What is He Teaching Us?

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.

Just imagine the teacher, Rabbi Jesus as he gently shares beautiful and encouraging words with you, sitting on a green hillside. He exudes love and compassion as he reaches out to the smallest child in the crowd, the weakest in the crowd and even the sickest in the crowd. The scourge of that day was leprosy. The fact that it was contagious and hideous did not stop Jesus from touching them. These people were the worker-bees. The fishermen, housekeepers, farmers, bakers, the everyday around town folk…like you and me. He embraced them and loved them.

Change the scene. When he went to Jerusalem he went to the religious center of the area. Now he is talking to people who should be the example to those people who do not have the ability to study or even read, they work! Now he executes his judgement!

The Pharisees try their best to trip up Jesus siting the law of Moses. He is not loving and delicate any more with his word choices. ‘You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?’ Matthew 22:18 They had asked him if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, a cruel dictator.

Then, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the Power of God.’ Matthew 22:29 This was after they asked a question about marriage at the resurrection.

Then in Matthew 23 he tells his disciples not to do what the Pharisees do, only what they say, when it is the law of Moses. He continues to excoriate them with this; ‘they do everything for men to see, they are showy. They love to be greeted with the title; Rabbi and sit at banquets in the place of honor. Woe to them! You Pharisees are blind guides. You make disciples and they become twice as much a ‘son of hell” as you are.’ Wow, no delicate comforting words here.

Throughout this Chapter he continues to call them out on their flawed theology. They are whitewashed tombs, snakes, brood of vipers, murders and deceivers. There should be no surprise when these powerful religious leaders began to find ways to eliminate this Jesus. This Jesus was putting a vast crimp in there economic security, as well as their status. This Jesus was telling the truth about them, and they could not have him ‘clean out the swamp’.

So, while we wonder about how people could be so jubilant on a Sunday, removing their coats (possibly their only one) to cover the dirty road for Jesus, and militant against him by the end of the week, there’s your answer. Rather than go against the Pharisees, the leaders they always listened to, they cow-towed to peer pressure!

Questions; Do you see a lesson here for us?

I used a couple ‘key words’ that are popular today to describe situations then. Can you find them and tell me what they mean to you?