Matthew 23:1-12

Good morning. If you will go ahead and turn to Matthew chapter 23. This week, this week I was on a job site and I had a question about what the work order said versus what actually needed to be done there on the job site.

So I called the office. And in the process of talking about the job, the person on the other end said. I saw you and your podcast online, so I clicked on it to see what was going on, see what you were about.

I think they listen, listen before. I said, praise the Lord. And then they said, and then I fell asleep. I sell. So that's always the preacher's fear that we'll take our naps during the sermon. But they said it was late at night.

They should already been in bed and that they would go back and listen to it later. Matthew chapter 23, we're going to look at verses 1 through 12. I'm not going to ask you if you have seen this movie.

But I'm going to ask, have you ever heard of the movie Back to the Future? They never heard about that movie. There's Back to the Future number three. And in Back to the Future number three, they make it out to the wild, wild west, and they are trying to get back to the future.

And so the doc, he builds up this scale model of how they're going to, his plan on how they're going to get back, or at least Marty McFly is going to get back to the future. And he's showing Marty, this is how we're going to get back to the future.

We're going to have a locomotive, we're going to have a train to push the car on the train tracks. And you're going to get up to a certain speed. And then it's going to take us, it's going to get us enough power to get us back to the future.

And Marty says, doc, what does this sign mean? Point of no return. He says, well, before that point, we have enough time to stop the train and everything will be fine. But if you go past that sign, then it is future or bust.

And so I think that is, to me, that's the image that comes to my mind as I looked at this passage. So if you have Matthew chapter 23, open up, you see the big, big numbers 23. Just take a glance at your Bible.

Because we want to look at the context, we want to know what is going on around the whole passage that we're looking at. And what is happening here is that we are approaching the point of no return for the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, and even Jerusalem and the temple.

You see what Pastor Chris has led us through up to this point. In chapter 22, Jesus is having an interaction with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and then the Pharisees. And in their interaction, scripture says that he silenced them with his response to them.

And in our sandwich, there's one bookend. We're kind of in the middle in our passage today. And then the other bookend, the other piece of the bread in our sandwich, Jesus goes back to the Pharisees and the scribes as his main audience.

And he is pronouncing judgment on them. So where we are in his interaction with the scribes and Pharisees and scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees is right in the middle. And he's addressing a different audience.

That different audience is the crowds and his disciples. So let's read our passage and then we'll get into it. Verses 1 through 12. Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and disciples, saying, The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses.

Therefore, all that they tell you, do and observe and do not do according to their deeds, for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.

But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men, for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels of their garments. They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by men.

But do not be called rabbi, for one is your father and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your father, he who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders, for one is your leader, that is Christ.

But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. So one of the things that I hope you can recall from me preaching before in Matthew that I want to continue to reiterate and emphasize is knowing the original audience.

We want to talk about context and we want to know about the original audience. So we remember the Pharisees, remember the Sadducees, the scribes, their original audience. Here we have the crowds and the disciples.

And even when you get to verse 11 where it says, the greatest among who? The greatest among you. He's speaking to a specific people. So we need to remember our audience. One of the largest problems that we've had for so long in the church with pastors and hearers is that we want to jump straight into application.

We may even have a pastor that preaches verse by verse, but all of it is simply application to where it fits us today. We want to preach and hear the things that we want to hear. And to give a specific relevant example, this is July 4th week.

And I'm sure there are many, many, many churches still yet today that have American flags everywhere, singing patriotic music and hearing a patriotic sermon. Which we want to be thankful for the men and women who have given their lives or given their lives today and to God for the freedom that we have.

We want to be thankful for that. But without the freedom of Jesus Christ, we wouldn't have any of that. And so this is not a sanctuary of idolatry where we worship at another flag or we worship another constitution or set of rules.

We worship the Lord Jesus Christ and it's because of him we have those things. And so those are the most popular sermons that we hear. Even the small clips. The popular thing now is to break your sermon up into clips so that you can keep people's attention online.

A short 30 minute section, 30 seconds, 60 second clip where you can keep people's attention online. And what you hear is sermons, clips about me, about you, about I, about we. You hear all those pronouns and it's just all about us.

But what we want to hear is what God has to say to us. Not just simply what we want to hear. And if we want to hear what God has to say to us, then we have to hear what God said to the original audience.

And if we don't examine who and keep in mind who the original audience was, then we'll miss what God was saying to both them and to us. So my encouragement to you and to me is always whether you do it physically with a pen or pencil or if you do it mentally, underline, underline, underline, circle, circle, circle the audience.

Even in places like verse 11 where he says the greatest among you. We want to remember our audience. We want to hear what God has to say. And it seems like in our passage today, Jesus is addressing an audience that is interested in his teaching.

They want to hear what God has to say. So point number one, for that reason, I believe that Jesus is exposing their responsibility. Observe what's going on here. Jesus says that the scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses.

When we think about Moses, what's the number one thing that we think of? The law. That's the number one and sometimes the only thing that we think of is the law. But that doesn't quite make sense in this passage when Jesus says all that they tell you do and observe.

Because previously in Matthew chapter 16 and in many other places, Jesus is giving warning to the crowds and the disciples. Beware of the leaven of the scribes and the Pharisees. But here he's saying all that they tell you do and observe.

So I don't think it's Moses' role as lawgiver that is in Jesus' mind here. So another thing that I want us to keep in mind as we try to understand what God is saying to us, how we understand that. And things that I've said before as I've preached through this book is that Matthew and Jesus both continually point to the Old Testament.

They point to the Old Testament. And it's pretty typical. It's a pretty typical thing when they quote an Old Testament passage. We want to understand the context of where they're coming from so that we can understand what they're saying at that time.

So let's take a look. If we look at some passages in Exodus and Deuteronomy, I think we'll understand what Jesus is referring to here when he says the scribes and the Pharisees have taken the seat of Moses.

And it's not that of giving the law. I think Jesus is referring to that position of Moses where he is their judge. So if you will flip over with me to Exodus. Exodus chapter 18. And I'm going to flip along with you so to give everybody an opportunity to find it.

Exodus chapter 18 verses 14 through 16. This is where I think Jesus is pointing with his teachings here in Matthew 23. Exodus 18, 14 through 16. Now when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, what is this thing that you were doing for the people?

Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening? Moses said to his father-in-law, because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, it comes to me and I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and his law.

So the seat and this was, there were actual seats made of stone that were around the temple, around the synagogue that they would sit on. And I believe that Jesus is referring to this seat of judgment that Moses would have sat on to make judgment among the people.

And we'll see if you look later on in Exodus and Leviticus, you'll see how that responsibility, Moses took the advice of his father-in-law and divided those responsibilities up amongst other people.

Yet at this juncture, Jesus is telling his people, excuse me, I skipped over. The power and influence of the scribes and the Pharisees and Sadducees, they're being chipped away by Jesus' teaching. He has condemned their teaching, he has condemned their influence over the people.

But at this juncture, Jesus tells the people to listen as they make judgments. And prophetically, this is interesting, prophetically, as he tells them to listen to them as they make their judgments, he is sealing his own fate because in not too much time, they're going to be making a judgment on his life.

So Jesus tells them to do and observe their judgments, but do not do what they do. And that leads us to number two, Jesus exposes the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. They tie up heavy loads and lay them on people and they are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.

I would say that that first part is pretty easily discerned. So whatever it was that the Pharisees were telling the people to do, it's pretty clear that it was really heavy for them to carry. So much so that it was almost impossible for them to carry.

So that part is pretty easily understood. But what does it mean when it says that they were unwilling to move them? What is them? They were unwilling to move them with even so much as a finger. I think we can glean a much better understanding from another Old Testament passage.

So if you have your finger, if you have to have your finger on Exodus, go back to Exodus and we'll look at one verse, Exodus 23, verse five. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him.

You shall surely release it with him. The Pharisees are the ones who tied up the load and put it on the people's shoulders. It was a load too heavy to bear. Therefore, the people became just like the beast of burden where they had this load on them.

They were helpless with the load resting on top of them. And the Pharisees and scribes and Sadducees, they did not heed this command. The principle of this command in Exodus, even though they were the ones who put this heavy load on the people's shoulders, they were unwilling to show mercy to even to even move a finger to help ease the burden of that load.

Verses five through seven in Matthew 24. They love the place of honor, chief seats and respectful greetings. The hypocrisy of the Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees. First Corinthians one, which we've been reading through first Corinthians in our service.

First Corinthians 130 through 31. It is because of him you are in Christ Jesus. Who has become for with for us wisdom of God, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, and here we are again pointing back for it is written, let him who boasts boast in the Lord.

This was not the attitude or the behavior of the Pharisees. In fact, they boasted about themselves even before the Lord. If you look at Luke 18, 11 through 12. The Pharisees stood and prayed thus with himself.

God, I thank thee that I'm not like these other men who are extortioners, unjust adulterers, or even as the publican. I fast twice a week and I give tithes of all that I possess. And I think recently we looked at the rich young ruler who said, I've kept all these things since my youth.

This was what they saw when they looked in the mirror. But this is not what Jesus saw. Jesus saw something different. In Luke 11, 39 through 44. But the Lord said to him, now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter.

But inside you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones did not he who made the outside make the inside also. But give that which is within as charity. And then all things are clean for you.

Woe to you Pharisees for you pay tithe and mint and rue and every kind of garden herb. And yet you disregard justice and the love of God. But these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Woe to you Pharisees for you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you for you are like concealed tombs and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.

If you follow the way of the Pharisee, all their religion would have been on the outside. This is where everyone can see it. When our religion, our good deeds, our righteousness is done on the outside to be seen before men.

The thing that is on the inside is all wrong. They're boasting with not have been for the Lord, but for themselves. Therefore, just like Jesus is saying here in Luke, whatever you serve in your cup or your platter, when that even though the outside is clean, if the inside is dirty, whatever you're serving is going to make whatever you're serving dirty itself.

In verse 41, Jesus tells them to do that which is within as charity, then all will be clean. So what does he mean by that? I'm sure at least one of the reasons why Jesus did not do the ceremonial washing.

See the context here in Luke is that they were upset with him because he did not first do his ceremonial washings before the meal. And I'm sure one of the reasons why he didn't do that was because so he could teach this lesson.

So that which is within would be their spiritual obedience before the Lord, those things that are right and moral and ethical before the Lord. The Pharisees were concerned about their bodies being cleaned on the outside so that when they ate, it didn't make their inside unclean.

However, Jesus is saying that showing mercy and grace and loving kindness, such in their example, would be giving alms to the poor instead of robbing from them. Doesn't make you clean, but it reveals a spiritual cleanness on the inside.

And then that makes all things clean. So your good deeds, your righteousness, those things that you do morally, ethically before the Lord reveals a cleanness on the inside. And then that makes everything clean.

The Pharisees, however, were more concerned about their appearance before men. And one more thing I want to look at in this in this section. I wanted to go back up for just a moment and look at something pretty powerful.

I think this is a reminder from Jesus that who they have decided to be has serious consequences. What Jesus says to them here is a reminder to them that who they have decided to be has serious consequences.

Jesus said, but they do all their deeds to be noticed by men. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels of their garments. The Pharisees have put themselves in a grave circumstance and seem to entirely be unconcerned or at the very least forgetful of what God has commanded in the law.

Deuteronomy 6 verses 8 through 16 say this. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Then it shall come and when the Lord your God brings you into the land, which he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you great and splendid cities, which you did not build, and houses full of good things, which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns, which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees, which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied.

Then watch yourselves that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall fear only the Lord your God and you shall worship him and swear by his name.

You shall not follow other gods, any gods of the peoples who surround you. For the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God. Otherwise, the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you and he will wipe you off the face of the earth.

You shall not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested him in Massa. Things are coming to an end. The old way, the old covenant, the hypocrisy, the rebellion. The Pharisees may have sat themselves in the chair of Moses.

However, Jesus is now taking his rightful place. John 5 .22 says, the father has given judgment to the son. Jesus is exposing the law. He is making right application and Jesus is making, and as we will continue to see in chapter 23 and 24 and 25 and so on, he will continue, he is making appropriate judgment.

The Pharisees are being dethroned. Their reign will soon be over. And the temple and Jerusalem will soon be wiped out. And that does happen. Number three, exposing the Trinity, verses 8 through 12. This is another part of this passage that helps me to believe that Jesus is pointing back to Exodus 18.

You know, in Exodus 18, we saw where Moses had the chair of judgment over the people. I think Jesus is going to expound upon that here in these verses, 8 through 12. He first points us to the origins of the chair of Moses, where he has a place of explanation and judgment of law over the people.

He says, do not be called rabbi, for one is your teacher and you all are brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your father. He is in heaven. Do not be called leader, for one is your leader, that is Christ.

I want to flip back to Exodus, Exodus chapter 18. We're going to read a few more verses so we can see what Jesus is pointing to here. Verses 13 through 21, Exodus 18, 13 through 21. It came about the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning until evening.

Now, when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, what is this thing you are doing for your people? Why do you alone sit as judge, and all the people stand about you from morning till evening?

Moses said to his father-in-law, because the people come to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between man and his neighbor, and make known the statutes of God and His laws.

Moses' father-in-law said to him, the thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you. You cannot do it alone.

Now listen to me, I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people's representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God. Then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make them known the way which they are to walk and work they are to do.

Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people, able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain, and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

Who in this passage in Exodus is the father that gives counsel? It's Moses' father-in-law. Reflect on Matthew 23 in this section. Don't call anyone father, don't call anyone teacher. Who here in the passage is the father that gives counsel?

It is Moses, Moses' father-in-law. Who is the teacher of the people? It's Moses himself. Who is the leader? They are those who Moses has chosen to lead the groups of people. And Jesus is saying to them in Matthew 23, those that have been in these positions have perverted the law and led you astray.

There is only one way to live that pleases God, and that is to follow God himself. You are all brothers, it says in Matthew 23, you are equal. There is only one teacher. And who is that teacher? The Holy Spirit.

1 John 1 .27 says, the anointing, or the Holy Spirit, which you have received from him, abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. There is only one father. He is in heaven. Psalm 16 .7, I will bless the Lord who has counseled me.

Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night. Isaiah 9 .6, for a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, and the government will rest on his shoulders, and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace.

There is only one leader. He is Christ. Matthew 4 .19, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. If we were to put ourselves in their shoes, Jesus' original audience here in Matthew 23, we could be saying, I know about the Father.

I know about the Spirit. But what about this Christ? Who is this Christ? Who would we be looking for? And Jesus responds to them in verses 11 and 12. He says, but the greatest among you shall be your servant.

Is this a reference to Jesus' earlier condemnation of the behavior of the Pharisees and how the multitude and the disciples should be doing the opposite? Yes, of course. However, I think we have an obvious connection here.

Jesus says, but the greatest among you shall be your servant. What do you think that connection is? I think this connection is a revealing of the Christ as the suffering servant in Isaiah 53. So, please forgive me, but I would love to read Isaiah 53, if that's okay.

Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a tender shoot and like a root out of parched ground. He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon him, no appearance that we should be attracted to him.

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And like one from whom men hide their face, he was despised and we did not esteem him. Surely our griefs he himself bore and our sorrows he carried.

Yet we ourselves esteemed him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was pierced through our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening of our well-being fell upon him.

And by his scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him. He was oppressed and he was afflicted.

Yet he did not open his mouth like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, like the sheep that is silent before the shearers. So he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And as far as his generation who considered that he was cut off of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due, his grave was assigned with wicked men.

Yet he was with a rich man in his death. Because he had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in his mouth. But the Lord was pleased to crush him, putting him to grief. If he would render himself as a guilt offering, he will see his offspring.

He will prolong his days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his hand. As a result of the anguish of his soul, he will see it and be satisfied. By his knowledge the righteous one, my servant, will justify the many, as he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he will divide the booty with the strong. Because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors. Yet he himself bore the sin of many and interceded for the transgressors.

Praise the Lord. Soon enough, Jesus, as we've mentioned before, will be fulfilling this prophecy from Isaiah 53, and revealing himself to be the Christ. Jesus does the same thing in verse 12, when it comes to revealing the Christ.

He says, those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who are humbled will be exalted. Is this again pointing to the behavior of the crowds, or the Pharisees and Sadducees? Yes. But this is more than just behavior modification.

This is speaking directly about Jesus. Jesus humbled himself, and God exalted him. Philippians 2 .8, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.

Application. This is the application. The Pharisees and those like them today tie up heavy loads and place them on us to carry. Yet they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.

On the other hand, we are laying under the burden and curse of Adam. We lay under the burden of our own sin. We lay under the burden and the weight of worry and hurt and pain. And yet, we have a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

We have a Savior that lifted those burdens from us. We have a Savior that also lifted us up. Our Savior is able to do those things because he took those burdens and let the weight of those burdens nail him to a cross.

And praise the Lord God, reached down and lifted him up. And now he lives forevermore. Matthew 11, 28 through 29. Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you.

Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Hebrews 2, 9 through 11. But we do see him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely Jesus.

The suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for him, for whom all things, through whom all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

For both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all from one Father, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren. The call to us today is to repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus Christ, to trust in the counsel of the Father, the work of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

And when we turn to him in faith and he makes us clean on the inside, we can now live out our spiritual acts of service because he has made us clean on the inside. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your word.

And Father, will you help us to steer away from what comes natural to us, to want to boast before men, to want to follow in the way of the Pharisees where we're seen before men, or we do things as a church to be seen before men, to be popular in the world.

Help us not to forget that you brought us out of the slavery of sin, but we're free in Christ. And because of that, because of what you've done, and because you've made us clean, we can now live in a way that pleases you.

Father, we thank you and we praise you. In Jesus' name, amen.