There is s saying that those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it. As I have become more familiar with the history of “Christianity” and even with what I both see and hear today, we are going down the same road the Israelites of the Old Testament did. The road led to Israel’s destruction with a remnant left behind and eventually the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. When I see so many parallels between the professing “church” and the physical Israelites of the Old Testament, it shed even more light on Jesus’ question in the gospels--”Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
In this article, we are going to examine Matthew 23, which was Jesus’ words to the Pharisees. The things that are talked about in these scriptures are things we can actually relate to because they are talking place within church institutions today. For that reason, some of the things that Jesus says by principle can apply to what is presently going. I pray that we have the heart to hear and take seriously what is being said in these verses. Before we break it down, read the whole chapter for yourself HERE and then press the back button to return to this article.
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
(Matthew 23:1-3 - ESV)
When you go to a “church service,” there are many good things that you will be told by the leaders there, no doubt. They will tell you to seek God and draw closer to Him. Though their words sometimes are intermingled with false doctrine, the fact is that some truth comes out of even the worse of false teachers. But here’s the kicker. The good words that many of them say, they don’t follow. For though they may tell you to follow God, their ways and their false teachings ultimately show that they aren’t even doing that themselves. And so the words of Isaiah 29:13 come true. But remember, there still are good preachers out there telling the truth and not everyone bears a resemblance to the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus’ day.
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.
(Matthew 23:4 - ESV)
The church institution, whether they want to admit or not, has become a burden in people’s lives. After being delivered by Jesus from the bondage of Satan and sin, many people go into the church institution and become in bondage to an organization. As members of these institutions, people are expected to give financially, give of their time and give of their efforts for what is supposed to be for the good of the “church” but actually is for the ultimate good of the institution. Why is it that a pastor can beg in front of the congregation about his financial struggles and get such a great response without question whereas, other people must bring their financial statements to the leaders in order to receive a dime? In the institutions, the people pay the pastor’s salary and buy his merchandise, but what does the pastor do for the people who are financially struggling other than tell them to believe in God more and to tithe regularly? Are we seeing the trend?
They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
(Matthew 23:5-7 - ESV)
How many pastors are actually humble today by the Bible’s standards? You may say that your pastor is such a man. But see how your pastor matches up against what is spoken by Jesus here and for the rest of Matthew 23.
Does your pastor love attention? Be honest with yourself on this. Does your pastor wear a garment to differentiate himself from you? Does he always seem to have scriptures available (phylacteries were scriptures that the Pharisees wore on their clothes) to somehow justify their prideful behavior and their false doctrines? And what about the church service--does your pastor sit in the front row or on the stage and then speak, not among you and the rest of people, but over you from a pulpit? When you greet your pastor, do you greet him as “pastor” or as “brother?” And does he stop you when you say “pastor?”
These are questions that go right in line with what Jesus is dealing with in Matthew 23. And we as believers are responsible for honestly answering them. For if we do, then we will have our eyes opened to the truth of what is really happening among many of the professing churches.
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
(Matthew 23:8-12 - ESV)
As I have pointed out in other articles and audio messages, to call someone in the church by a formal title is prohibited and in some cases, blasphemous in the eyes of Jesus. Yes, we should never be calling someone “pastor,” “bishop,” “reverend,” “Father,” “pope,” or any other title you can think of when it comes to the church. Why? Because we are simply brothers and sisters in Christ, with some younger and with some older. That’s it.
Jesus then goes on to show what true leadership in the church should look like. It is not to rule and lord over people (1 Peter 5:1-3), but to show by example how to live out the faith. Is that not exactly what Jesus did for us in so many ways?
And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Mark 10:42-45 - ESV)
Do your church leaders have the same attitude that Christ had when He was on the earth? Do they realize that they are not appointed (to be honest, some who do serve in leadership were never called) to get rich and have people serve them but they are to be the ones who sacrifice to serve others. Who was it in the Gospel of John who got down on the floor and washed feet? Was it Peter, John or James? No, it was Jesus.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
(Matthew 23:13-15 - ESV)
Just like Jesus was able to see through the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribes of His day, He can see through the hypocrisy of the church my brothers and sisters. Revelation 2-3 shows us this with those 7 churches as examples that Jesus does see and does recognize what is right and what is wrong about the churches.
Now Jesus’ words here are interesting because he says that the Pharisees and scribes aren’t entering the kingdom of heaven and neither are those who follow them. People of corruption will only lead others to corruption. It’s like the blind leading the blind. Many church leaders actually don’t realize that they aren’t even followers of Jesus Christ in the Lord’s eyes and at the same time, are leading many others astray.
And just like we have many megachurches today that go all over the world and spread their heresies, the Pharisees and scribes did the same back in Jesus’ time. And when we have pastors who are really children of hell, then their converts will go far beyond what they’ve done.
CLICK FOR PART II
In this article, we are going to examine Matthew 23, which was Jesus’ words to the Pharisees. The things that are talked about in these scriptures are things we can actually relate to because they are talking place within church institutions today. For that reason, some of the things that Jesus says by principle can apply to what is presently going. I pray that we have the heart to hear and take seriously what is being said in these verses. Before we break it down, read the whole chapter for yourself
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so practice and observe whatever they tell you—but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
(Matthew 23:1-
When you go to a “church service,” there are many good things that you will be told by the leaders there, no doubt. They will tell you to seek God and draw closer to Him. Though their words sometimes are intermingled with false doctrine, the fact is that some truth comes out of even the worse of false teachers. But here’s the kicker. The good words that many of them say, they don’t follow. For though they may tell you to follow God, their ways and their false teachings ultimately show that they aren’t even doing that themselves. And so the words of Isaiah 29:13 come true. But remember, there still are good preachers out there telling the truth and not everyone bears a resemblance to the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus’ day.
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.
(Matthew 23:4 -
The church institution, whether they want to admit or not, has become a burden in people’s lives. After being delivered by Jesus from the bondage of Satan and sin, many people go into the church institution and become in bondage to an organization. As members of these institutions, people are expected to give financially, give of their time and give of their efforts for what is supposed to be for the good of the “church” but actually is for the ultimate good of the institution. Why is it that a pastor can beg in front of the congregation about his financial struggles and get such a great response without question whereas, other people must bring their financial statements to the leaders in order to receive a dime? In the institutions, the people pay the pastor’s salary and buy his merchandise, but what does the pastor do for the people who are financially struggling other than tell them to believe in God more and to tithe regularly? Are we seeing the trend?
They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
(Matthew 23:5-
Does your pastor love attention? Be honest with yourself on this. Does your pastor wear a garment to differentiate himself from you? Does he always seem to have scriptures available (phylacteries were scriptures that the Pharisees wore on their clothes) to somehow justify their prideful behavior and their false doctrines? And what about the church service-
These are questions that go right in line with what Jesus is dealing with in Matthew 23. And we as believers are responsible for honestly answering them. For if we do, then we will have our eyes opened to the truth of what is really happening among many of the professing churches.
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
(Matthew 23:8-
Jesus then goes on to show what true leadership in the church should look like. It is not to rule and lord over people (1 Peter 5:1-
And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Mark 10:42-
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
(Matthew 23:13-
Now Jesus’ words here are interesting because he says that the Pharisees and scribes aren’t entering the kingdom of heaven and neither are those who follow them. People of corruption will only lead others to corruption. It’s like the blind leading the blind. Many church leaders actually don’t realize that they aren’t even followers of Jesus Christ in the Lord’s eyes and at the same time, are leading many others astray.
And just like we have many megachurches today that go all over the world and spread their heresies, the Pharisees and scribes did the same back in Jesus’ time. And when we have pastors who are really children of hell, then their converts will go far beyond what they’ve done.
MATTHEW 23 PT. II
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