Matthew 22-23

Matthew 22

Matthew 22:1-14 The Parable of the Wedding Banquet. Many are invited but few are chosen. One might infer that the Son that this parable speaks of is Jesus Himself, the bride is the church, the King is God the Father, as Revelation 19:6-9 seems to indicate, who are the guests? That is not the important point of this parable. The point is that firstly, some openly ignore or resist His messengers, and they are summarily destroyed by fire. Secondly, when the King’s servants invite anyone who will come for a good meal without regard to qualifications, a man is there showing blatant disrespect for the king and the occasion. Why did the bouncers at the door let him in? I have no idea. But he was thrown into the outer darkness, not allowed to join the festivities. The point is clear: the gospel invitation is open to everyone, but God’s kingdom will not include those who disrespect Him or His standards. He will clean them up, but not if they refuse the fine linen (Revelation 19:8).

Matthew 22:15-22 Paying taxes to Caesar. Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Even though the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus by asking about paying taxes to heathen gentiles, Jesus did not denigrate them, but simply answered it as an honest question. The kingdom of Heaven does not need human taxes, and does not interfere with lawful human authority.

Matthew 22:23-33 Marriage at the Resurrection. The Sadducees want to use Deuteronomy 25:5-6 as a proof-text against resurrection. Jesus responds two-fold. They do not know the Scriptures - Exodus 3:6 - in which God tells Moses He is the God of some long-dead people (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) so they are still alive somewhere. They do not know the power of God - to make humans like angels in heaven at the resurrection. The transcendent joy of being in God’s presence trumps merely human appetites for sex, marriage, etc. Most of us probably have a hard time grasping this as well.

Matthew 22:34-40 The Greatest Commandment. Since Jesus silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisee have another go at Him. Although this is posed at a test, asking what the greatest law is a reasonable question that Jesus answers straightforwardly. He quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. He does not say (but perhaps implies) that loving God is easy for those who do, because by doing so they have a taste of the joys of eternity with God. Loving God as the highest law left the Pharisees to judge themselves by it.

Matthew 22:41-46 Jesus asks, Whose Son is the Messiah? He is not trying to trap the Pharisees or even embarrass them, but to make them think. He quotes Psalm 110:1, pointing to the apparent theological problem of David calling one of his descendants “Lord,” which is counter to all human cultures. (Note that Psalm 110:4 David says the He is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.) David clearly understood the divinity of the Messiah. Jesus was trying to get them to recognize the amazing power and mystery of the incarnation.

 

Matthew 23

Matthew 23:1-12 Jesus warns the disciples and the crowds to not imitate the scribes & Pharisees. Jesus uses a word that is unique to this verse (23:10) in telling them that He and only He, the Messiah, is to be their mentor, their guide down the road of faith. (Strong’s g2519) This is in contrast to the word used for the scribes which is sometimes translated teacher (Strong’s g1122), used subsequently.

Matthew 23:13-36 Jesus pronounces seven woes on the scribes and Pharisees. Hypocrisy is knowing what God’s word says and not doing it.  (Strong’s g5273 - an actor) A actor’s real life is disconnected from his presentation on stage. The woe is that pride prevented the scribes and Pharisees from having a real relationship with God. Jesus states seven dimensions in which genuine holiness confronts actor’s costumes.

Matthew 23:13-14 They have no kingdom relationship with God, and prevent others from having one.

Matthew 23:15 They evangelize and missionalize to make more people just as bad actors as themselves.

Matthew 23:16-22 They pervert the eighth commandment to badger people into giving to the temple fund, into thinking that ornate gold is more holy than the reality of God’s presence.

Matthew 23:23~24 They prioritize legalistic rituals over substantive lifestyle decisions.

Matthew 23:25-26 They look good but are a mess inside.

Matthew 23:27-28 They look alive but are dead inside.

Matthew 23:29-36 They have accepted their ancestors’ inheritance of murdering God’s spokesmen, being snakes  descended from snakes. The judgment of evil of all generations will come on the scribes and Pharisees who conspire to have Jesus put to death. (21:45)

Matthew 23:37-39 Jesus mourns over Jerusalem’s reaping of what it has sown. Gathering his chicks together almost implies a rapture-like event. He ends by quoting Psalm 118:26, repeating 21:9, except that the triumphal entry had already happened.  Hw was now confronting disbelief.  This seems to imply that the second coming will not occur until Jerusalem is  converted to faith in Jesus. Is that happening in our day?