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Matthew 22 Notes
In this chapter Christ debates His enemies in the Temple.
vs. 1-14 – The Parable of the Wedding Feast warns us to be prepared for the coming Kingdom of Heaven. Not only do we see the rejection of the wedding invitation and subsequent open call, but we also see the judgment of those who wronged the servants. Then we have the additional episode with people found at the wedding not dressed appropriately. The “wedding garment” was probably the best clothing an individual owned and worn only on certain festivals and events such as weddings. To show up and not be dressed for the occasion was a tremendous insult. Some would even have extra clothes available in case someone came improperly dressed. This was not a mistake the man made in not dressing appropriately: it was an obvious insult. Though the Gospel call is broad, the way is still straight and narrow. Anyone can come to Christ but only on His terms. This man represents someone trying to make it to Heaven another way besides God’s way. There is similar parable in Luke 14:15-24.
vs. 15-22 – This parallels Mark 12:13-17 and Luke 20:20-28. Yet another trap is set. The Herodians were supporters of the ruling dynasty and also of the Roman rule. The question regards paying Roman taxes. If Christ says pay the Roman taxes, then He is supporting the occupying pagan government. If He says don’t pay the taxes, Rome is going to come after Him for sedition. Christ asks for and displays a Roman denarius, which featured the obverse an image of Caesar with an inscription listing his Imperial titles. Christ’s response is that we ought to obey government and religion in their proper places. Both are ordained of God. Paul expounds on this in Romans 13.
vs. 23-33 – This parallels Mark 12:18-27 and Luke 20:27-40. The Sadducees now lay their trap. One of the defining tenants of this group is their denial of the resurrection of the dead. They lay out their logic puzzle concerning a woman that is married to successive brothers in Levirate marriages (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). Who would she be married to after the resurrection? Christ destroys their argument based on its faulty foundation. They assumed that life after death was like life before death. He declares that the future state of mankind is different than the present, and that marriages do not exist in Heaven. If you think about it, one of the primary reasons for marriage is reproduction, which will not be necessary then. Christ then comments on the debate about the resurrection of the dead, by quoting form Exodus 3:6 and 16. God spoke to Moses centuries after the deaths of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob of those three being present and living. It disproved the notion that life ends with the grave.
vs. 34-40 – This parallels Mark 12:28-34. The next trap is laid by a lawyer, which means he was considered an expert in the contents of the Mosaic Law and its various customs. The question is one that was often debating, asking which of the commandments was the greatest. The trap is that whatever answer is given could be debated and various rabbis could be used to argue against it. Christ so expertly answers the question that there is no debate. First, He quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 that man should love the Lord singularly and fully. Second, He quotes form Leviticus 19:18 that man should love his neighbor as himself. The entirety of the Law may be summarized in these two statements. Even the Ten Commandments fall under these two categories. The first four deal with loving God and final six deal with loving our neighbor.
vs. 41-46 – This parallels Mark 12:35-37 and Luke 20:41-44. Christ now is the one to ask a loaded question. He asks whose son the Messiah would be, which was obviously David (II Samuel 7:12-14, Isaiah 11:1-4). He then brings Psalm 110:1 to their attention. It was written by David and is a Messianic prophecy. The verse says, “The LORD [Jehovah, God] said unto my [David’s] Lord [Adonai, “master”], Sit thou on my [God’s] right hand, till I [God] make thine [Lord’s] enemies thy [Lord’s] footstool?” David then is writing that God would give the Messiah, identified as David’s Lord, victory over all His enemies. David then is seen both as the father and servant of the Messiah. Ancient cultures typically placed greater authority on the father than the son, so this creates a paradox. The Jews have no answer for this and are silenced.
Matthew 23 Notes
In this chapter Christ reveals the character of the Pharisees.
vs. 1-36 – This parallels Mark 12:38-40 and Luke 20:45-47. Christ now addresses the crowd and His disciples concerning the errors of the Pharisees. What many miss in this is that the primary issue is that they had corrupted true religion. This is not a diatribe against the Jewish religion. God had ordained that system to be in effect from Sinai to Calvary. It was how He chose to reveal His truth to man in those centuries. The Pharisees were not guilty of being faithful Jews; they were guilty of polluting and twisting the truth. Note that Christ opens this discussion in verses 2 and 3 by recognizing the authority of the religious leaders. That was not the problem. The problem was what they had done with their authority. They looked on the outside like the most faithful followers of the Jewish Law, but their hearts were full of evil. Sadly, this is still occurring today as wicked men twist and pervert Christianity. The sins of the Pharisees can be used as a guide to spot such false prophets today. We may list these as:
They do not practice what they preach – verse 3
They have no concern for those under them – verse 4
They do things to be seen of men – verses 5-7
They seek public honor – verses 8-12
They deter people from God by their actions – verse 13
They spiritualize their sin – verse 14
They recruit others but do not help them – verse 15
They focus on the irrelevant and minuscule – verses 16-22
They neglect the true fundamentals of the faith – verses 23-24
They focus on their appearance – verses 25-28
They claim superiority and mastery – verses 29-33
They attack other men that are truly sent from God – verses 34-35
vs. 37-39 – This parallels Luke 13:34-35. It is unclear to me whether Matthew moved these words from an earlier event for emphasis or if Christ spoke the same message twice. There is no problem with either. This lament over the spiritual condition of Jerusalem is one of the most moving sections of the Gospels. God had done so much for Israel only for them to reject Him and face judgment. One day they will repent and claim Christ as their Messiah, but that was not for this time.
Closing Thoughts
One of the most difficult aspects of being a Christian today is dealing with actions of other so-called Christians. Satan is a master counterfeiter, so he knows how to make something fake look very real. But Satan also loves to corrupt that which is good and holy. Discern the hearts of others by their actions. Christ gave us a very thorough and accurate checklist in Matthew 23 to identify wolves among our shepherds.
Hymn for Today
Our hymn today was written by Isaac Watts and first appeared under the heading “Love to God and our Neighbor.”
Thus saith the first, the great command,
"Let all thy inward powers unite
To love thy Maker and thy God
With utmost vigor and delight.
"Then shall thy neighbor next in place
Share thine affections and esteem,
And let thy kindness to thyself
Measure and rule thy love to him."
This is the sense that Moses spoke,
This did the prophets preach and prove;
For want of this the law is broke,
And the whole law's fulfilled by love.
But O! how base our passions are!
How cold our charity and zeal!
Lord, fill our souls with heav'nly fire,
Or we shall ne'er perform thy will.