Matthew 23--Tell Us What You Really Think...

I don't have time to dig in here more this morning, but the issue is complicated.  Some prophecies have come true; some are still "out there" awaiting fulfillment, that piece is pretty straightforward.  But the question of whether there are still prophets today (a greatly abused term) and their role/authority is dicier.  One of the "gifts" given to the church is the gift of prophecy too---it all begs for more time and digging into the meaning of that word....

Jesus minces no words and holds back nothing in this chapter long rant to the crowd and his disciples about the evil hearts of the Pharisees.  The familiar images are here---cleaning the outside not the inside, whitewashing tombs, enjoying the "titles" of prestige but neglecting aspects of faith close to God's heart.

Matthew Henry leads in with this overview:

"In these verses we have eight woes levelled directly against the scribes and Pharisees by our Lord Jesus Christ, like so many claps of thunder, or flashes of lightning, from mount Sinai." -MH

It does definitely have an aggressive, Old Testament feel to the passage.  It's a lot to take in. 

One comment attacks the traditional structure of organized religion.  Christ suggests that we should organize ourselves differently:

 "Don't let anyone call you 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don't address anyone here on earth as 'Father,' for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father.  And don't let anyone call you 'Teacher,' for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. 
 The greatest among you must be a servant."  -Matthew 23:8-11

How does this relate to how our churches have structured themselves?  I would argue that pastors have too central of a role.

I am also intrigued by Christ's comment on the importance of  "justice, mercy, and faith" as a more important aspect of the law than tithing.  Justice, mercy, and faith sound beautiful and noble, but how does one practically get their arms around such grand concepts?

 "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things." -Matthew 23:23

I'm confused by this comment as I don't think of the Jews as evangelical:

23:15  "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! 

Did the Jews work to convert Gentiles?  I thought they just turned away from them.

A comment from the Believer's Bible Commentary that's worth consideration:

"Natural man doesn't want to be the object of God's grace and doesn't want God to show grace to others."

We long to be self-sufficient and superior.

Prophets

In Matthew 23:34, Jesus states "Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city."   

The issue of prophets is confusing to me.  I was trying to explain this to Grace yesterday, and I realize that I've now contradicted myself to some extent.  At the time, I told her that the prophets were for a season, but here Christ is indicating that he would be sending prophets in the FUTURE.  

I think our discussion all began from Deuteronomy when Moses says that the people will know if the prophets are from God if their prophecies come true.  Grace was then wondering how you knew if some had not come true yet, and this engendered our entire discussion.