of power, but of will.
1. None continue the slaves ofSatanand sin but with their own consent.
2. Every man may be saved if he wilt.
3. Divine influence necessaryto overcome the sinner's enmity.
(B. Beddome, M. A.)
Relationshipbetweenthe Lord and His people

H. W. Beecher.
I have been raising chickens this year, and have devoted a part of my pear-
orchard to the chicken-coops;and I have been accustomedto go out mornings
and evenings to see that the boy took care of the chickens. I think I have now
about ten or fiften broods. The old hen, when watching them, would cluck;
and it was to them a warning of danger, I suppose. Theyunderstand it to
mean that they are to come in. I could not understand that language;but these
little things that had never been to schoolunderstoodinstantly just what she
said. She gave her whole self to them; and their instinct was to run under her;
and when there to lift themselves close up to her body, and gettheir warmth
from her. I have watchedthem as they did this againand again. What an idea
of the intimate and endearing relationship betweenthe soul and the Lord
Jesus Christ is conveyedin that figure.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Christ the refuge for the destitute
G. Everard, M. A.
I remember some few years ago meeting a young womanat a mission, who
said that for two years she had been trying to make herself feel her sins, and
could not. This was to her a greatgrief. I had been preaching on the words of
Christ in this verse; so I said to her, "Suppose a little chick were half frozen in
a barn-yard, and could scarcelyfeelitself alive from numbness, what would
be the best thing for it to do? Would it not be to flee at once to the warmth of
the hen's wing?" I think she saw her mistake. I think she learnt that those
who would learn more of their sin, and who desire a more contrite spirit, can
find it nowhere so surely and fully as in nearness to Jesus, trusting only in His
grace, and finding their shelter beneath His merciful wings.
(G. Everard, M. A.)
Willingness to save

W. Cadman, M. A.
I. THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD TO ISRAEL WHICH THIS VERSE
BRINGS BEFOREUS.
1. God's sovereigntyof Israel. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem." Why should
Jerusalembe singled out from all other nations. He had a right to selectthe
depositaries ofHis truth.
2. God's grace in the messages whichHe sent to this people. "Them which are
sent unto thee."
3. God's mercy manifested in His dealings towards them.
4. God's love.
5. God's unchangeableness — "How often."
6. God's justice" Behold your house is left unto you desolate."
7. God's faithulness in the final issue of His dealings with Israel.
II. THE SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONTO OURSELVES. Learn what we have
to do with the purposes, messages,salvationof God. Like Christ, Christians
should desire and seek the salvation of men.
(W. Cadman, M. A.)
Of God's free grace and man's free will
W. Perkins.
In this invective two things are to be considered, the rebellion of Jerusalem, in
ver. 37; the punishment of this sin, ver. 38. Touching the rebellion itself, three
things are setdown —(1) the place and persons;(2) the degree and practice of
rebellion;(3) the manner and form of their rebellion. In this example of
Jerusalem's rebellionwe learn many things.(a) The vileness of man's nature,
and our violent proneness to sin.(b) To exercise ourselves in the duties of

goodness,meekness,peace to all men.(c) Not to oppose ourselves againstthe
ministers of God.
(W. Perkins.)
God's gracious dealings with sinners
J. Burns, LL. D.
I. God has desired to gather you to Himself. Have you not had gathering
mercies, invitations, appeals, providences, seasons?
II. But you have often rejectedthe overtures of Divine mercy. Your
unwillingness is the result of your ignorance of your realstate, unbelief, love
of the world, dislike to Christ's terms.
III. The obstinate rejectionof the Divine mercy must involve the sinner in
irreparable ruin. Application: In order to salvationyour will must harmonize
with the will of God. The entire responsibility is with you.
(J. Burns, LL. D.)
Privilege and duty
J. J. Sargent., PresidentDavies.
I. Jerusalem's PRIVILEGES. The natural advantages ofJerusalemwere very
great. Typical of higher spiritual privileges — the goodlyfellowship of the
prophets; the extraordinary ministrations of specialmen, raisedup and
qualified by God, and sent to warn people from their sins, and to bid them
repent and live; the personalministry of the Son of God. The mind
involuntarily turns to the privileges of England, and of London.
II. Jerusalem's SINS. Ingratitude and cruelty. Illustrates the lengths which
those will go in sin who cherish affectionfor forbidden sins, and who harden
their hearts againstDivine things.

III. Jerusalem's DOOM. Warnagainsthardness of heart and contempt of the
word and doctrine.
(J. J. Sargent.)I. Men, while they are in a state of nature, are exposedto
imminent danger. As transgressorsofthe law of God they are liable to its
penalty. They overlook this danger, but it is real, and it is terrific.
II. Our Lord Jesus Christ offers Himself as a shelter againstthis danger. If He
had been a mere man He could not have been the Saviour.
III. He fulfils this function with condescending tenderness.
IV. He delivers His people by the substitution of His own life for theirs.
V. The immediate result of application to Him is safety.
VI. Men are responsible in the matter of their own salvation.
(President Davies.)
Judgment in tears
Dr. J. Harris
Such is the affecting apostrophe in which our Lord's faithful denunciations of
"Woe, woe!" terminate. Like the thunder-cloud, which, having dischargedits
bolt at the earth, weeps itself away — exhausts itself in a healing shower,
which closes the rent it had made — so His pity commiserates, andpours itself
forth over those whom, in the same breath, He had felt Himself called to
rebuke.
(Dr. J. Harris)
Christ's protection rejected
PresidentDavies.

As much as to say, as the parent bird, when she sees some bird of prey
hovering over her helpless young, gives them the signal, which nature teaches
them to understand, and spreads her wings to protect them, resolvedto
become a prey herselfrather than her tender brood; or, as she shelters them
from the rain and cold, and cherishes them under her friendly feathers, — so,
says the compassionate Redeemer, so, O Jerusalem!I see thy children, like
heedless chickens,in the most imminent danger; I see the judgments of God
hovering over them; I see the Romaneagle ready to seize them as its prey; I
see storms of vengeance readyto fall upon them; and how often have I invited
them to fly to me for shelter, and gave them the signalof their danger I how
often have I spread the wings of My protection to cover them, and keepthem
warm and safe as in My bosom! but, O lamentable I O astonishing I ye would
not! I was willing, but ye would not! The silly chickens, taughtby nature,
understand the signalof approaching danger, and immediately fly for shelter;
but ye, more silly and presumptuous, would not regard My warnings; would
not believe your danger, nor fly to Me for protection, though often — oh, how
often — warned and invited!
(President Davies.)
O Jerusalem
J. Dixon, D. D.
I. WHAT IT IS CHRIST PROPOSEDTO CONFERUPON HIS PEOPLE.
Christ not only willing but tenderly anxious to conferthe various privileges of
light and grace.
1. When our Saviour declares He would have collectedthem, He means He
would bless them with all the privileges common to that Church, of which He
was the head, and which He came to construct.
2. The moral state of the people when our Saviour statedHis willingness to
receive them to Himself. The readiness of Christ to receive any class of
sinners. The haughty Pharisee. The infidel Sadducee. They had rejectedthe
ministry of Christ. Divine love goes outtowards these.

3. Their danger.
II. THE DECLARATION of Christ respecting the means employed for our
salvation— "I would have gathered you."
1. Tenderness.
2. Long-suffering.
3. A time will come when He will leave us to our sins if we continue to spurn
Him from us.
(J. Dixon, D. D.)
Christ's pity for the sinner
B. F. Palmer, D. D
The reasons ofthis specialsympathy.
I. Christ as our Redeemerknows the dreadfulness of sin, and therefore pities
those to whom it clings.
II. He pities the sinner, knowing all that is involved in his final doom.
III. Christ is the exponent of God's infinite love to man.
IV. There is a ground for this compassionofChrist, growing out of His
knowledge ofthe completenessofHis salvationand the security of those who
acceptit.
V. The Saviour's compassionis founded upon His knowledge ofwhat the
gospelcostHim to achieve. But if Christ's poweris boundless and His pity so
great, why does He not interfere to save us anyhow? God deals with man as a
free agent.
1. The loss of the soul is self-caused.
2. How greatthe sin of refusing the gospel.

(B. F. Palmer, D. D,)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(37) Jerusalem, Jerusalem.—Thelamentationhad been uttered once before
(Luke 13:34-35), and must, we may believe, have been presentto our Lord’s
mind when He “beheld the city and wept over it” (Luke 19:41), as He halted
on the brow of Olivet.
It should be noted that the Hebrew form of Jerusalem (Ἱερουσαλὴμ insteadof
Ἱεροσόλυμα)occurs here only in St. Matthew, as though the very syllables had
impressed themselves on the minds of men.
Thou that killestthe prophets.—The words are in the presenttense, as
embracing the past and even the future. As with a sad prescience ourLord
speaks ofthe sufferings which were in store for His messengers, andof which
the deaths of Stephen (Acts 7:60) and of James (Acts 12:2) were
representative instances. Thatthe persecutionin eachcase took a wider range,
was in the nature of the case inevitable. It is distinctly stated, indeed, that it
did so in both instances (Acts 8:1; Acts 12:1), and is implied in 1Thessalonians
2:14-15, where the “prophets” who suffered are clearlyChristian prophets,
and probably in James 5:10.
Even as a hen gathereth her chickens.—The words reproduce (if we follow the
English version), under an image of singular tenderness, the similitude of
Deuteronomy 32:11, the care of the hen for her chickens taking the place of
that of the eagle forher nestlings. Possibly, however, the contrastbetweenthe
two images lies in the English rather than the Greek, where we have the
generic term, “as a bird gatherethher brood.” The words “how often” may be
noted as implying (though they occurin the Gospels thatconfine themselves to

our Lord’s Galileanministry) a yearning pity for Jerusalem, such as we
naturally associate withthe thought of His ministry in that city.
Ye would not.—No words could more emphatically state man’s fatal gift of
freedom, as shown in the power of his will to frustrate the love and pity, and
therefore the will, even of the Almighty.
BensonCommentary
Matthew 23:37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem — The Lord Jesus having thus laid
before the Pharisees andthe Jewishnation their heinous guilt and impending
ruin, was exceedinglymoved at the thought of the calamities coming upon
them. A day or two before he had wept over Jerusalem;now he bewails it in
the most mournful accents ofpity and commisseration. Jerusalem, the vision
of peace, as the word signifies, must now be made the seatof war and
confusion: Jerusalem, that had been the joy of the whole earth, must now be a
hissing, and an astonishment, and a by-word among all nations: Jerusalem,
that had been a city compacttogether, was now to be shattered and ruined by
its own intestine broils: Jerusalem, the place that God had chosento put his
name there, must now be abandoned to spoilers and robbers. For, 1st, As its
inhabitants had their hands more deeply imbrued in the blood of the prophets
than those of other places, they were to drink more deeply than others in the
punishment of such crimes: Thou that killest the prophets, &c. And, 2d,
Jerusalemespeciallyhad rejected, and would persistin rejecting the Lord’s
Christ, and the offers of salvationmade through him, and would persecute his
servants divinely commissionedto make them these offers. The former was a
sin without remedy; this a sin againstthe remedy. How often would I have
gatheredthy children, &c. — See the wonderful grace, condescension, and
kindness of the Lord Jesus towardthose who he foresaw would in two or three
days maliciously and cruelly imbrue their hands in his blood! What a strong
idea do these tender exclamations of our Lord, which can hardly be read
without tears, give us of his unparalleled love to that ungrateful and
impenitent nation! He would have taken the whole body of them, if they would
have consentedto be so taken, into his church, and have gatheredthem all, (as

the Jews usedto speak ofproselytes,)under the wings of the divine majesty.
The words, how often would I have gathered, &c.,mark his unwearied
endeavours to protect and cherishthem from the time they were first calledto
be his people, and the following words, declarative of the opposition between
his will and theirs, but ye would not, very emphatically show their
unconquerable obstinacyin resisting the most winning and most substantial
expressions ofthe divine goodness.Thus does the Lord Jesus still call and
invite perishing sinners. But alas!the obstinacy of their own perverse and
rebellious wills too generallywithstands all the overtures of his grace:so that
eternal desolationbecomes theirportion, and they in vain wish for a repetition
of those calls when it is for ever too late.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
23:34-39 Our Lord declares the miseries the inhabitants of Jerusalemwere
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 dispersionand unbelief of
the Jews, andtheir future conversionto Christ, were here foretold. Jerusalem
and her children had a large share of guilt, and their punishment has been
signal. But ere long, deservedvengeance willfall 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 betweensinners and eternal happiness,
but their proud and unbelieving unwillingness.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
O Jerusalem... - See the notes at Luke 19:41-42.
Would I have gathered- Would have protected and saved.
Thy children - Thy people.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary

37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killestthe prophets, and stonestthem
which are sent unto thee, &c.—How ineffably grand and melting is this
apostrophe!It is the very heart of God pouring itself forth through human
flesh and speech. It is this incarnation of the innermost life and love of Deity,
pleading with men, bleeding for them, and ascending only to open His arms to
them and win them back by the powerof this story of matchless love, that has
conquered the world, that will yet "draw all men unto Him," and beautify and
ennoble Humanity itself! "Jerusalem"here does not mean the mere city or its
inhabitants; nor is it to be viewedmerely as the metropolis of the nation, but
as the centerof their religious life—"the city of their solemnities, whither the
tribes went up, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord"; and at this moment
it was full of them. It is the whole family of God, then, which is here
apostrophized by a name dear to every Jew, recalling to him all that was
distinctive and precious in his religion. The intense feeling that soughtvent in
this utterance comes out first in the redoubling of the opening word—
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem!" but, next, in the picture of it which He draws—"that
killestthe prophets, and stonestthem which are sent unto thee!"—not content
with spurning God's messagesofmercy, that canstnot suffer even the
messengersto live! When He adds, "How often would I have gatheredthee!"
He refers surely to something beyond the six or seventimes that He visited
and taught in Jerusalemwhile on earth. No doubt it points to "the prophets,"
whom they "killed," to "them that were sentunto her," whom they "stoned."
But whom would He have gatheredso often? "Thee," truth-hating, mercy-
spurning, prophet-killing Jerusalem—how oftenwould I have gatheredthee!
Compare with this that affecting clause in the greatministerial commission,
"that repentance and remissionof sins should be preached in His name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem!" (Lu 24:47). What encouragement
to the heartbrokenat their own long-continued and obstinate rebellion! But
we have not yet gotat the whole heart of this outburst. I would have gathered
thee, He says, "evenas a hen gatherethher chickens under her wings." Was
ever imagery so homely invested with such grace and such sublimity as this, at
our Lord's touch? And yet how exquisite the figure itself—of protection, rest,
warmth, and all manner of conscious well-being in those poor, defenseless,
dependent little creatures, as they creepunder and feel themselves
overshadowedby the capacious andkindly wing of the mother bird! If,

wandering beyond hearing of her peculiar call, they are overtakenby a storm
or attackedby an enemy, what canthey do but in the one case droopand die,
and in the other submit to be torn in pieces? But if they canreach in time
their place of safety, under the mother's wing, in vain will any enemy try to
drag them thence. For rising into strength, kindling into fury, and forgetting
herself entirely in her young, she will let the lastdrop of her blood be shed out
and perish in defense of her precious charge, rather than yield them to an
enemy's talons. How significant all this of what Jesus is and does for men!
Under His greatMediatorialwing would He have "gathered" Israel. Forthe
figure, see De 32:10-12;Ru 2:12; Ps 17:8; 36:7; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4; Isa 31:5; Mal
4:2. The ancient rabbins had a beautiful expressionfor proselytes from the
heathen—that they had "come under the wings of the Shekinah." Forthis last
word, see on [1352]Mt23:38. But what was the result of all this tender and
mighty love? The answeris, "And ye would not." O mysterious word!
mysterious the resistance ofsuch patient Love—mysterious the liberty of self-
undoing! The awful dignity of the will, as here expressed, might make the ears
to tingle.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Matthew 23:39".
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,.... The metropolis of Judea, the seatof the kings of
Judah, yea, the city of the greatking; the place of divine worship, once the
holy and faithful city, the joy of the whole earth; wherefore it was strange that
the following things should be said of it. The word is repeatedto show our
Lord's affectionand concernfor that city, as well as to upbraid it with its
name, dignity, and privileges; and designs not the building of the city, but the
inhabitants of it; and these not all, but the rulers and governors of it, civil and
ecclesiastical;especiallythe greatsanhedrim, which were held in it, to whom
best belong the descriptive characters ofkilling the prophets, and stoning
them that were sent by God unto them; since it belongedto them to take
cognizance ofsuch who calledthemselves prophets, and to examine, and judge
them, and, if false, to condemn them (h); hence that saying of Christ, Luke

13:33 which goes before the same words, as here, "it cannot be that a prophet
perish out of Jerusalem":and who are manifestly distinguished from their
"children": it being usual to call suchas were the heads of the people, either
in a civil or ecclesiastic sense,"fathers",and their subjects and disciples,
"children": besides, our Lord's discourse throughout the whole context is
directed to the Scribes and Pharisees, the ecclesiastic guides ofthe people, and
to whom the civil governors paid a specialregard,
Thou that killestthe prophets; that is, with the sword, with which the
prophets in Elijah's time were slain by the children of Israel,
1 Kings 19:10 and which was one of the capital punishments inflicted by the
Jewishsanhedrim (i); and also that which follows was anotherof them,
And stonestthem which were sent unto thee; as particularly Zechariah, the
son of Jehoiada, before mentioned. The Jews themselves are obliged to own,
that this characterbelongs to them: say (k) they,
"when the word of Godshall come, who is his messenger,we will honour him.
Says R. Saul, did not the prophets come,
"and we killed them", and shed their blood, and how shall we receive his
word? or how shall we believe?
And a celebratedwriter of their's, on those words (l), "but now murderers",
has this note,
"they have killed Uriah, they have killed Zechariah.
How often would I have gatheredthy children together, as a hen gathereth
her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Christ here speaks as a man,
and the minister of the circumcision, and expresses anhuman affection for the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and an human wish, and will for their temporal
good;which he very aptly signifies by the hen, which is a very affectionate
creature to its young, and which it endeavours to screenfrom danger, by
covering with its wings. So the "Shekinah" with the Jews is called, , "the holy
bird" (m); and that phrase, , "to betake one's self, or to come to trust under
the wings of the Shekinah", is often used (n) for to become a proselyte to the

true religion, and worship of God, as Jethro, and Ruth the Moabitess did. An
expressionmuch like to this here is used by an apocryphalwriter of 2:Esdras:
"I gathered you together, as a hen gatherethher chickens under her wings:
but now, what shall I do unto you? I will castyou out from my face.''(2
Esdras 1:30).
It seems to be a simile much in use with that people. Our Lord is to be
understood not of his divine will, as God, to gather the people of the Jews
internally, by his Spirit and grace, to himself; for all those whom Christ would
gather, in this sense, were gathered, notwithstanding all the opposition made
by the rulers of the people; but of his human affectionand will, as a man, and
a minister, to gatherthem to him externally, by, and under the ministry of his
word, to hear him preach; so as that they might be brought to a conviction of,
and an assentunto him as the Messiah;which, though it might fall short of
faith in him, would have been sufficient to have preservedthem from
temporal ruin, threatened to their city and temple, in the following verse.
Instances of the human affection, and will of Christ, may be observedin Mark
10:21 which will of his, though not contrary to the divine will, but subordinate
to it, yet not always the same with it, nor always fulfilled: whereas his divine
will, or his will as God, is, always fulfilled: "who hath resistedhis will?" this
cannot be hindered, and made void; he does whatsoeverhe pleases:and
further, that this will of Christ to gatherthe Jews to himself, is to be
understood of his human, and not divine will, is manifest from hence, that this
will was in him, and expressedby him at certain severaltimes, by intervals;
and therefore he says, "how often would I have gathered", &c. whereas the
divine will is one continued, invariable, and unchangeable will, is always the
same, and never begins or ceasesto be, and to which such an expressionis
inapplicable; and therefore these words do not contradict the absolute and
sovereignwill of God, in the distinguishing acts of it, respecting the choice of
some persons, and the leaving of others. And it is to be observed, that the
persons whom Christ would have gathered, are not representedas being
unwilling to be gathered;but their rulers were not willing that they should,
and be made proselytes to him, and come under his wings. It is not said, "how
often would I have gatheredyou, and you would not!" nor, "I would have
gatheredJerusalem, and she would not"; nor, "I would have gatheredthy

children, and they would not"; but, "how often would I have gatheredthy
children, and ye would not!" Which observationalone is sufficient to destroy
the argument founded on this passagein favour of free will. Had Christ
expressedhis desire to have gatheredthe heads of the people to him, the
members of the Jewishsanhedrim, the civil and ecclesiasticalrulers of the
Jews:or had he signified how much he wished, and earnestly soughtafter, and
attempted to gatherJerusalem, the children, the inhabitants of it in common,
and neither of them would not; it would have carriedsome appearance ofthe
doctrine of free will, and have seemedto have countenancedit, and have
imputed the non-gathering of them to their own will: though had it been said,
"they would not", instead of, "ye would not", it would only have furnished
out a most sadinstance of the perverseness ofthe will of man, which often
opposes his temporal, as wellas his spiritual good; and would rather show it
to be a slave to that which is evil, than free to that which is good;and would
be a proof of this, not in a single person only, but in a body of men. The
opposition and resistance to the will of Christ were not made by the people,
but by their governors. The common people seemedinclined to attend his
ministry, as appears from the vastcrowds, which, at different times and
places, followedhim; but the chief priests, and rulers, did all they could to
hinder the collectionof them to him, and their belief in him as the Messiah;by
traducing his character, miracles, and doctrines, and by menacing the people
with curses, and excommunications, making a law, that whoeverconfessed
him should be turned out of the synagogue.So that the plain meaning of the
text is the same with that of Matthew 23:13 and consequentlyis no proof of
men's resisting the operations of the Spirit and grace ofGod; but only shows
what obstructions and discouragements were thrownin the way of attendance
on the external ministry of the word. In order to setaside, and overthrow the
doctrine of grace, in election, and particular redemption, and effectualcalling,
it should be proved that Christ, as God, would have gathered, not Jerusalem,
and the inhabitants of it only, but all mankind, even such as are not eventually
saved, and that in a spiritual, saving way and manner, to himself; of which
there is not the leastintimation in this text: and in order to establishthe
resistibility of the grace ofGod, by the perverse will of man, so as to become
of no effect;it should be shown that Christ would have savingly converted
persons, and they would not be converted;and that he bestowedthe same

grace upon them, he does bestow on others, who are converted: whereas the
sum of this passagelies in these few words, that Christ, as man, out of a
compassionateregardfor the people of the Jews, to whom, he was sent as the
minister of the circumcision, would have gathered them togetherunder his
ministry, and have instructed them in the knowledge ofhimself, as the
Messiah;which if they had only notionally received, would have securedthem,
as chickens under the hen, from impending judgments, which afterwards fell
upon them; but their governors, and not they, would not; that is, would not
suffer them to receive him, and embrace him as the Messiah. So that from the
whole it appears, that this passageofScripture, so much talked of by the
Arminians, and so often cited by them, has nothing to do with the controversy
about the doctrines of electionand reprobation, particular redemption,
efficacious gracein conversion, and the powerof man's free will. This
observationalone is sufficient to destroy the argument founded on this
passage, in favour of free will,
(h) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 1. sect. 5. (i) lb. c. 7. sect. 1.((k)R. Isaac Arama in
Genesis 47.apudGalatin. Arcan. Cath. ver. l. 3. c. 5. (l) Jarchiin Isa. i. 21. (m)
Zohar in Numb. fol. 106. 3. & Imre binah in ib. (n) Tzeror Hammor, fol. 77. 4.
&. 115. 2. Vid. Targum in Ruth ii. 12. Zohar in Exod. fol. 28. 3. & 29. 2.
Geneva Study Bible
{12} O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killestthe prophets, and stonestthem
which are sent unto thee, how often would I have {z} gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gatherethher chickens under her wings, and ye would
not!
(12) Where the mercy of God was greatest, it was there that there was the
greatestwickednessand rebellion, and at length the sharpestjudgments of
God. {z} He speaks ofthe outward ministry, and as he was promised for the
saving of this people, he was making sure that it would happen, even from the
time that the promise was made to Abraham.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary

Matthew 23:37 ff. After denouncing all those woes againstthe scribes and
Pharisees,the departing Redeemer, looking with sad eye into the future, sets
the holy city also—whichHe sees hastening to its destruction under the false
guidance of those leaders—ina living connectionwith the tragic contents of
Matthew 23:34 ff., but in such a way that his parting words are no longer
denunciations of woe, but the deep wail of a heart wounded, because its love
has been despised. Thus Matthew 23:37 ff. forms an appropriate conclusionto
the whole drama of the discourse. Luke 13:34 introduces the words in a
historicalconnectionentirely different.
The repetition of the name of Jerusalemis here ἐμφαντικὸς ἐλέος, Euthymius
Zigabenus.
ἀποκτείνουσα,κ.τ.λ.]The present participles denote the usual conduct: the
murderess, the killer with stones.
πρὸς αὐτήν] to her; because the attributive participial clause from being in the
nominative places the subject addressedunder the point of view of the third
person, and only then proceeds (ποσάκις … τέκνα σου) with the vocative of
address in Ἱερουσαλήμ. Comp. Luke 1:45; Job18:4; Isaiah 22:16. With Beza
and Fritzsche, αὑτήνmight be read and takenas equivalent to σεαυτήν; but
αὐτήνis to be preferred, for this reason, that there is here no such special
emphasis as to call for the use of the reflective pronoun (we should expect
simply πρός σε in that case).
ποσάκις, κ.τ.λ.]The literal meaning of which is: “How often I have wished to
take thy citizens under my loving protectionas Messiah!” Forthe metaphor,
comp. Eurip. Herc. Fur. 70 f., and the passages inWetstein, Schoettgen, p. 208
(Rabbinical writers speak ofthe Shechinah as gathering the proselytes under
its wings). Observe ἑαυτῆς:her own chickens. Suchwas the love that I felt

toward you. On the form νοσς. for νεοσς., see Lobeck, adPhryn. p. 206. οὐκ
ἐθελήσατε] sc. ἐπισυναχθῆναι;they refused (Nägelsbachon Il. iii. 289;
Baeumlein, Partik. p. 278), namely, to have faith in him as the Messiah, and
consequentlythe blame rested with themselves. This refusal was their actual
κρῖμα, John 9:39.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 23:37-39. Apostrophe to the Holy City (Luke 13:34).—Εἶτα πρὸς τὴν
πόλιν ἀποστρέφει τὸνλόγον. Chrys., H. lxxiv.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
33–39.The Fate of Jerusalem
37. Jerusalem, Jerusalem]FromLuke 13:34, it appears that our Lord spoke
these words in a different connectionat an earlier period of His ministry. For
the pathetic reiterationof the name, cp. ch. Matthew 27:46. The Aramaic
form for Jerusalemin the text appears here only in Matthew;it is the usual
form in Luke. Probably the very form—Aramaic, not Greek—employedby
our Lord is retained.
killest… stonest]Recalling the precise expressions ofch. Matthew 21:35.
as a hen gatherethher chickens under her wings] Schöttgenad loc. observes
that converts to Judaism were said to come “under the wings of the
Shechinah.” That thought may be containedin the words of Christ. Many
times by His prophets He calledthe children of Jerusalemto Himself—the
true Shechinah—through whom the glory of the latter house was greaterthan
that of the former.
ye would not] Note the change to the plural.

Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 23:37. Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Jerusalem, Jerusalem!) A most
solemn repetition.[1018]—ἡἀποκτένουσα,thou that killest) The participle has
the force of a noun.[1019]—λιθοβαλοῦσα,that stonest)Such was the fate of
Christ’s protomartyr, Stephen, recordedin Acts 7:58-59.—τοὺς
ἀπεσταλμένους, them that are sent) Although ambassadors are considered
inviolable by the law of nations.—πρὸς αὐτὴν, to her) i.e. πρός σε, to thee. Cf.
Luke 1:45; Isaiah 47:10.—ποσάκις, κ.τ.λ., how often, etc.) As often especially
as Jesus enteredJudea, Jerusalem, or the Temple. See my Harmony of the
Four Evangelists, andGnomon on ch. Matthew 21:1.—καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε,
and ye would not) although I was willing. Cf. Isaiah30:15.
[1018]“Epizeuxis.” See Appendix.—ED.
[1019]i.e. “Thou that art the Murderess of.”—(I. B.)
Full of compassionand horror alike.—V. g.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 37. - O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!Pathetic iteration! As he approachedthe
city on another occasionChrist had used the same words (Luke 13:34, 35); he
repeats them now as he takes his final farewellHe speaks with Divine
tenderness, yet with poignant sorrow, knowing that this last appealwill be in
vain. It has been remarked that, whereas St. Matthew elsewherenames the
capital city, the theocratic centre, Hierosolyma, which is the Greek equivalent,
he here calls it Hierousalem, which is Hebrew, as though, while recording the
words used by Jesus, he desired to reproduce the actual sound of the Saviour's
affecting address. Killest...stonest. Suchis thy wont, thy evil practice. So
Christ says elsewhere, "Itcannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem"
(Luke 13:33). "Stonest"was particularly appropriate after the reference to
Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:20). Sent unto thee. The receivedGreek is, sent

unto it or her (πρὸς αὐτήν), though some manuscripts and the Vulgate give
"thee." But the change ofpersons is not uncommon. Alford quotes Luke 1:45;
Luke 13:34; Revelation18:24. How often! Some would confine Christ's
allusion to his own missionin Judaea, and the efforts made by him to win
disciples;but it surely applies to all the doings and visitations of God towards
Israelduring the whole course of their history, which showedhis gracious
desire that all should be saved, if they only had willed with him. He hereby
asserts himselfas one with the God of the Old Testament. Christ's ministry in
Jerusalemand Judaea is mentioned by St. John. Gathered... wings. A tender
similitude, which is found in the Old Testamentand in classic authors. It
implies love, care, and protection. Thus the psalmist prays, "Hide me under
the shadow of thy wings;" "In the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge, until
these calamities be overpast" (Psalm17:8; Psalm 57:1); comp. Deuteronomy
32:11;Isaiah 31:5, etc. So Euripides, 'Herc. Fur.,' 72 -
"The children whom I cherish'neath my wings,
As a bird cowering o'erher youthful brood." The metaphor is peculiarly
appropriate at the time, when, as Lange puts it, the Roman eagles were
hovering near, and there was no hope of safety but under the Lord's wings.
And ye would not. Unmoved by warning and chastisement, impenetrable to
long suffering love, ungrateful for mercies, the Jews repulsedall efforts for
their amendment, and blindly pursued the course of ruin. It was always in
their power to turn if they willed, but they wilfully resistedgrace, and must
suffer accordingly(comp. Isaiah30:15).
Vincent's Word Studies
Hen (ὄρνις)
Generic:bird or fowl; but hen is used genericallyof the mother-bird of all
species.

PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BARCLAY
The RejectionOf Love's Appeal (Matthew 23:37-39)
23:37-39 "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killerof the prophets, stonerof those sent to
you, how often have I wished to gather your children together, as a bird
gathers her nestlings under her wings--and you refused. Look you, your house
is left to you desolate, forI tell you from now you will not see me until you will
say, 'Blessedin the name of the Lord is he that comes.'"
Here is all the poignant tragedy of rejectedlove. Here Jesus speaks, notso
much as the stern judge of all the earth, as the lover of the souls of men.
There is one curious light this passagethrows on the life of Jesus which we
may note in the passing. According to the Synoptic Gospels Jesuswas neverin
Jerusalemafter his public ministry began, until he came to this last Passover
Feast. We cansee here how much the gospelstory leaves out, for Jesus could
not have saidwhat he says here unless he had paid repeatedvisits to
Jerusalemand issued to the people repeatedappeals. A passagelike this shows
us that in the gospels we have the merestsketchand outline of the life of Jesus.
This passageshows us four greattruths.
(i) It shows us the patience of God. Jerusalemhad killed the prophets and
stoned the messengersofGod; yet God did not casther off; and in the end he
sent his Son. There is a limitless patience in the love of God which bears with
men's sinning and will not castthem off.
(ii) It shows us the appeal of Jesus. Jesusspeaksas the lover. He will not force
an entry; the only weaponhe canuse is the appealof love. He stands with
outstretchedhands of appeal, an appealwhich men have the awful
responsibility of being able to acceptor to refuse.

(iii) It shows us the deliberation of the sin of man. Men lookedon Christ in all
the splendour of his appeal--and refused him. There is no handle on the
outside of the door of the human heart; it must be opened from the inside; and
sin is the open-eyed deliberate refusal of the appealof God in Jesus Christ.
(iv) It shows us the consequencesofrejecting Christ. Only forty years were to
pass and in A.D. 70 Jerusalemwould be a heap of ruins. That disasterwas the
direct consequence ofthe rejection of Jesus Christ. Had the Jews acceptedthe
Christian way of love and abandoned the wayof powerpolitics, Rome would
never have descendedon them with its avenging might. It is the fact of
history--even in time--that the nation which rejects Godis doomed to disaster.
-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)
BRIAN BELL
Matthew 23:13-39 2-19-17 Outwardly Religious. Inwardly Corrupt. I.
Slide1 Announce: A. Slide2-4 Gil - Office closedMon. Scholarships Winter
Camps. Real. BetterTogether. B. Me - Children at Risk cancelledfor the Pro
Life Go Mobil for life event tonight. 1. Slide5 MercyProjects - hosting a
Ukraine Reception6pm this Wed b4 service, Agape rm II. Slide6 Intro:
Outwardly Religious. Inwardly Corrupt. A.In dealing with the topic of
greatness,In dealing with little ones, Jesus is gentle. In facing foes, He is bold.
1. As we said, Jesus uses His strongestlanguage in this ch. 2. Against who,
unbelievers? No, againstthose who profess to be believers, aka hypocrites. B.
What is a hypocrite? The Greek word denotes someone acting out a part in a
play. 1. In Greek drama the actors held masks overtheir faces. 2. Eachmask
was painted to representthe character, the actor played. 3. In real life, a
hypocrite is a personwho masks his real self, while he plays a part for his
audience. C. Last week we talkedabout...too oftenwe wearmasks to hide who
we really are from others and from God. However, God can see through our
mask. a) Put the mask on and God can’t work (It’s hypocrisy, phony,

duplicity). b) Take the mask off and Godcan work (It’s vulnerability, honesty,
authenticity). (1) Hopefully you turned in your mask lass week to Jesus.
D.Slide7a WhenPtolemy, outstanding astronomer, astrologer, geographer,
mathematician, of the 2nd century, decided to build the Pharos (island off
Alexandria, Egypt), he chose Sostratus to design that mammoth lighthouse,
which later became one of the Slide7b 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. 1.
Ptolemy insisted that the structure should bear his inscription as a personal
memorial; however, Sostratus didn't think the king should getall the credit.
1
2. Slide7c He therefore put the title of Ptolemy on the front of the lighthouse
in a thick plaster which would be eye catching at first, but later would be
worn awayby the elements. Secretlyhe had cut his own name in the granite
underneath. 3. Slide7d For decades the sea dashed againstthe inscription and
gradually eroded it. Though it lastedthe lifetime of that earthly monarch, it
finally was obliterated, leaving the name Sostratus standing in bold relief. a)
The Pharisees inthis chapter weartheir religion for all to see on the outside,
proud of what they’ve built in their life...only to 1 day be exposed. b) 1 day
all of us will finally be exposed& only what is underneath/inside will last.
E. Slide8 So far Jesus has warned the Religious leaders with 3 Parables. He’s
spokendirectly to the Herodian’s, Sadducees, & Pharisees. And now, He
delivers 8 Woe’s. 1. Jesus is pronouncing these Woe’s not with a temper, not
with meanness, but with painful sorrow. We’ll catchHis heart in the last few
verses. F. 7 out of the 8 Woe’s He calls them Hypocrites. In 1 He calls them
Blind Guides. 1. Hypocritical as to their character;blind guides as to their
leadership.
III. Slide9 WOE 1, DETOURING OTHERSFROM THE KINGDOM (13) A.
Woe – it infers grief & deep regret. [Anguish, not anger] 1. Jesus’ purpose for
these woe’s was to try to help the religious leaders & the people they
influenced. B. It’s bad enough to keepyourself out, but to stand in the way of
others, is detestable. 1. How is your Lifestyle keeping others from entering?
C. If you disagree with Christianity & don’t want any part of it (so be it), but

don’t you dare influence others to follow you to the pit. D. Slide10 *You are
either detouring others from the Kingdom or inviting them into it.
IV. Slide11 WOE 2, DAMAGING THE DEFENSELESS& SHOWY
PRAYERS (14)
2
A. Some manuscripts omit this vs.14 ESV/NIV. But it is in Mrk.12:40 &
Lk.20:47 so we know it is God’s truth, even if it wasn’t here. B. 2
Indictments: Swindling widows & making pretentious (attempting to impress)
prayers. 1. Both of these are bad enoughby themselves, both make them
guilty of the lowestHell. 2. They will have to stand before the widows judge
one day. Ps.68:5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His
holy habitation. a) God doesn’t leave this even to His best angel, but takes this
unto Himself. b) His Mercyis extended to those longing for families. He
becomes their Father. He is the peculiar Guardian to the defenseless. c)He’s
the Presidentof Orphanages...the ProtectorofWidows. C. Note: greater
condemnation - proves that there are degrees ofpunishment, as there are
degrees in Glory. 1. All the ungodly will be condemned by the Righteous
Judge. But the Greaterdamnation is reservedfor the Hypocrites, who behind
their mask of long prayers, have been ripping off widow’s. a) How are we
ripping off widows? Maybe by not being a family to them? D. Slide12 *You
are either damaging the defenselessand showing off your long prayers or
helping the defenseless andkeeping your public prayers, short & honest.
V. Slide13 WOE 3, WINNING OTHERS OVER TO LEGALISM (15)A. A
proselyte is a convert to a cause. They were out to win others to their legalistic
system. B. Twice a son of hell - The convert is usually shows much more zeal
than his leader, thus this dble devotion only produces dble condemnation. C.
Slide14 *You are either winning others over to legalismor winning them over
to grace.
VI. Slide15 WOE 4, BLIND GUIDES WHO PLAY W/MAN MADE RULES
(16-22)A. They were the religious guides of the Jews. Willfully Foolish,
Willfully Blind. B. (17) Fools - They thought they were wise, He calls them
Fools. 1. Blind - Sin, prejudice, bigotry, & hypocrisy had blinded their eyes.

3
2. Spurgeonsaid, There are none so stupid as those who will not learn, & none
so blind as those who will not see. C. They tried to come up with different
ways to swear/vow without using the Divine Name. 1. He points out their folly
in reversing the right order of things. a) He shows they were doing the very
thing they tried to avoid. 2. Stick to letting your yes be yes & no, no. Mt.5:34-
36. D. Slide16 *You’re either playing w/man made rules or living out the great
realities of faith.
VII.Slide17 WOE 5, MAJORING ON MINORS (23,24)A. They were so
punctilious to tiny details (tithing their smallestherb plants) while
disregarding the law’s true heart (the weightiermatters). 1. They were
sticklers for detail and yet blind to greatprinciples. 2. They were using a
microscope fordetails and a kaleidoscopefor doctrines. a) The Talmud tells of
the ass ofa certain Rabbi which had been so well trained as to refuse corn of
which the tithes had not been taken. Vincent B. Justice, Mercy, & Faith are
the important qualities God is seeking. C. Jesus didn’t condemn tithing. He
condemned when you allow your legalistic scruples to keepyou from
developing true Christian character. D. (24) Strain out a gnat or Filter out a
gnat. And swallow a camel(hyperbole). CamelConsumption 1. Both insect&
camels were ceremoniallyunclean. 2. They strain a gnat from their wine, so as
not to be defiled. Yet, they commit greatsins w/o any twinge of conscience
therefore swallowing a camel, humps and all. E. Slide18 *You are either
majoring on the minors or you are majoring on the majors.
VIII.Slide19 WOE’S 6-8, OUTWARDLY RELIGIOUS, INWARDLY
CORRUPT (23,24)A. Slide20 WOE 6, INSIDE OUT (25,26)B. They had
frequent washings. Bothof themselves & of their vessels.C. Jesus shows itis
possible to be cleanon the outside, yet defiled on the inside.
4
D. Jesus lookedinto their cup & saw greed& self-indulgence. 1. As Jesus
peers into your cup this morning what does He see? E. Here was their
supreme fault & failure: Attention to externalism, to the neglectof the
internal condition of their life. F. If your only focusing on your externals &

not your heart, than your a 20thcent Pharisee. G. Slide21 *You are either
cleanon the outside & dirty inside or you are cleaninside, which leads to a
cleanoutside.
H. Slide22 WOE 7, WHITEWASHED TOMBS (27,28)I. Jesus in one fell
swoop, sliceda beautiful red polished apple right in 1/2 & exposeda juicy
brown worm eating awayat the core. [bad sunflowerseed. walnut w/worm] J.
The Jews were carefulnot to touch anything related to dead bodies. 1. One
month before Passoverthey’d whitewashthe tombs. Remember it’s only 3
days from Passover. He’s probably looking at one right then. 2. Contactw/a
grave causeddefilement. Contactw/these Pharisees did likewise. K. Dead
men’s bones - what a graphic snapshotof the hypocrite. 1. Illus: PaintedHand
Pump - Babrov, Russia. Our hotel had such dirty water. Driving out the next
morning I noticed they had painted the hand pumps white on the street
corners. It didn’t make the watersweeter. L. D.L. Moody said, If I take care
of my character, my reputation will care for itself. M. The Pharisee’s livedfor
reputation, not character.
N. Slide23 WOE 8 - PROPHET PERSECUTORS (29-36)O. (29) The
Pharisees built, improved, & embellished the tombs of the Prophets (ie.
Davids). Which was a false professionof reverence ofthe prophets. 1. Their
fathers killed the prophets. And they put monuments up to killed prophets.
And they went on with the same business of killing prophets.1 P. (30) What
irony that at that very moment they were already plotting the death of the
Lord of Prophets.
5
1 G.Campbell Morgan, pg.150.
Q. (32) Fill up - Topit off. Top off your cup...with my blood. 1. Go ahead&
finish what your fathers started. Israel’s measure was almost full. R. (33) A
goodsurgeoncuts deep...so did Jesus. S. (35) This Zechariah is found in 2
Chron.24:20-22 the last book in the bible...Hebrew bible that is. So from
Genesis to Malachi. A to Z. Whole range of OT history is indicated. T. (36)
The Prophet has spoken. 1. Insteadof hearing the woe’s and coming out of

darkness, they just tried to snuff out the light. 2. And it was before that
generationhad passeda way that Jerusalemwas besieged& destroyed, ad 70.
IX. Slide24 NOT WILLING (37-39)A. (37) Don’t miss this...this chapter,
w/the heaviestindictment, ends w/sobs & tears. B. Jerusalem, the nation of
Israel. Jerusalem, Jerusalemsignifies deepemotion. 1. Just like Absalom,
Absalom. Martha, Martha. Saul, Saul. C. I wanted to gather...youwere not
willing - this summarizes the tragedy of final rejectionof truth. 1. Jn.5:39,40
You searchthe Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and
these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that
you may have life. D. Moses usedthis analogyof the hen gathering her chicks
in his farewellsermon also (Deut32:11). 1. What a picture this is of love,
tender care & a willingness to die to protect others E. (38) The Temple was
My house (21:13), but now it had been abandoned & left empty. Which Jesus
does next...see 24:1. F. (39) Yet, Jesus leaves the nation w/a promise...He
would 1 day return. I shall return. or I’ll be back. 1. He will remove His
presence from Israel until the GreatTribulation...which segue’s us into the
end times teaching next. 2. Till...long ages have passedsince the king went
awayinto the far country. 3. The signs of the times tell us His coming is
drawing near.
6
G.Againstthe backgroundof this indictment, we see one last touching portrait
of Jesus. As He condemned these hypocrites, His heart broke for them and for
the crowds who would soonscreamfor His death. 1. In anguish, Jesus cried
out...(msg)Jerusalem!Jerusalem!Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones
who brought you God’s news!How often I’ve ached to embrace your children,
the waya hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me.
And now you’re so desolate, nothing but a ghosttown. What is there left to
say? Only this: I’m out of here soon. The next time you see me you’ll say, Oh,
God has blessedhim! He’s come, bringing God’s rule!

Matthew 23:25-39: “Finishing Up The ‘Woes’PronouncedBy Jesus OnThe
Pharisees And Scribes”
by
Jim Bomkamp
Back Bible Studies Home Page
1. INTRO:
1.1. In our last study, we saw that Jesus had begun to pronounce 7 or 8
‘woes’upon the leaders of the nation of Israel, and in fact we’ve seenthat all
of chapter 23 deals with Jesus’condemning of the Pharisees andScribes
1.1.1. In these ‘woes’ we saw that though these prophesied the harshestof
judgments upon the leaders of the nation of Israel, that they were pronounced
with the utmost of pity and sorrow.
1.1.2. Warnings are issuedin mercy for they give opportunity for repentance
1.1.3. We saw how that these ‘woes’would affectthe entire nation of Israel,
not just the leaders, so these judgments would cause many innocent people to
suffer.
1.2. In today’s study, we will finish up studying these ‘woes’.
2. VS 23:25-26 - “25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of
robbery and self-indulgence. 26 “You blind Pharisee, first cleanthe inside of
the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become cleanalso.”” -
Jesus pronounces a ‘woe’upon the Pharisees andScribes for cleaning the
outside of the cup and of the dish, while the inside was filthy

2.1. The cleanliness ofthe outside of a cup or a dish did not matter as
much as the inside since it is really the inside of the cup or the dish that needs
to be cleansince that is the part that a person eats or drinks out of. This
symbolizes the fact that the religion of the Pharisees andScribes was all on the
external of their life, not the internal, and internal righteousness is of much
more value than external righteousness, in fact it is really the inward part of
us that God is most concernedabout.
2.1.1. Manyyears ago, I once was eating at Mexicanrestaurantin Phoenix,
and like many restaurants, the lights were very dim in the place. I had
ordered a cup of coffee with my meal, and when I was about ½ of the way
through with my cup of coffee, I noticed that the inside of the cup was much
darker than the cream coloredoutside of the cup, and it just didn’t look right
to me. Well, I finally took my finger and ran it along the inside of the cup and
all of the black that was along the sides of the cup came off on my finger. The
cup had been full of cigarette ashes before they poured the coffee into it. I
immediately lost any appetite I previously had. Well, in the same way in our
lives, God sees the inside of us as well as our external, and if the inside of us is
filled with things that are sinful and do not glorify God, He is not pleasedwith
how we are living our lives.
2.1.2. The ‘internal part’ of the lives of the Pharisees andScribes describes
the things that filled their hearts, and a person’s heart is either filled with the
goodness ofthe Lord or it is filled with sin. The internal part of the Pharisees’
and Scribes’lives was filled with sin, for their hearts were bent upon robbery
and self-indulgence.
2.1.2.1..The King James translates this word ‘robbery’ here to be ‘extortion’,
for these men used their positions of authority in the nation for their own
purposes and extorted money from widows and those who were in
unfortunate circumstances.
2.1.2.2.This word‘self-indulgence’ is translatedas ‘greed’or ‘excess’in some
other translations, and it just speaks ofthe fact that these men were always
looking out only for themselves and any opportunity that they might be able

to find to exalt themselves or to profit personally either in their monetary
status or the lusts of their flesh.
2.2. In Matthew 5:19-20, Jesus soughtto differentiate external
righteousness from internal righteousness whenhis disciples were accusedof
eating with unclean hands, which went againstthe teachings of the Pharisees,
and in those verses He taught that it was from within out of the heart that all
sin originated, “19 “Forout of the heart come evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20 “Theseare the things
which defile the man; but to eat with unwashedhands does not defile the
man.””
2.3. In Luke 11:39-41, Jesus rebukedthe Pharisees forhaving only
external righteousness as He askedthem whether or not the same God created
the internal as well as the external parts of their lives, “39 But the Lord saidto
him, “Now you Phariseescleanthe outside of the cup and of the platter; but
inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. 40 “Youfoolish ones,
did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 “But give that
which is within as charity, and then all things are cleanfor you.”
2.4. In this chapter, Jesus is teaching that if we will concentrate upon
cleaning the inside of our lives where the attitudes and motives of our lives are
concerned, then the outside of us will automaticallyfall in line and be clean
also. Cleaning out the inside of our lives, dealing with where our hearts are
really at, is to getat the root of the sin that is in our lives.
For you are like whitewashedtombs which on the outside appearbeautiful,
but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 “Evenso
you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of
hypocrisy and lawlessness.”” - Jesus pronounces a ‘woe’ upon the Pharisees
and Scribes for appearing like whitewashedtombs which appearbeautiful but
inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness

3.1. In Israel, the people knew that if they were to accidentallystep on or
touch in any way a tomb or a dead body that they would be ceremonially
unclean for a week, and then they would have to go through the ritual
cleaning required by the Law of Moses before they could again be accepted
into the fellowship of the people and come into the temple. Thus, yearly they
would paint all of the tombs around Jerusalemwith a bright white paint so
that the tombs would stick out even at night and people wouldn’t accidentally
come into contactwith a tomb.
3.1.1. In Numbers 19:16-20, Moses has written down the ordinance to be kept
by those who become defiled by touching a dead personor a grave, “16 ‘Also,
anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a swordor
who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for
sevendays. 17 ‘Then for the unclean personthey shall take some of the ashes
of the burnt purification from sin and flowing water shall be added to them in
a vessel. 18 ‘And a clean personshall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and
sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were
there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying
naturally or the grave. 19 ‘Then the clean personshall sprinkle on the unclean
on the third day and on the seventhday; and on the seventh day he shall
purify him from uncleanness, and he shall washhis clothes and bathe himself
in water and shall be cleanby evening. 20 ‘But the man who is unclean and
does not purify himself from uncleanness, that personshall be cut off from the
midst of the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord; the
waterfor impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean.”
3.2. Jesus tells these Pharisees thatthey are like whitewashedtombs
which ‘on the outside appear beautiful’ due to their being painted yearly with
the bright white paint, but He tells them that just like those tombs, the only
beauty they had was on the outside of the tomb for inside the tomb there was
nothing but ‘dead men’s bones and all uncleanness’.
3.2.1. Jesus says thatit was only on the outside that they ‘appear righteous to
men’, but God who knows also what is on the inside of men knows that on the
inside of their hearts they are ‘full of hypocrisy and lawlessness’.

3.3. In Luke 11:44, Luke records some of the ‘woes’which Jesus
pronounced upon the Pharisees andScribes, and there Luke records that
Jesus saidthat these leaders in Israelwere just like the tombs that people
would accidentally stepon and then become unclean, for everyone who came
in contactwith these men were defiled by them, “44 “Woe to you! For you are
like concealedtombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of
it.””.
3.4. My pastor, Wayne Taylor, once taught us about what he called ‘fake
fruit’. He askedif we had ever noticedthat if you go to the store and buy the
plastic fruit for the decorative fruit plates, that every piece of fruit is perfectly
concentric and painted without a flaw. In contrast, realfruit is often lumpy
and has imperfections in it because it is born out of trials and the fiery
crucible of life. Many Christians act on the external like everything is going
well in their lives and the Lord is blessing them, and they come to church and
exhibit ‘fake fruit’ in their lives that is too real to be true, for it shows that it is
manufactured. The real fruit of the Holy Spirit is born out of real life, and
though it is not as shiny and concentric, it tastes really goodand that is what is
important.
For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the
righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we
would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the
prophets.’ 31 “Consequentlyyou bear witness againstyourselves, that you are
sons of those who murdered the prophets.”” - Jesus pronounces a ‘woe’
againstthe Pharisees andScribes for adorning the monuments of the
righteous and saying that if they were alive in the day of those men they would
not have been partners with their murders
4.1. This is an interesting ‘woe’because in it Jesus condemns the
Pharisees andScribes for honoring and venerating the saints and prophets of

old while falselyboasting that they would not have murdered those prophets
had they been alive during the days when they were martyred.
4.2. These leaders are being condemned because they on the one hand
recognize just how wrong it was to persecute those who lived righteously and
honored the Lord, and yet on the other hand they are doing the same things
that the people who murdered God’s prophets did, towards Jesus and those
who lived righteously.
4.2.1. The hearts of the Pharisees and Scribes were every bit as wickedas the
hearts of the people who murdered the prophets of old.
4.2.2. It is the Pharisees andScribes own testimony of how wrong the people
of old who murdered the prophets were that actually condemns themselves,
because they were doing the same things.
5. VS 23:32-33 - “32 “Fillup then the measure of the guilt of your
fathers. 33 “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the
sentence ofhell?”” - Jesus tells the Pharisees andScribes to ‘fill up the
measure of the guilt of your fathers’
5.1. Verse 32 is an interesting verse as it appears that Jesus tells the
Pharisees andScribes to continue in their sinning.
5.1.1. Thesemen had hardened their hearts to Godto the point that He is
giving them overto their sin, or confirming their own decisionin a sense.
Paul wrote in Romans 1:20-25 about how the Lord gives people over to a
reprobate mind who go too far in hardening the hearts to the Lord, “20 For
since the creationof the world His invisible attributes, His eternal powerand
divine nature, have been clearlyseen, being understood through what has
been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew
God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in
their speculations, and their foolishheart was darkened. 22 Professing to be
wise, they became fools, 23 and exchangedthe glory of the incorruptible God

for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed
animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore Godgave them over in the lusts
of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among
them. 25 For they exchangedthe truth of God for a lie, and worshipedand
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessedforever. Amen.”
5.1.2. Onthe night when Jesus was betrayed, Judas was finally sealedin his
heart by God to be confirmed in his own decisionto rejectChrist, as at the
last supper Jesus told him, “Whatthou does, do quickly”(see John 13:27).
5.1.3. In Rev. 22:10-12, the apostle Johnwrites some similar words to what
Jesus says here as he is wrapping up the revelation of Jesus Christ and sealing
up the words of prophesy which declare God’s soonjudgment to come upon
the world, “10 And he *saidto me, “Do not sealup the words of the prophecy
of this book, for the time is near. 11 “Let the one who does wrong, still do
wrong; and let the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is
righteous, still practice righteousness;and let the one who is holy, still keep
himself holy.” 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to
render to every man according to what he has done.””
5.2. Jesus calls these PhariseesandScribes ‘serpents’ and a ‘brood of
vipers’, words which symbolize many things in the scriptures:
5.2.1. Satanis calleda ‘serpent’ because of his cunning and evil stealthiness.
5.2.1.1.Thus, Jesustaught us to be ‘wise as a serpent’ and gentle as a dove.
5.2.2. It was as he had takenthe form of a ‘serpent’ that Satancame to Eve as
the tempter, and because ofhis cunning and stealthiness was successfulin
tempting her.
5.2.3. Vipers were very poisonous snakeswhichwere common in Israel, and
since they were small and lookedlike a stick on the ground, many people
didn’t seem them and were bitten and died because ofthe bite of these
creatures.
5.2.4. It was whenPaul was upon the island of Malta in Acts 28 when he had
a viper fasten onto his hand. Paul shook the viper off into the fire, and the

natives on the island were shockedthat Paul didn’t immediately die from the
poison, and then they beganto worship Paul.
5.3. Paul asks these PhariseesandScribes how it is that they think that
they will escapethe sentence ofhell?
5.3.1. Theseversesrevealonce againthat Jesus taughtvery clearly that there
was a literal hell that people were going to go who did not come to Christ for
salvationin this life.
6. VS 23:34-35 - “34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets
and wise men and scribes;some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of
them you will scourge in your synagogues, andpersecute from city to city, 35
that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from
the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the sonof Berechiah,
whom you murdered betweenthe temple and the altar.”” - Jesus tells the
Pharisees andScribes that he is going to send to them prophets, wise men, and
scribes, whom they will scourge and persecute
6.1. After His resurrectionfrom the dead, Jesus sentto the Pharisees and
Scribes His 12 apostles and many other disciples, and they persecutedthem.
All of the 12 apostles with the exception of John, the Son of Thunder, died of
martyrs deaths.
6.1.1. In Acts 7:54, we read that it was the Pharisees andScribes who killed
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, then next Herod had James, the Sonof
Thunder, thrust through with a sword after he saw how much it had pleased
the Jews thatStephen had been murdered.
6.1.2. Onthe missionaryjourneys of Paul in the book of Acts, we see that the
Jewishleaders in all parts of the known world would persecute those who
preachedthe gospelto them. See 2 Corinthians chapter 6 for a chronicle of
the sufferings which Paul endured during his missionary journeys, most of
which occurred at the hands of the Jews.

6.2. Interestingly though, Paul tells the Pharisees andScribes that they
will incur not only their ownguilt but they will also incur the built of ‘all
righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Able to the blood
of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered betweenthe temple
and the altar’.
6.2.1. In the scriptures, we read that eachpersonshould only incur the guilt
for his own sins, not for the sins of his fathers, howevera person’s guilt is
proportional to the amount of light that they have received, and those of
Jesus’day had receivedmore light than all of the generations before
combined, therefore they should be guilty of all of the sins of the previous
generations.
6.2.2. There are a couple of interesting things about these verses also:
6.2.2.1.Whyshould the range of guilt be from ‘Abel’, the first person
murdered in human history, to ‘Zechariah’?
6.2.2.1.1.Wasthis a representative group then? Did they represent really all
of those who were martyred for their faith in Old Testamenttimes?
6.2.2.2.Wedo not know who this man ‘Zechariah’ is?
6.2.2.2.1.There is no recordof a murder of the ‘Zechariah’ who was a minor
prophet and wrote the book by his own name?
6.2.2.2.1.1.However, Zechariah1:1 declares to us that this prophet’s father
was named Berachiah?
6.2.2.2.2.There are otherZechariah’s mentioned in the Old Testament, one in
particular in 2 Chron. 22-24, who lived in the latter part of the Old Testament
period may be the man mentioned here. He was the son of Jehoida the Priest.
Jehoida was a righteous priest, and he served the Lord all of his days. He
took the young man Joash, age 7, and made him to be king while his wicked
grandmother, Athaliah, had been ruling. Athaliah reigned after the death of
her sonAhaziah, and when she realized that her son was dead, she went and
had all of her grandsons from Ahaziah murdered so that she could reign as
the queen-mother. However, Joashhad been stolenawayand protected.

Well, when Joashwas 7 years old, Jehoida the priest anointed him as king
over Israel, and wickedAthaliah was then put to death. Joashthen served the
Lord faithfully for many years (he reigned 40 years), all of the years of
Jehoida’s life. However, nearthe end of his reign, Jehoida died at the age of
130 and he left his son Zechariahin charge as priest. Zechariah however
condemned Joashone day for his sin because afterthe death of Jehoida Joash
had turned away from the Lord to adolatry. Zechariahtold Joashthat
because he had abandoned the Lord, the Lord had abandoned him, and
therefore Joashhad Zechariah stoned to death, and that day Zechariah died
in that area betweenthe temple and the altar.
6.2.2.2.2.1.The problem with accepting this man to be the Zechariah
mentioned is that his father was not named Berachiah, but Jehoida. However,
it could be that when he was calledthe sonof Jehoida, he was really the
grandsonof Jehoida and that his father was named Berachiah.
7. VS 23:36 - “36 “Truly I say to you, all these things shall come
upon this generation.”” - Jesus verified that the ‘woes’that He had
pronounced on these Phariseesand Scribes were judgments that would
happen to them
7.1. Jesus oftenin His teachings said, ‘Truly, truly’, in order to emphasize
that He meant what He was saying.
7.2. The judgments did not fall for 40 years, howeverin God’s mind they
fell upon that generation. So, this brings us to a question of what is a
generationto God? This question will againbe askedin chapter 24 when
Jesus talks about the generationthat will witness the events that He speaks of
there.
8. VS 23:37 - “37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets
and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gatheryour

children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you
were unwilling.”” - Jesus reveals the tender love that He had for those who
were calledto be God’s people, the Israelites
8.1. In Luke 13:34, Jesus utteredtheses same words, including that which
is in verse 38, howeverLuke has Jesus uttering these words far before this
point in time in the gospelof Matthew, just before Jesus’arrestand
crucifixion.
8.1.1. It could be that Jesus uttered these words on more than one occasion.
8.2. There is greatsorrow and grief in these words uttered by Jesus, as
He does not enjoy the fact that the Israelites will now be judged by God for
turning awayfrom their God and rejecting their Messiah.
8.3. Jesus affectionatelyrefers to the Israelites as His little chicks, and
that like a mother hen He greatlydesired to gather His chicks and protect
them under the shelter of His able arms, however they were ‘unwilling’ to
come to Him for that protection.
9. VS 23:38 - “38 “Behold, your house is being left to you
desolate!”” - Jesus abandons the House of God
9.1. When Jesus had come into town at the beginning of this lastweek of
His life, He had purged the temple of the money changers because zealfor the
house of the Lord had consumed Him, now He rejects the house of God and
calls it ‘your house’ (referring to the Pharisees andScribes).
9.2. When God leaves our lives we are left ‘desolate’.
10. VS 23:39 - “39 “ForI say to you, from now on you shall not see Me
until you say, ‘Blessedis He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”” - Jesus

tells the Pharisees and Scribes that they will not see Him againuntil they are
hailing Him as the Messiahwith the same chants the people yelled when He
arrived at the beginning of the week during His Triumphal Entry
10.1. These words were originally written in Ps. 118:26.
10.2. In Zech. 12:10-12, we readabout that future time when all Israel shall
turn to the Lord and receive Jesus as their Messiah, “10 “AndI will pour out
on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace
and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and
they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep
bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born. 11 “In that day
there will be greatmourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of
Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 “And the land will mourn, every
family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by
themselves;the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by
themselves;”
11. CONCLUSION:
11.1. Remember, when we read the rebukes, ‘woes’, andjudgments uttered
againstthe religious leaders in Israel that they all apply to any people of any
era in time who are false teachers and prophets, leading God’s people astray
rather than onto the path that leads to God, His Son, and the salvationthat
was purchasedby His blood.
JESUS, JEW, AND JERUSALEM

Dr. W. A. Criswell
Matthew 23:37-39
3-29-81 8:15 a.m.
I welcome you on radio and on televisionto the services ofthe First Baptist
Church in Dallas. And this is the pastor bringing the messagein keeping with
our days of prophetic conference, the message entitledJesus, Jew, and
Jerusalem.
As a background, not in any wise as a text to exegete orto expound, but just
as a backgroundI read the lament of our Lord that closes the twenty-third
chapter of Matthew:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killestthe prophets, and stonestthem
which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gatheredthy children
together, even as a hen gatherethher brood under wings, but ye would not!
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
For I sayunto you, That ye shall see Me no more henceforth, until ye shall
say, Blessedis He that comethin the name of the Lord.
[Matthew 23:37-39]
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem”;that is the name of the most famous city in the
earth. It is situated on the most famous site in the earth. In the first Roman
century, Pliny said that by far the most famous city in the Orient was
Jerusalem. It is the city of the greatking, David. It is the city of the greater
King, when He cometh. It is the city of the mighty prophets as Isaiah was a
mighty prophet. It is the city of the sanctuary, the temple, the house of the
Lord, Solomon’s temple. It is the city of the Savior.

He was born in a little town about five miles awaycalledBethlehem [Matthew
2:1]. In that city of JerusalemHe was presented to the Lord [Luke 2:22-38].
In that city He suffered and died [Matthew 27:32-50]. He was buried
[Matthew 27:57-60]. The third day He rose again[Matthew 28:1-7]. He
ascendedinto heaven from Jerusalem[Acts 1:9-10].
In that city the church was quickened with the breath from heaven. It is the
city of Pentecost[Acts 2:1-4]. In that city went out the greatambassadors,
and missionaries, andpreachers of the gospelofthe grace ofthe Son of God.
In that city in Acts 15 was the first convoking councilof the Christian church
[Acts 15:4-6]. And in that city Paul was arrested[Acts 21:30-34]and from
that city sentto Rome [Acts 25:11-12, 28:16], there by the Spirit of God to
bear witness to the eternaltidings of grace in Christ Jesus.
The name is most interesting. The first time in secularliterature that we find
the name mentioned is in the famous twelve Armarna tablets. Armarna was
the name of one of the ancientcapitals of Egypt. And in about 1400 BC the
governorof the city of Irusalem—whenyou take an “i” out of the Semitic
tongue and place it in English it becomes a “j.” Like the name of Jesus is
Iesous, I-e-s-o-u-s, Iesous, put it in Englishit will be Jesus. The first reference
to the ancient city in secularliterature is in 1400 BC when the governor of
Urusalim writes to the Pharaohsaying he’s pressedby enemies and needs
help; Urusalim, a Semitic word that means “the city of Salem,” or “the city of
peace” in our language, Jerusalem, the city of peace.
The first time it is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures is in about 2000 BC in the
days of the ancient patriarch Abraham, who coming back from the slaughter
of the kings, stopped at Salemand there did obeisance before the priest. And
that’s the first time the word “priest” is used in the Bible—did obeisance
before Melchizedek, the priest of Salem, the city of peace, Jerusalem[Genesis
14:18].
And there did Abraham offer himself with a tithe before God [Genesis 14:20].
It is an unusual and amazing thing, that story. Before the nation of Israelwas
founded—for Israelis the name of Jacob—beforethe nation of Israel was
founded, there do you find the worship of the true God. And at leasta

thousand years before David took the city, are men calling upon the name of
El Elyon, the greatHigh God in Jerusalem[Genesis 14:18-19].
It is locatedin a strategic place in God’s sight. Noton a greatcaravan, not on
an navigable river, not on any body of water, up there high by itself, thirty
miles eastof the Mediterranean, fourteenmiles westof the Dead Sea, nineteen
miles north of Hebron, thirty miles south of Samaria, on a high ridge two
thousand five hundred fifty feet in elevation. No matter what direction you
come from, you never see the city until suddenly it bursts upon your sight.
“As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is around about
them that fear Him” [Psalm 125:2]. O beautiful for situation, the joy of the
whole earth, is Mount Zion” [Psalm 48:2].
Situated there it is a city with a wall around it, always has been, is today. On
the south wall indented by the Dung Gate just beyond the Gate of the
Fountain; the eastwall, the Golden Gate that is closedup, through which the
Prince of glory shall somedaycome. Justbeyond that on the eastside, Saint
Stephen’s Gate, named for the first Christian martyr. Then turning to the
north wall, Herod’s Gate, the famous Damascus Gate, up towardthe end the
New Gate;and then on the WesternWall, one gate, the Joppa Gate, the road
that leads down to Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean.
The history of the city has been filled with turmoil, and blood, and darkness,
and light, and glory, and blessings. In the twenty-secondchapter of the Book
of Genesis, Godsays to Abraham, “Take yourson, your only begottenson
Isaac. . .and offer him up on Mount Moriah” [Genesis 22:2], which is the
temple mount in Jerusalem.
In the tenth chapter of Joshua, it is in the hands of the Jebusites [Joshua 10:1],
and the conquering tribes of Israelwere not able to take it. In about 1000 BC
David said, “The man who takes it shall be captainof the host,” and Joabhis
nephew, overwhelmedit [1 Chronicles 11:6].
And there did David, the king of God’s people, set his throne and made it his
capital [1 Chronicles 11:7]. In the days of the greattransgressionwhen the
Lord was visiting judgment upon Israel, David saw the angelof the Lord with
his sworddrawn overJerusalem[2 Samuel 24:16]. And bowing down before

God in contrition and confession, he prayed God to spare the city [2 Samuel
24:17].
And the Lord saidto David, “Go up to the threshing floor of Araunah, on
Mount Moriah, where Abraham had offeredup Isaac [Genesis 22:2, 9-11],
and there build an altar. And expiation shall be made for the sin of the
people, and propitiation before the God of judgment” [2 Samuel 24:18]. And
David bought, on that sight where Abraham offered up Isaac, from Araunah,
the threshing floor and built an altar; and there entreated the mercy and
grace ofAlmighty God [2 Samuel 24:24-25]. And upon that place holy and
sacreddid Solomonbuild the temple of the worship of the Lord [2 Chronicles
3:1].
After the death of Solomon, in the next 300 years eight different times was the
city pillaged. The most famous instance in the life of that ancient Jerusalem
was when Sennacheribshut it up like a vise. More is told about that siege
than even the destructionunder Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king. And
Hezekiah, the king of the people of God, bowedbefore the Lord and laid
before Him the insults and the blasphemies of Sennacherib, the king and
generalof the bitter Assyrian host [Isaiah 37:15-20].
And the Lord spoke to Isaiah and said, “Go to Hezekiah, down on his knees in
the house of the Lord and tell him to be quiet, to rest; for the battle is Mine,
and the city will be saved” [Isaiah37:21, 33-35]. And that night the angelof
God passedoverthe host of the Assyrians and the next morning they counted
one hundred eighty-five thousand dead corpses [Isaiah37:36;2 Kings 19:35].
Thus did God deliver Jerusalemin answerto the prayer of a greatgoodking
Hezekiah[Isaiah 37:15-20].
But the days passedand the people and their rulers fell upon evil. And in 605
BC, Jeremiah lifted up his voice and cried to the people, “Repent. Getright
with God” [Jeremiah 3:12-14]. TheymockedGod’s voice and
Nebuchadnezzarcame and took away Danieland others of the royal seed
[Daniel 1:1-6]. Jeremiahlifted up his voice and cried, “Repent. Turn to God”
[Jeremiah 8:1-22]. The people mockedthe voice of the Lord [Jeremiah 8:12],

and Nebuchadnezzarcame in 598 BC and took awayEzekieland the priests
and the flower of the land [Jeremiah39:1-14].
Jeremiahlifted up his voice and cried, “Repent. Getright with God.”
[Jeremiah 25:1-7]. They not only mockedthe voice of the Lord, they took
God’s prophet and placed him in a miry pit that he might die of exposure and
starvation [Jeremiah38:6]. And Nebuchadnezzarcame in 597 BC and there’s
no need for him ever to return again, for the walls of the city were torn down
[2 Kings 25:1-10], and the site was plowed up, and the holy temple destroyed,
and the people carried awayinto Babylonian captivity.
There in Babylon did they weep.
They hung their harps upon the willow trees.
For they that carried them captive said, Sing us a song of Zion.
But how do I sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?
If I forgetthee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forgether cunning.
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not thee above my
chief joy.
[Psalm 137:1-6]
And in pity and in mercy, God heard the cries of His people. And Cyrus, in
536 BC having overwhelmedthe Babylonian Empire, gave a mandate that the
Jew was free to return [Ezra 1:1-3]. So Zerubbabel, a prince in the house of
David, and Joshua a descendentof Aaron the high priest, with about forty-
two thousand pilgrims returned back to the city [Ezra 2:1-2, 64; Haggai2:2].
The site grown up in weeds, buried in rubbish was disheartening [Nehemiah
4:2, 19]. They almost staggeredbefore the prospectof attempting to rebuild
the house of God. About sixty years later Ezra and Nehemiah, the prime
minister of the PersianEmpire under Artaxerxes Longimanus, Nehemiah
returned to the city [Nehemiah 2:1-9] and with Ezra brought greathope and
revival. And under the exhortation and preaching of Haggaiand Zechariah

the prophets, they built the temple [Ezra 5:13-15]. And the people began to
turn their faces in pilgrimage to the holy city of God.
In the interbiblical period is the story of Alexander the Great;a magnificent
story in Josephus. As you know, the greatMacedoniangeneralwas
overrunning and overwhelming the entire civilized world. And he came with
his army to Jerusalem, to destroy it. And Jaddua the high priest had a vision
from heaven telling him what to do. And Jaddua did it.
When Alexander the Greatwith his vast army came up to destroy Jerusalem,
Jaddua dressedin the beautiful garments of glory, with miter, and ephod, and
bell, and pomegranate, and with the breastplate of the twelve tribes of Israel,
he came forth opening the gates of the city. And behind him followedthe
priests dressedin white and behind them the people of the Lord praising God!
What a way to meet a generalbent upon the destruction and slaughterof the
city: to meet them in song, in glory, and in praise. And Jaddua the high priest
took the Holy Scriptures and read to Alexander the prophecies concerning
him in the Book ofDaniel. And so overwhelmed was Alexander that he bowed
down and worshipped in the temple and house of the Lord, and spared the
city, and beautified it, and glorified it.
After the death of Alexander in 320 BC, the Seleucids took Syria, the Ptolemys
took Egypt and Jerusalemwas a footballbetweenthem until finally the
Seleucids prevailed. And in 169 BC one of their kings, Antiochus Epiphanes,
sought to desecratethe holy city and the house of the Lord. He turned the
temple into a worship of Jupiter Olympus. He offereda sow on the holy altar
and took its juice and scatteredit over the holy house that it might be unclean.
Modein, a priestly town nearby, had in it a priest named Mattathias. He had
severalsons, one Judas the Hammerer, Judas Maccabeus. And in the
Maccabeanrevoltthey won their liberty. And the first thing Judas and his
victorious army did was to cleanse, to rededicate the house of the Lord on the
twenty-fifth day of our month of December. And they have reveled in that
victory ever since calling it the FeastofLights, or the Feastof Dedication
[John 10:22], or Hanukkah.

After the Maccabeanrevolt, there was such dissensionin the Maccabean
family that in 64 BC, Pompey the Roman generaltook it without a battle and
added the nation and the city to the Roman Empire, making it a province of
Rome. In 40 BC the Idumean, the Edomite who had become a Jew, Herod,
was appointed vassalking under Caesar. And in the days of that Herod the
Great, the Saviorwas born [Matthew 2:1-19].
In that holy city of Jerusalem, some of His greatestministries blessedthe
people. Our Lord spoke ofJerusalemfour times and in all four of them He
spake of it with sadness andinfinite pity. One time the Lord said, “It would
not be possible for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem[Luke 13:33]; and He
setHis face steadfastlyto go up to the Holy City [Luke 9:51], there to die for
the sins of the world” [1 John 2:2].
The secondtime He spoke ofit is in the passage thatI read to you: “O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem. . . behold, your house is left unto you desolate”
[Matthew 23:38]. The third time He spoke ofit was when coming over the
brow of Olivet, He saw the city spread out before Him and burst into tears,
“Seeing the city He wept, and cried, saying, If only thou hadst known the day
of thy peace;but now it is hid from thine eyes” [Luke 19:41-42].
The last, the fourth time the Lord mentioned it was in His prophecy of the
destruction of the city under Titus in 70 AD. And the Lord said, “And
Jerusalemshall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled” [Luke 21:24]. That awesomeprophecy of the treading
down of Jerusalemcame when Vespasianwas sent in 66 AD to quell the
rebellion in Galilee that spread throughout all of Palestine.
Vespasianwas calledback to be crown Caesarofthe Roman Empire, and he
left the destruction of the nation and of the city to his son Titus. And the
Roman legions, with their greatbattering rams destroyedthe wall, burned the
house of God, plowed it up, and renamed the city Capitolina. Foryears and
centuries the Jews were forbidden even to approachthe site.
In the days of Constantine, the RomanCaesarwho became a Christian, his
devout mother Helena, they callher Saint Helena, Helena went to Jerusalem
and there sanctifiedthe holy sites. And it became a Christian city.

Christian pilgrims by the thousands and all over the civilized world turned
their faces to the city of God. Then in 637 AD Omar the Caliph, the
Mohammedan Muslim Caliph of Egypt with his army stormed the city, put
the Christians to the edge of the sword, and on the Mount Moriah, on
Solomon’s holy temple sites, there they raiseda Muslim shrine calledthe
Dome of the Rock. Theypurported to say—whichis a sheerfiction—that
Mohammed was miraculously brought there. And from that place he was
miraculously wafted up into heaven on a white fiery steed.
Mohammed never saw Jerusalemin his life nor did he ever visit it. But they
had to have some kind of a fictional myth linking the prophet with the Holy
City. So in 637 Omar the Caliph took it by the sword and made it a Muslim
shrine that holy temple, that holy site, that place of the altar of David and of
Abraham.
As the days passed, in 1000 BC the Selduk Turks took it. In 1100 AD—in
1000 AD the Turks took it—in 1100 AD was the first Christian Crusade. And
they won back the city from the Muslim. But they kept it only about 87 years.
In about 1200 AD Saladin the Arab general, one of the greatestmilitary
geniuses ofall time, overwhelmed the crusaders, wonit back to the Muslims.
In 1500, the Ottoman Turks took it and made it a part of the Turkish Empire.
And in 1917 GeneralAllenby representing the Allied Forces ofthe Western
World, liberated it from the Ottoman Turks and opened it for the pilgrims
and the people who love God and who turned their faces to that holy place.
The British kept it for a mandate for a generation. But because ofthe
seething turmoil in it, in May 1948 the British turned the mandate back to the
United Nations. Immediately there was war in the Holy Land and the state of
Israelwas proclaimed and recognizedimmediately by 65 nations of the earth.
So the days have passedin turmoil and in terror and in bloodshed.
In June of 1967 was the Six DayWar. We were there not long after. I was
eating lunch with two of the Israeli leaders, Aaron Brun the minister of
tourism and his most capable and gifted guide, IsraelSulkovich. And, they
were saying to me, “We were standing on the brow on the other side, looking
down into the old city, and the Wall of Wailing, and the temple site; and we

Jesus was hurt by the unwilling

Jesus was hurt by the unwilling

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Jesus was hurt by the unwilling

Similar to Jesus was hurt by the unwilling (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Jesus was hurt by the unwilling