Mt. 23.1-12_No Holds Barred.pptx
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At the end of chapter 22, we saw that Jesus made a pivot. Whereas throughout that chapter, Jesus was on the defensive facing many rounds of questions from critics seeking to trap him, in the closing 7 verses Jesus became the questioner. This pivot continues in chapter 23. Jesus will engage the Scribes and Pharisees forcefully throughout this chapter. If you’re a fan of professional wrestling you are likely familiar with the phrase “No Holds Barred.” This phrase describes Jesus as he presses his indictment on the Pharisees with the strongest of language and gives his disciples new marching orders, culminating in a “Great Reversal”.
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Mt. 23.1-12_No Holds Barred.pptx
- 3. Sermon Overview THE INDICTMENT NEW MARCHING ORDERS THE GREAT REVERSAL
- 6. The Pharisees were: 1. Hypocritical (1-3)
- 7. The Pharisees were: 1. Hypocritical (1-3) 2. Indifferent (4)
- 8. The Pharisees were: 1. Hypocritical (1-3) 2. Indifferent (4) 3. Proud (5-7)
- 12. What about us???
- 13. Mt. 23:8-11 NEW MARCHING ORDERS
- 14. “I’m just Billy”
- 15. Bruce B. Barton “What parallels might we find today? Any time we settle for appearance over truth, we tread a time-worn path. Our culture has made image a higher priority than character…”
Editor's Notes
- 2013 Wrestling movie featuring Hulk Hogan Review 1: “Hogan himself has an appealing screen presence -- like a gallant teddy bear who goes berserk every 10 minutes or so.” Review 2: “I feel so much dumber having watched this.” Review 3: Charmless, stupid and badly made. No Holds Barred makes Rocky look like Citizen Pain. I never saw the movie. And reading the reviews, it doesn’t look like I missed much. However, I do remember watching No Holds Barred matches with my Dad. No refs… No rules… lots of action. As we move into Matthew 23, we may find ourselves a little uncomfortable. It is not so long ago that we studied Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where he told us to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us and turn the other cheek. That is the Jesus we know best. However, Jesus is not one dimensional. He is not always gentle. Sometimes he goes hard. In Matthew 23, Jesus takes on the Scribes and the Pharisees… No Holds Barred. This chapter is like a hockey match when the gloves come off. We will hear a more forceful Jesus than we are accustomed to. There will be biting sarcasm delivered by the sharpest rapier wit. Jesus won’t just defeat the Pharisees. He will bust them up.
- So, let’s look at a quick sermon overview. We will begin by looking closely at Jesus’ opening words of indictment in verses 1-7 as he makes his case against these leaders. Then, we will see that Jesus addresses a different audience in verses 8-11, His disciples. It’s the same place. Same time. But now, he turns to his friends and gives them new marching orders, commissioning them to be the very opposite of the religious leaders. Finally, in verse 12 Jesus will end with another stating of His Great Reversal theme which re-emphasizes the unique difference in His Kingdom.
- The Indictment Matthew 23:1-7 1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, . 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. Our text begins with Jesus addressing a mixed crowd which includes His disciples and the Scribes and Pharisees. The scribes were Pharisees who specialized in the teaching of both the Bible and their own traditions. The Pharisees were devoted to these same teachings and traditions. They often appear together because they are two ranks of the same group. In verse 2 Jesus says that the Scribes and Pharisees “sit in Moses’ seat.” There are two aspects to this statement. On the one hand, this is a metaphorical statement. We speak in a similar way when we speak of Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking having both sat in the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics. In saying that the Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat, Jesus is publicly restating their own claim to be Moses’ successors. This does not mean that Jesus endorses their claim. The balance of this chapter will make it clear that he does not.
- But there is another aspect of Jesus reference to Moses’ seat. This Hebrew inscribed stone chair is the “Moses’ Seat” from the Synagogue at Chorazin, one of the fishing villages that Jesus frequented in Galilee. The lead Scribe or Rabbi would sit in this seat during the synagogue service and teach from this chair. This was a standard feature in the synagogues of Jesus’ day, and it will be important a bit later. Before Jesus presses his indictment, he makes an unexpected statement in verses 2-3: 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. These verses raise a question upon which the commentators divide. Was Jesus encouraging the crowd to follow the teachings of the Pharisees? Some suggest
- The Indictment: The Pharisees were hypocritical. They didn’t practice what they preached (1-3)
- The Indictment: The Pharisees were indifferent: They weighed people down unnecessarily (4)
- The Indictment: The Pharisees were proud They lusted for attention (5-7)
- The “First Couch” Triclinium
- New Marching Orders Mt. 23:8-11 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
- What parallels might we find today? Any time we settle for appearance over truth, we tread a time-worn path. Our culture has made image a higher priority than character. In modern terms, Jesus’ charges sound like this: “Contrary to popular opinion, image isn’t everything. You are far too concerned with how you look and how others see you. You are not concerned with how your heavenly Father sees you.” When Jesus holds up a mirror to our character and we see nothing deeper than our image, we need to repent.
- The Great Reversal Matthew 23:12 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.