Matthew 23 Summary - Quick Bible Study

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MATTHEW 23 SUMMARY IN 5 MINUTES

• WHEN:

  • The birth of Jesus probably occurred around 4 B.C..

  • From Luke 3:23, we know Jesus began His ministry when He was about 30 years old.

  • This would place the events of Jesus’ ministry roughly between 26-31 A.D..

• CHARACTERS:

  • Jesus - The Messiah. The Son of God.

  • Disciples - Jesus’ followers and students.

  • Scribes and Pharisees - Jews who opposed Jesus’ ministry from the beginning.

• WHERE:

  • All of the events of chapter 23 occurred in-and-around Jerusalem during the week leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross.

• OUTLINE:

  • “WOE TO YOU SCRIBES AND PHARISEES (23:1-23:36):

    • In this section, Jesus publicly condemned the scribes and Pharisees.

    • He rebuked them for craving the honor and praise of men.

    • He rebuked them for laying heavy religious burdens on the common people.

    • He pronounced several ”woes” on them for their ungodly behavior.

    • “Woe to you... for you shut the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces.”

    • Woe to you... for you convert people only to make them as evil as yourselves.

    • Woe to you blind guides who misguide the thinking of those you teach.

    • “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” 

    • “Woe to you... for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.”

    • Woe to you for you celebrate the prophets your ancestors killed, but by your actions you affirm you would have killed them too.

    • Jesus called them “serpents” and a “brood of vipers” and told them they would not escape the fires of hell.

  • JESUS MOURNS OVER JERUSALEM (23:37-23:39):

    • Jesus loved the city of Jerusalem and its citizens.

    • He didn’t want to see the Jews who lived there be punished.

    • But He knew God would not allow their evil to go unpunished forever.

• BIG PICTURE:

  • Jesus loved the city of Jerusalem and its citizens.

  • He didn’t want to see the Jews who lived there be punished.

  • But He knew God would not allow their evil to go unpunished forever.

• APPLICATION:

  • Be careful before you accuse God of being unfair and harsh.

  • A favorite tactic of unbelievers is to point back to the Old Testament, to passages about judgement, and to accuse God of being bloodthirst and mean.

  • But a proper reading of the text reveals that view to be false.

  • Yes, God will punish evil people, but the Bible shows us God is not quick to execute His judgements.

  • Judgement is usually preceded by a period of extended patience.