========================

Matthew 23:13-39

========================

13“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

[14]

15“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’

17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?

18You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’

19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

20Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

21And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.

22And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

23“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.

28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.

30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’

31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

32Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

33“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

34Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.

35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

36Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

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.

38Look, your house is left to you desolate.

39For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

----------------------------------------

1)       According to what Jesus said in verse 13 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees hypocrites?

o   They shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces.

o   They themselves did not enter.

o   Nor would they let those enter who were trying to.

 

2)       According to what Jesus said in verse 15 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees hypocrites?

o   They traveled over land and sea to win a single convert.

o   And they made the convert twice as much a child of hell.

o   As

o   They were.

o   When

o   They had succeeded.

 

3)       According to what Jesus said in verses 16 and 17 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees blind guides concerning the relative greatness between the gold of the temple and the temple that made the gold sacred?

o   They held the opinion that

§  It meant nothing.

§  If

§  Anyone swore by the temple.

§  But anyone who swore by the gold of the temple was bound by that oath.

 

4)       According to what Jesus said in verses 18 and 19 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees blind guides concerning the relative greatness between the gift on the altar and the altar that made the gift sacred?

o   They held the opinion that

§  It meant nothing.

§  If

§  Anyone swore by the altar.

§  But anyone who swore by the gift on the altar was bound by that oath.

 

5)       According to what Jesus said in verses 20 to 22 what makes the altar, the temple and heaven significant?

o   These are symbols pertaining to God.

 

6)       According to what Jesus said in verse 23 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees hypocrites?

o   They

§  Gave a tenth of their spices—

Ø  Mint. 

Ø  Dill. 

Ø  And cumin.

§  But had neglected the more important matters of the law—

Ø  Justice. 

Ø  Mercy. 

Ø  And faithfulness.

 

7)       According to what Jesus said in verse 23 what was his advice for teachers of the law and Pharisees?

o   They should have practiced

§  Justice.

§  Mercy.

§  And faithfulness.

o   Without neglecting offering their tithes to God.

 

8)       According to what Jesus said in verse 24 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees blind guides?

o   They

§  Strained out a gnat.

§  But swallowed a camel.

 

9)       According to what Jesus said in verse 25 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees hypocrites?

o   They

§  Cleaned the outside of

Ø  The cup. 

Ø  And dish.

§  But on the inside were full of

Ø  Greed. 

Ø  And self-indulgence.

 

10)   According to what Jesus said in verse 26 in what was his advice for the blind teachers of the law and Pharisees?

o   They should first clean the inside of the

§  Cup.

§  And dish.

o   And then the outside would also be clean.

 

11)   According to what Jesus said in verse 27 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees hypocrites?

o   They were like whitewashed tombs, which

§  Looked beautiful on the outside.

§  But on the inside were full of

Ø  The bones of the dead. 

Ø  And everything unclean.

 

12)   According to what Jesus said in verse 28 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees hypocrites?

o   They

§  Appeared to people as righteous on the outside.

§  But on the inside were full of

Ø  Hypocrisy. 

Ø  And wickedness.

 

13)   According to what Jesus said in verses 29 to 31 in what way were teachers of the law and Pharisees hypocrites?

o   They

§  Built tombs for the prophets.

§  And decorated the graves of the righteous.

o   They claimed that they would not have taken part with their ancestors in shedding the blood of the prophets.

o   If

o   They had lived in their days.

o   And so they testified against themselves.

o   That

o   They were the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.

 

14)   According to what Jesus said in verse 32 what should teachers of the law and Pharisees do?

o   They should complete the evil of what their ancestors started.

 

15)   According to what Jesus said in verse 33 what did he call teachers of the law and Pharisees?

o   Jesus called them

§  Snakes.

§  And brood of vipers.

 

16)   According to what Jesus said in verse 33 what were teachers of the law and Pharisees destined for?

o   They could not escape being condemned to hell.

 

17)   According to what Jesus said in verse 34 how would teachers of the law and Pharisees treat prophets and sages and teachers that Jesus would send them?

o   Some of them they would

§  Kill.

§  And crucify.

o   The others they would

§  Flog in their synagogues.

§  And pursue from town to town.

 

18)   According to what Jesus said in verse 35 what would come upon teachers of the law and Pharisees?

o   Upon them would come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth,

§  From the blood of righteous Abel.

§  To the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah.

o   Whom

o   They murdered between the temple and the altar.

 

19)   According to what Jesus said in verse 36 upon whom would all the righteous blood come that has been shed on earth truly come?

o   It would truly come upon his generation.

 

20)   According to what Jesus said in verse 37 what did he say Jerusalem did?

o   Jerusalem

§  Killed the prophets.

§  And stoned those sent to them.

 

21)   According to what Jesus said in verses 37 and 38 how had he longed but failed to protect Jerusalem from their desolation?

o   Jesus had longed to gather their children together.

o   As

o   A hen gathered her chicks under her wings.

o   But they were not willing.

 

22)   According to what Jesus said in verse 38 what was the consequence as a result of Jerusalem’s unwillingness?

o   Their house is left to them desolate.

 

23)   According to what Jesus said in verse 39 when will Jerusalem see him again?

o   Jerusalem will not see Jesus again until they

§  Bless Jesus.

§  And acknowledge him as coming in the name of the Lord.

========================

Matthew 23:13-39

========================