“Missing the Mark”
A Fan or a Follower - #4 of 5
Jerry Watts
Matthew 23
(Note: This series is inspired by Kyle Idleman’s book – “Not a Fan”)
* His name was Matt Emmons. In the 2004 Olympics, he was competing in the 50-meter three-position rifle event and was one shot away from winning the gold medal. As he took his position to fire the final shot, all he had to do was ‘hit the target.’ And he did hit the target, but it was the wrong target. He was standing in lane 2 and made a shot which would have won the gold medal had it hit the target in lane 2 but he shot the target in lane three. Instead of a winning score of 8.1 he received a 0. Instead of winning the gold, he fell to 8th place. The wrong target.
* We see a picture of this happening in Matthew 23. Today we tend to have disdain for the Pharisees, but we need to understand that THEY THOUGHT they were following the Lord, they wanted to follow Him, and they were following HARD as we will see. The problem was for them was they were following the wrong thing, looking at the things, and aiming toward the wrong target. Thus Our Message!
* As we have begun to consider the question, “Are you a fan or follower”, many, if not most, of us don’t desire to be only fans. We want to be, have a desire to be, and even believe (as did the Pharisees) to be followers.
* In Matthew 23, Jesus attempts to get the attention of the fans. Let’s read about it.
* As you might be able to tell, when Jesus addresses the fans (Pharisees) this is not a moment he is attempting to gather everyone around, lock arms, and sing “We are the world” or ‘cum-buy-a.’ He is very deliberate, very confrontational, and very serious because, as He spoke to the crowd, disciples and the scribes & Pharisees who were listening, because Jesus is interested in one thing. He wants to turn fans into followers. Don’t miss how He exposes the truth – about them & about us.
1. The Classes of Fans – You know what a ‘class’ system is. Many countries are in bondage to the class system. The different classes of fans are even present today.
* In verse 2 Jesus gives honor where honor is due. He points out that the scribes are Pharisees are in the ‘chair’ of Moses. This ‘chair’ is similar to the position we hear in modern day at a college or university. (“The Preaching Chair of Adrian Rogers”). Jesus says, “Do what they say and not what they do because they don’t practice what they preach. This is sign ONE of a fan. He can tell you what to do but he/she doesn’t adhere to it. If you follow the text down through verse 7 you’ll discover that the ‘fan’ does everything in his/her power to be recognized and honored as a follower but it is self deception. We know this because 7 times Jesus pronounces a ‘woe’ on this group of ‘Spiritual elite.’ We don’t really use this word today but it is an expression of both grief & curse; and Jesus follows each ‘woe’ with a scathing rebuke to these leaders. The Leader.
* In large measure Jesus is speaking to the ruling party called the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was a group of 72 men. These men came from 2 groups: the Sadducees and the Pharisees. (you can get the idea of Congress made up from the 2 parties)
* When it came to interpreting scripture, as a general rule, the Sadducees were very liberal while the Pharisees were ultra conservative.
* Interestingly, the Sadducees served as the Chief Priest and Elders and we born into the family line that gave them access to this ‘prestigious’ office while the Pharisees only got there by hard work. For instance, they had to memorize the first 5 books of the Bible (the Pentateuch). They worked long and hard at the scripture.
* When thinking about the fans of Jesus – today we have some Sadducees in the church. We have those who went to ‘Church’ 9 months before they were born, they never missed a service, they were in all the children mission groups, and one day (just as they knew they should have) they told the preacher they wanted to join the church and possessed all the right answers for his questions so they were Baptized into their heritage. It was easy, simply, and normal.
* We also have the Pharisees, that is, those who have had to work for it. Pharisees define salvation and discipleship as ‘do.’ Their mantra is ‘work at little harder,’ ‘try a little extra,’ and ‘do a little more.’ They rate discipleship based on how much work they do, how many verse they have memorized, and maybe how many ministries they are involved in.
* Do you know how Jesus identifies both of these groups? He calls them ‘hypocrites.’ We are all familiar with that word and think we know what it means.
* Most of us would define it as ‘saying one thing and doing something else’ and pragmatically that may be correct. However, it really mean ‘play-actor.’ In the Greek theatre they had little way to ‘make up’ a person, so the actor would wear a mask. Then in order to change the character someone was playing, they would simply change their mask. No one would ever know who they really were. (Illus)
* Jesus says, “Fans, hypocrites, & play actors, you are simply wearing a mask trying to make people think you are something which you are not.” This exposes fans.
2. The Confusion of Fans – Everyone knows what confusion is. It is when you think down is up, up is down, wrong is right, and right is wrong. (Kind of like the USA today) When I took my check ride for my Private Pilot’s license, the examiner had me close my eye and placed the plane in a weird attitude and position, told me to look and correct. Problem is that in an airplane you lose your sense of gravity & equilibrium so you begin in a state of confusion until to fix on the instruments inside the plan and not the view outside the plane.
* This is the exact truth Jesus is trying to convey to fan in verses 25-29. You cannot clean the outside until you begin on the inside. The fan is confused thinking that if he can make everybody ‘think’ he’s good, then that is the truth. Problem is, man looks on the outside, but God looks on the heart.
* Additionally, the fan is interested in the ‘letter of the law’ and forgets the spirit of the law. Now we find how fans really miss the mark with Jesus. They have the idea that “I’ll follow the laws & rules” while Jesus calls us to follow HIM.
* **John, dressed in jeans & a tee-shire, walked into a bank to do some business. He discovered that the bank officer who he was scheduled to see had been called away, but would be in the next day. He then asked the teller to validate his parking ticket. She refused, saying that he had not transacted any business & it was against policy. If he would transact some business she could validate his parking. He thought about it and decided to close his account. Turns out that John’s last name was Akers and he was the CEO of IBM and he had $1.5M in that account. When he closed the account, he had transacted business so the teller validated his parking ticket. By the letter of the law, she was right. But I just wonder if that is what the board had in mind when they put that policy in place.
* The fan makes the rules more important than people. Jesus didn’t die to give us rules, He died to give us a relationship with Him that we might know, follow, & love Him. The fan is confused about our goal, our target, and our finish line. We must keep Jesus in our sight.
3. The Confrontation of Fans – I know that verses 13-33 send many of us into orbit thinking how unkind and harsh Jesus. Most of us want a Jesus that is meek & mild and not a Jesus who is confrontational. May I just say this, “We are just like kids; we think we know what we want, but do not know what we need.” Can you picture a young adult who was NEVER TOLD “NO” as a kid? They’ll think they can make their own rules, do their own things, and ultimately many lives will be destroyed by their selfishness and self-centeredness. This is our fallen nature.
* Jesus confronts the Pharisees and by extension us, because He knows that without being confronted with our sin, we will never change. Jesus says to them, like He says to us, like He says to all fans; “BE CAREFUL AND CAUTIOUS because you are majoring on the wrong things, doing the wrong things and the cost is high. You are keeping people out of heaven and sending people to a place called hell.”
* Just as surely as Jesus stood before that crowd and pronounced those woes upon a group of people who ‘thought they were doing right’, He stands before any “ONE” of us who is aiming at the wrong target. He says, “Woe to you, Hypocrite (play actor) – you are simply a fan, following the wrong thing, aiming at the wrong goal, and causing many people not to find me.” When He looks into YOUR life, what does He see and what does He say? Jesus does not hesitate to confront sin.
4. The Cure for Fans – Yes, the word is ‘cure’ because, I believe, that fandom is a disease, a disease which Jesus calls sin. He didn’t die to create a fan base.
* Jesus came to free people from sin and restore people into right relationship with the Father. He came to develop disciples. We can see into the very heart of Jesus in verse 37 when He says, “How often would I have gathered you.”
* Here is the cure for ‘fandom’ – hear the confrontation of Jesus in your life. To some He is saying, “Quit depending on the heritage” to others, “Quit depending on your works,” and still to others, “Stop simply observing rules & regulations.”
* He says, “Come to me you who are burdened with sin, with trying to impress people, with attempting to work your way to heaven – and I will give you rest. Don’t focus on the external of what people think, but focus on what I (the Lord) know. This first step is to hear Him calling. His call today that you are a fan.
* Some fans are those who have heard of Jesus, may have been raised around the church but maybe not, but you know about Him & like what you hear BUT you have never surrendered and submitted to Him for your soul’s salvation.
* Other fans are those who have been saved, but over time you have taken back your life, stole your own joy, control your own life, and have been shooting at the wrong target. Life has become a system and series of laws & rules instead of a relationship.
* A story is told of a man in Texas who walked up to the minister and said, “Please pray for our daughter. She has turned her back on her faith. We raised her in the church, but obviously, not in Jesus.” Let us be in Jesus.
