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Matthew 23:33-39 NIV
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore 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. 35 And 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. 36 Truly 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. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
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Finite human beings all have personalities. Although personality traits are neither inherently good nor bad, because we are imperfect, it’s difficult to avoid biases, and we may even become extreme. Some people tend to be loving, while others tend to be strict. Some are fast, some are slow. Some have a gentle temperament, while others are irritable. But Jesus Christ is the perfect person. His anger is not impulsive, and His tolerance is not indulgent. He is full of mercy, and He is also absolutely just. His perfectly balanced character is revealed throughout the Bible.
That’s why, when I preach, I often go through entire books of the Bible, from beginning to end. This prevents me from only choosing topics I like and helps avoid taking Scripture out of context. It also ensures that the congregation gains a comprehensive understanding of God. However, topical sermons are sometimes necessary to address specific issues the church is facing.
In this highly divided society, the church is also influenced, and Matthew 23 often becomes a casualty because it doesn’t align with the popular notion of "love." But this long passage of rebuke against the religious leaders is a display of Jesus' character and is an essential part of understanding Him. God's justice will surely be revealed. These reckless religious leaders—the scribes and Pharisees—are not unique, for "there is nothing new under the sun." Throughout history, there have been many examples of righteous people being killed. The first murder recorded in the Bible was Cain, filled with jealousy, killing his brother Abel, who was willing to obey God. True prophets were often killed by false prophets. Zechariah, killed during the final period of the Old Testament, was one such prophet.
What Jesus emphasized is that these religious leaders are a continuation of those who killed the servants God sent in the past. They continued to store up God's wrath (Matthew 23:31-32), and God is neither ignorant of nor indifferent to it. The cup of God’s wrath will eventually be filled. When a preacher delivers a sermon, those who believe receive God’s grace, while those who reject it store up God’s wrath, for God's Word never returns void. These religious leaders heard far more than the prophets of old. They listened to the message of the Messiah for three and a half years and repeatedly rejected it, accelerating the accumulation of God's wrath.
These religious leaders eventually achieved their short-term goal. Around 67 AD, the Roman Emperor destroyed the temple and killed tens of thousands of Jews. The cup of God’s wrath was full, and the time had come. But what’s even more terrifying is the eternal curse. When Jesus returns a second time, though they will recognize Him as the true God, the King of kings, and bow before Him (Isaiah 45:23), it will be too late for regret. As they stand in judgment, they will be cast into the lake of sulfur and fire because of their unrighteousness, eternally separated from Christ, experiencing eternal death. The one true God has promised, "He will by no means clear the guilty" (Numbers 14:18), and "Vengeance is mine; I will repay" (Romans 12:19). God's justice will certainly be revealed.
In this age filled with false information, are we aligned with the world, spreading messages that are false, baseless, and misleading? Are we living out our identity as a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9)? How do we respond to the rebukes in the Bible? Do we have a full understanding of God’s character?
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