Matthew 23:27-39

Ø The hypocrisy of their profession, 23:27-28.

The issue here is profession as it was in Sardis, the church that had a reputation of being alive but were in fact dead (Rev. 3:1).  Tombs were customarily splashed with a lime-paint annually so they would stand out lest a Jew touch them and become unclean.  The whitewash made them temporarily attractive but, of course, they werre the abode of bones and rotted flesh.  The hypocrite is wickedly ugly inside, even if he appears temporarily or occasionally holy inside.

Ø The hypocrisy of their pronouncements, 23:29-36.

These religious zealots maintained the tombs of the prophets.  For example, Herod, in response to the leader’s request, had built a new monument over David’s tomb.  They used this occasion to announce their loyalty to the prophets.  But what was the reality?  They were ready to kill Jesus indicating they were consistent, not with the great prophets, but with those who had persecuted the great prophets.  Even at this moment they were engaged in plotting to kill Christ.  

This gets strong words again: Serpents, brood of vipers!  They are like Satan, their true father; thus they will get what Satan gets: the condemnation of hell.  They killed the messengers God had sent to them (Mt. 21:33-40).  Thus they would receive the judgment of those before them who had killed the prophets from Abel (Gen. 4, Cain killed him) to Zechariah (2 Chron. 24:20-22), the first and last martyrs in the Old Testament record.  [Note: Zechariah, the son of Berechaiah: in the OT record Zechariah the martyr has a different father.  It is unlikely there is a manuscript problem here since all texts agree with the reading.  It may simply be that Jesus knows something not recorded in the OT.]

Matt. 23:36 is an important transition.  Jesus says because of the hypocrites judgment will come upon this generation.  The problem with shepherds that are hypocritical is that they lead others astray.  You may remember this from David, in his great prayer of confession (Psalm 51).  He confessed his sin, and was concerned that what he did as king would impact the nation (51:13-15,18).

The judgment that will come came in AD70 when the Romans destroyed the city and banished Israel from the land.  Jesus would have protected them if they had trusted in Him, receiving Him as the Christ.  But instead they will not see Him, their Messiah, until He comes again, when all Israel will acknowledge Him with the words that many said at His triumphal entry (Mt. 21:9).  In that day the praise will be sincere, not the hypocrisy of Israel at His first coming.

For application to leaders in the body of Christ I commend to you Paul’s statement in 2 Cor. 4:2: But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.  Oh for such sincere, pure religion today!

Matthew 23:16-26

Ø The hypocrisy of their promises, 23:16-22.

In this passage you see clearly the lifestyle of the hypocrites (i.e. the rules they brought upon people) being translated into their preaching (their theology).  The appearance is that people are often impressed with the technicalities of religious Law.  And especially if the teachers claimed to be living by these rules.  People with such practical and specific rules of life must be holy!

But the fact is that it lead to foolishness and to deceit, as Jesus points out.  The rules allowed for getting out of obligations of the law in some cases.  This was not truth but evasion of the truth.  And note that the term here is not hypocrites but blind guides; these kinds of rules and the promises attached to them lead people astray.  They were liars after Satan, their father (John 8:44).

Ø The hypocrisy of their priorities, 23:23-24.

The hypocrites seemed religious because of the way they meticulously tithed the smallest items in their income.  Mint, anise (dill) and cumin (resembles caraway) spices that were cultivated but grew wild as well.   But the reality was that they left undone the major issues.  They majored on the minor; they minored in the major.  Cults usually do that, majoring on something other than the gospel.  Churches can do the same (Christmas candy, pink chandeliers, politics, Bible translations, etc.).  Jesus condemns this!

Ø The hypocrisy of their performance, 23:25-26.

We have noted earlier that the religion of hypocrisy magnifies what is on the outside and not the inside.  Here, the reference to the “clean cup” seems to point more to service as the cup is a means of service.  So these hypocrites seemed to give themselves as servants.  But inside they were filled with extortion (thievery, demanding that people put money in the coffers under the guise of obedience to God, even burdening widows to sell their houses and give the money into the treasury, 23:14).  They cared for themselves instead of the flock, getting fat off the flock (Ezek. 34:1-10).

Take a moment to meditate on these passage from the Epistles that speak of hypocrisy.

·        2 Cor. 5:12: hypocrites boast in appearance, not in the heart.

·        Gal. 6:3: hypocrites think they are something when they are nothing.

·        Phil. 3:19: hypocrites set their mind on earthly things.

·        2 Tim. 3:5: hypocrites have a form of godliness but deny it’s power (from such turn away).

·        Titus 1:16: hypocrites profess to know God but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient and disqualified for every good work.

·        2 Peter 2:16: hypocrites use liberty as a cloak for evil.

·        1 John 4:20: hypocrites say they love God but hate their brother.

Matthew 23:11-15

Here are several illustrations of hypocrites in the New Testament Church, people who had an appearance of virtue or religion.

·             Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10).

·             Simon Magus (Acts 8:18-23).

·             Peter and other Christians including Barnabas at Antioch (Gal. 2:11-14).

·             The Judaizing Christians in Galatia (Gal. 6:13).

·             The false teachers at Ephesus (Rev. 2:2).

What underlies this hypocrisy?  Is it the lust of the flesh, where we appear to suffer because pain is the mark of holiness?  Maybe.  Is it the lust of the eyes, the desire for money and things?  No!  In every case it is the pride of life!  People want to be well thought of by people around them.  They are men-pleasers!

Jesus set the stage for judging hypocrites by clarifying the path to greatness (23:11-12). God is the One who exalts the humble.  The key is not pleasing men but God who knows the heart.  What did Jesus see that was hypocritical?

Ø The hypocrisy of their preaching, 23:13.

They preached righteousness by the works of the Law which sounds holy and pious and even logical to most people.  But it is a deadly message; it actually shuts people out of the kingdom.  This message is the stumbling stone and rock of offense prophesied by Isaiah and referred to by Jesus (Matt. 21:42) and Paul (Rom. 9:30-33).  You will remember the religious leaders kicked people out of the synagogue if they spoke well of Jesus (e.g. John 9:22,34).

Ø The hypocrisy of their praying, 23:14. (Omitted from some translations.)

We will discuss devouring widow’s houses later.  Here it is related to the long prayers of the hypocrites.  Long prayers are assumed to exhibit holiness.  Yet when they were not praying they violated the law by taking advantage of the weak (e.g. Ex. 22:22-24).  The hypocrisy of coming to God when you regard iniquity in your heart (Ps. 66:18) means God will not hear you.  The LORD is far from the wicked; but He hears the prayer of the righteous (Pr. 15:29).

Ø The hypocrisy of their proselytizing, 23:15.

They were great evangelizers it seemed.  The term proselyte means to come over.  In other words they were calling people to repentance.  But in fact their ministry kept people out of heaven (v13) and increased people’s sin and rebellion (v15).  What they called people to come to was to the Pharisaic religion which we have noted was a false gospel.  They did not call people to worship Christ!

We will continue this tomorrow.  But don’t fail now to think about Jesus indictment of these religious zealots.  Jesus, the Head of the Church, will use the same standard of judgment for hypocrisy wherever He finds it.