Participants: Glenn Russell & Ranko Stefanovic (Host)
Series Code: MTBOTB
Program Code: MTBOTB000019A
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00:21 Welcome, to the "Books of the Books," series.
00:23 You're on 3ABN. 00:25 We're exploring the gospel of Mathew, 00:28 inspired by the Holy Spirit, written for our benefit. 00:32 As we spent time in this word, we're just drawn to the savior 00:36 who is painted and portrayed 00:38 in such beautiful word pictures here, gospel of Mathew. 00:42 I would like to welcome back Dr. Ranko Stefanovic. 00:45 Ranko, as a professor of New Testament, 00:48 all scripture is inspired by God 00:51 but there are certain books that draw you 00:53 and there're certain things about certain books. 00:55 What is it about the gospel of Mathew 00:57 that especially appeals to you? 00:59 We already stated that the gospel of Mathew 01:01 is the gospel for the Church. 01:04 Telling us how Christians should live 01:08 and behave in the church. 01:10 That's just the main point. 01:11 What a wonderful portrait we have here. 01:14 Let's ask God to guide us as we continue on. 01:18 Lord as we study now we need you 01:22 to open our eyes and to open our hearts. 01:25 We want not just to be informed, Lord, 01:27 but also inspired to follow you more clearly, 01:31 more closely, more dearly. 01:33 So, Lord, please come and teach us, 01:35 through your spirit, we pray. 01:37 In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen. 01:39 As we've been following the path of Jesus. 01:44 A path that took him from birth through baptism, 01:47 through temptations, through ministry 01:50 in Galilee of teaching and working miracles 01:54 and healings--now, we find his steps have turned. 01:57 They're headed towards Jerusalem. 01:59 He is in Jerusalem now, He's had a triumphal entry 02:02 and the opposition has been at every side. 02:08 Everywhere he turns they're looking to catch him. 02:11 They're looking to trap him as we saw from the test. 02:14 As we come to Chapter 23 this time and 24, 02:18 Ranko, what's ahead for us? 02:20 Yeah, Chapter 23 is actually the climax. 02:26 Upto this point Jesus is always kind toward Pharisees. 02:31 He tried to answer them 02:33 but they're sinking deeper and deeper. 02:37 The animosity against Jesus. 02:41 Evidently there was nothing more to be done. 02:44 But let me tell you 02:45 that patience of Jesus was not in vain. 02:49 Some of these Pharisees, that they were Pentecost 02:53 as we read the Book of Acts, 02:55 they really responded the call of Holy Spirit. 02:58 When Peter preached that famous sermon 03:01 and they became Christians. 03:03 So we have encouragement to never give up on people. 03:07 Jesus never gave up but Jesus finally 03:10 had to make the public statement 03:11 about those Pharisees who really persisted 03:15 in the unbelief and the rejection of Jesus. 03:19 Actually they were those Pharisees 03:21 who until the very end 03:22 actually even brought Jesus to the cross. 03:24 Yes, yes and-- 03:26 It's not about all the Pharisees. 03:28 Many Pharisees, as we make statement, 03:31 became Christians later but significant number of them 03:34 together usually should- leaders, 03:37 they persisted and it was the time 03:39 for Jesus finally to expose them. 03:42 We must remember that 03:43 this is the close of his Earthly ministry. 03:46 And when He was crucified and raise 03:51 and will then soon ascend, people will be left wondering, 03:55 which is the correct path? Who really knows God? 03:59 Who is telling us about God? Is it Jesus? 04:03 Or is it what the Pharisees and the leaders have told? 04:05 So He's got to make it very clear to the public, 04:08 to the crowds, what is the true path. 04:11 And it's a strong message here. 04:14 Now Ranko, you're invited to go and speak many places. 04:17 I doubt if you've ever use this as your opening sermon. 04:20 No. It's a tough message. 04:23 Let's try to get little bit of the flavor 04:25 But I would like to remind us what we read 04:27 in the "Desire of Ages." Can you say? 04:30 Yes, certainly we want to remember 04:32 that Jesus spoke even these woes. 04:35 We call this chapter the woes in love. 04:38 There was tears in His voice as He's reaching out. 04:40 But let's listen to the words. 04:43 You know, many times we think 04:45 about winning friends and influencing people. 04:47 There's a books even on the subject and so forth. 04:49 This is not a sermon to preach 04:52 for the first time you're dealing with people. 04:54 This is the last call. 04:56 This is a time when you've got lay it all down 05:00 and say okay folks these are the issues, 05:02 now you've got to make a decision. 05:03 Glenn, we don't have even something close 05:06 to this at the beginning of Jesus ministry 05:09 No. Do you remember 05:10 even when we were in Chapter 12? 05:12 When the Pharisees they made that statement, 05:14 a blasphemy, against the Holy Spirit. 05:17 When Jesus talked about unpardonable sin 05:22 we never have any condemnation 05:24 from Jesus nothing, nothing even close. 05:27 But this is really the climax. 05:30 Let's get a little bit of the flavor. 05:32 We won't read all of this but I like to read a selection 05:36 so you can catch some of the thrust 05:40 some of the energy of this passage. 05:42 "Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 05:44 'the scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. 05:47 So you practice and observe whatever they tell you. 05:50 But don't do what they do, 05:52 for they preach but do not practice.'" 05:54 We should pause right there, many times we think 05:57 that everything the Pharisees taught was wrong. No. 05:59 No. Jesus agrees with many of those teachings. 06:02 Much of what they thought was good. 06:04 But He says something about the way they're living. 06:07 Jesus actually calls them hypocrites. 06:10 We will go to verse 20-- 13, verse 27. 06:14 Actually 13, 15 where else? 27, how many times? 06:18 23, 25, 27, 29, how many times 06:24 Jesus used the word hypocrite. 06:27 Actually hypocrite was the word, 06:29 in the 1st century among Ancient Greeks, for actors. 06:32 Who in normal life they were one thing 06:35 when they were before people acting, 06:36 they were completely different things. 06:38 This is actually what the Pharisees were doing. 06:40 They were teaching many right things, 06:43 but there behavior was much louder 06:47 than what they were talking. 06:49 So they're wearing a mask. 06:50 They're pretending to be what they aren't. 06:52 And in honesty we would have to pause 06:54 and say there's a little bit of hypocrisy, 06:56 may be more than that, in each of us. 06:57 Oh, yeah. 06:59 We seldom show people our real true character 07:02 and Jesus takes off the masks here. 07:05 "They preach but they do practice. 07:08 They bind heavy burdens hard to bear, 07:10 lay them on men's shoulders. 07:11 They themselves will not move them with a finger." 07:14 So, the compassion of Christ is here. 07:17 He is speaking about the compassionless leadership 07:20 at that time. Verse 13, 07:23 "But woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 07:25 You shut the kingdom of heaven against men. 07:28 For you neither enter yourselves 07:30 nor allow those who would enter to go in. 07:33 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, 07:37 for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, 07:40 and when he becomes a proselyte or a convert 07:43 you make him twice as much a child of Hell as you are." 07:46 Ranko, these are hard statements. 07:48 You know, I teach a antibiotics class 07:50 and every once in a while I'll assign a student 07:53 to preach on this passage. 07:54 They have a hard time because this doesn't sound like 07:57 Jesus meek and mild. 07:59 This doesn't sound like the sweet and loving Jesus. 08:02 It seems harsh to say 08:04 "you make someone twice the son of hell as you are," 08:06 I don't think most preachers walk into the pulpit 08:09 and say something like that. We have to find out why? 08:11 "Woe to you blind guides" Verse 23, 08:15 "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" 08:18 Actually 23, is really-- 08:21 Let's look at that one little further. 08:22 It's somehow in nutshell 08:25 everything what Jesus said in verse 23. 08:27 "For you tithe, mint, and dill and cumin, 08:31 and you've neglected the weightier matters 08:32 of the law, justice and mercy and faith." 08:35 What's the weightier matters? What's the deeper things? 08:40 Care about people. It's that horizontal relation. 08:43 That's what we are talking. That's the main thread in-- 08:47 He's not saying it's wrong to tithe. 08:48 He is not saying it's wrong to do any of those things. 08:50 But if we do those really just actions 08:52 and we forget our relationship with one and another. 08:56 You see the observance of the law, 08:58 paying tithe and everything, is not a substitute 09:03 for the way how we treat the people. 09:05 You've said a lot right there. 09:07 Verse 25, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 09:11 You cleanse outside of the cup and of the plate, 09:14 but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity." 09:18 So everything is up to the end of the chapter about-- 09:20 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, 09:22 white-washed tombs. 09:23 You're like dead men's bones. 09:25 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 09:28 Truly I say to you all this 09:31 will come upon this generation." 09:32 But he concludes, we have to go to verses 37 09:36 This text now is very important. 09:37 Yes it's very precious. 09:39 Glenn, can you, can you read it. 09:40 "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets, 09:43 stoning those who were sent to you. 09:45 "We should pause and think about Jesus' tone. 09:49 What was in His eyes? What was in his heart? 09:51 Ranko He was trying to wake people up. 09:53 If you're home was on fire 09:55 and you're fast asleep in the middle of night. 09:57 You don't want me just knocking on the door quietly. 10:01 You want me to shout. You want me to cry. 10:03 Whatever it takes to wake you up and say. 10:05 Your building is collapsing. 10:07 And their system was about to come down. 10:10 Actually what Jesus tried to say, "I tried to help you? 10:13 I did everything. You did not accept it. 10:16 Now the consequences will come to that." 10:19 And actually this is the introduction 10:20 to our next subject that we would will like to go. 10:22 I want those of you, who are listening, 10:24 to hear Jesus' words and His heart. 10:28 I believe sometimes the most difficult love 10:31 is the love of letting go. 10:33 You may have had a situation, relationship in your life. 10:36 A son, a loved one. You tried to reach them. 10:40 You tried to reach them and eventually 10:42 you had to honor their choice. 10:44 God does the same thing. He honors our choice. 10:47 And yet Jesus' heart is broken. 10:48 "O Jerusalem, killing the prophets, 10:51 stoning those who were sent to you, 10:52 how often I would have gathered your children together, 10:55 as a hen gathers her broods 10:57 under her wing and you would not. 10:59 Behold your house is forsaken and desolate." 11:03 This is his last public declaration 11:05 here for the crowds. "For I tell you, 11:07 you will not see me again. 11:09 Until you say blessed is he 11:11 who comes in name in Lord." 11:13 So, Glenn, let us try to see what we have here. 11:18 The disciples are there and they're listening 11:21 to what Jesus is to saying, "I tried Jerusalem, 11:26 everything to do in order to do bring you myself." 11:30 I mean and he's using even this metaphor 11:33 of a hen and chicken. 11:35 "And I do, I try to do everything 11:37 to put you under the wings of my protection. 11:41 Therefore your house," which is evidently the temple, 11:45 "will be left to you desolate." 11:48 The disciples are listening there 11:50 We have to understand 11:51 something very, very important. 11:54 That the Jewish people were very much familiar 11:59 with the Old Testament promises. 12:01 Let's keep in mind that in the gospel of Mathew 12:04 everything that the Jesus does is the fulfillment 12:08 of the Old Testament prophecies. Mathew wrote it. 12:11 So Mathew was so much in the-- 12:13 and they were listening to what Jesus said. 12:15 According to those Old Testament prophecy, 12:19 one day God will bless Israel and Palestine, 12:25 Jerusalem will be established. 12:28 Okay, the Messiah would come 12:32 establish his kingdom and Jerusalem, 12:36 with its temple will become the centre of the World. 12:42 By the way there are numerous Old Testament passages 12:46 that talks about the centrality of Jerusalem 12:49 with its temple in the future Messianic Kingdom. 12:53 There are maps, you had Jerusalem at the side. 12:55 Actually no temple- 13:03 it's the end of the world. 13:04 Without the temple, no temple no Messianic Kingdom. 13:07 The end of the temple is the end of the world. 13:13 the disciples are listening to what Jesus is saying. 13:16 But you know you listen something you don't want 13:19 suddenly to interrupt Jesus and ask questions. 13:22 But then they were leaving Jerusalem-- 13:24 by the way, this was Jesus' last time in the temple. 13:30 Jesus is leaving. As they were leaving the temple 13:32 we still have that original stairways there in Jerusalem. 13:35 They were coming out going through the door. 13:38 But disciples they wanted to have a kind 13:41 to start conversation with Jesus. 13:43 To ask him what he mean 13:44 "your house will be left to desolate?" 13:46 And I would like just to take some moments 13:48 to read the first three verses because this is very important 13:51 to understand for what is coming after that. 13:54 And just before we read I want to make sure 13:56 we understand Jesus did not give up. 13:58 Because he still went to the cross. 14:01 For those very Pharisees. 14:02 For those very people who were not responding 14:04 at that time, many did respond later. 14:07 Mathew 24 verse 1, "Jesus left the temple 14:10 and He is going away, when his disciples came 14:12 to point out to Him the buildings of the temple. 14:15 But he answered them, 'You see all these do you not. 14:19 Truly I said you there were not be left here 14:22 one stone upon another that will not be not be thrown.'" 14:25 What a shock it must have been. 14:27 And the verse 3, "As He sat upon the Mount of Olives, 14:31 the disciples came to him privately and saying, 14:33 'Tell us when will this be. And what will be the signs 14:36 of your coming and of the close of the age.'" 14:39 Let's deal with this text after the break. 14:41 All right, Ranko, it's so good to explore this. 14:45 You've stirred up some questions. 14:46 We're gonna come right back after our break 14:48 to go into one of these most powerful chapters, Mathew 24. 14:51 You won't want to miss this, we'll be right back. |
Revised 2023-11-28