UNMASKING THE HYPOCRITE
Matthew 23:1-39
Dr. Jerry Vines
This chapter has to be absolutely one of the most stunning
chapters in all of the New Testament. We know that Jesus Christ had
the tenderest heart that ever beat in a human breast. Jesus came to
this world to tell us that God is a loving, heavenly Father. Yet when
you read these verses and the things that Jesus said (all of these
verses in the entire chapter are the direct quotations from the Lord
Jesus Himself) you do not find what some people expect to find about
the Lord Jesus. Jesus has been painted by many people as some kind of
pale, anemic, weakling Savior. Yet when you read the Gospel and see
the Lord Jesus that is really presented there you find an altogether
different picture. I want you to know that Jesus was no sissy. Jesus
was no namby/pamby. Jesus came with love in His heart, but Jesus also
came with courage and conviction. You have to kind of get in mind this
whole scene. You will notice, in the first verse, that is says Jesus
is speaking to the multitude and His disciples. That lets us know that
there are at least three groups involved in this chapter. There are
the disciples of the Lord Jesus who are gathered around Him. There is
the larger crowd that has gathered around Him and in that crowd stood
the scribes and the Pharisees. We can almost imagine the reaction of
the scribes and pharisees to the Lord as he said the things he said.
As you read through the~s verses you- will find Yesus using words like
this - hypocrites, blind guides, fools, serpents, offspring of vipers.
Eight times in this chapter he will say, woe unto you scribes and
2
hypocrites. It is not the kind of language that some people would
expect the Lord Jesus to use. By the way, when Jesus used this
language at this particular point it sealed his own death warrant.
There is murder in their hearts. They have decided they are going to
kill the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he turns a frontal attack on the ...
Matthew 23:1-39
Dr. Jerry Vines
This chapter has to be absolutely one of the most stunning
chapters in all of the New Testament. We know that Jesus Christ had
the tenderest heart that ever beat in a human breast. Jesus came to
this world to tell us that God is a loving, heavenly Father. Yet when
you read these verses and the things that Jesus said (all of these
verses in the entire chapter are the direct quotations from the Lord
Jesus Himself) you do not find what some people expect to find about
the Lord Jesus. Jesus has been painted by many people as some kind of
pale, anemic, weakling Savior. Yet when you read the Gospel and see
the Lord Jesus that is really presented there you find an altogether
different picture. I want you to know that Jesus was no sissy. Jesus
was no namby/pamby. Jesus came with love in His heart, but Jesus also
came with courage and conviction. You have to kind of get in mind this
whole scene. You will notice, in the first verse, that is says Jesus
is speaking to the multitude and His disciples. That lets us know that
there are at least three groups involved in this chapter. There are
the disciples of the Lord Jesus who are gathered around Him. There is
the larger crowd that has gathered around Him and in that crowd stood
the scribes and the Pharisees. We can almost imagine the reaction of
the scribes and pharisees to the Lord as he said the things he said.
As you read through the~s verses you- will find Yesus using words like
this - hypocrites, blind guides, fools, serpents, offspring of vipers.
Eight times in this chapter he will say, woe unto you scribes and
2
hypocrites. It is not the kind of language that some people would
expect the Lord Jesus to use. By the way, when Jesus used this
language at this particular point it sealed his own death warrant.
There is murder in their hearts. They have decided they are going to
kill the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he turns a frontal attack on the ...
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