How Do You See Jesus Christ?
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 23:37-39
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared February 15, 2023)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 23. For the last 11 sermons we have been focused on a single day in the life of Jesus Christ. It was the Tuesday before the Lord died on the cross for our sins. Matthew 21 tells us that on that Tuesday morning, Jesus and His disciples were headed back to Jerusalem. That's when the Lord cursed an unfruitful fig tree and taught His disciples about the power of godly faith.
*After they got to Jerusalem, Jesus and His disciples went back into the temple. There in one of the large courtyards, Jesus preached to a crowd of people gathered for Passover. Jesus also faced a series of tricks and hostile confrontations from the local rulers. They were trying to trap Jesus into speaking against the Roman Caesar and against God's Word. Of course, Jesus easily overcame every effort of His enemies to trick Him. Those evil Herodians, chief priests, elders, scribes, and Pharisees didn't stand a chance against the Lord God Almighty!
*Jesus was still in the temple in Matthew 23. And here we heard the strongest words of condemnation Jesus ever spoke during His earthly ministry. Eight times Jesus called those scribes and Pharisees "hypocrites." A. T. Robertson explained that "this hardest word from the lips of Jesus fell on those who were the religious leaders of the Jews. The Lord's verbal thunderbolts of wrath were deserved by the scribes and Pharisees, because of their vicious, hateful rejection of Christ, their corrupt distortions of God's Law, and the abuse of the people who suffered under their rule." (1)
*In the same verses, Jesus pronounced 8 "woes" of judgment on their souls. Our English word "woe" is a strong exclamation of grief that comes from a serious affliction or misfortune. But William Barclay said that "the original word for 'woe' here included both wrath and sorrow. There is righteous anger in the Lord's voice in this Scripture, but it is the anger of a loving heart that was broken by the stubborn blindness of these evil leaders." These scribes and Pharisees brought the Lord's condemnation down on their own heads. And we need to be as far away from their hard-hearted ways as we can possibly be. (2)
*Now in the closing verses of this chapter, Jesus was about to leave the temple, and as He was about to depart, He pronounced a wider judgment that foresaw the coming destruction of the city and the scattering of the Jews for the next two thousand years. Why did this happen? Because most of the Jews had rejected their true Messiah King who had come to save His people from their sins.
*But in the Lord's brokenhearted words, there is hope for anyone who will see Jesus as He really is. Please think about how you see Jesus, as we read Matthew 23:37-39.
MESSAGE:
*How do you see Jesus Christ? Our popular culture certainly sees Him in a warped way. Their Jesus was on an episode of "The Simpsons." He often appeared on "South Park" doing battle with Satan. In the movie, "Talladega Nights," actor Will Farrell played a NASCAR driver who liked to pray to an 8-pound, 6-ounce baby Jesus wearing a golden-fleece diaper. (3)
*That's how much of our mocking media elite sees Jesus. How do you see the Lord? Mark Driscoll tells us that: "Jehovah's Witnesses say Jesus was merely Michael the archangel, a created being who became a man. Mormonism teaches that Jesus was not God but only a man who became one of many gods. Mormonism also teaches that Jesus was a polygamist and a half-brother of Lucifer.
*Universalism teaches that Jesus was not God, but rather that he was a great man to be respected solely for his teaching and love. Muslims think Jesus was a prophet, but one who was inferior to Mohammed." (4)
*These are the ways much of the world sees Jesus. But let's look into God's Word to see the real Jesus.
1. FIRST: WE SHOULD SEE JESUS SEEKING TO SAVE OUR SOULS.
*In the Lord's closing words to the hard-hearted, Christ-rejecting scribes and Pharisees, Jesus gives us a picture of our seeking Savior. It's in vs. 37, where the Lord cried out, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. . ."
*The Lord God gives us a picture of a hen gathering her scattered chicks under her wings. And it is a picture of Him constantly seeking people, to save their souls, to give them eternal life, and to bring them into close fellowship with Him.
*Christians, the Lord cared enough about us to seek us when we were lost. And He didn't give up! Jesus Christ kept seeking us until He found us. This is the message of hope we see in Luke 15. There in vs. 1-7, the Bible says:
1. Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.
2. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them.''
3. So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
4. "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
5. And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'
7. I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
*That lost sheep there represents every person who has ever lived, except our perfect Savior Jesus Christ. That lost sheep represents us, for Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way." Because of our sinful hearts, we wandered away from God. We were cut-off from God's flock, and we were in the greatest danger of all. But Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who came looking for us. He made a persistent, sacrificial search for each one of us.
*And Jesus was relentless. He was absolutely determined to find us. He cared so much that He went the distance for us. How far was Jesus willing to go? -- Even into this fallen world, and that's a long way down from Heaven! Jesus went the distance, even to the suffering of the cross, and even into death for us. Now our Risen Savior keeps seeking for His lost sheep until He finds them. He cared enough to seek for us when we were lost, and He never gave up!
*Wayde Wilson explained: "From the time He was born until the day He died, Jesus was always doing things differently than people expected. He was a man on a mission. But the mission was one few could understand.
*Jesus taught us how to love like no man has ever loved. He was full of compassion. He continuously extended grace when others were casting guilt. No one was hopeless. Every life mattered. He loved the prostitute as much as He loved the preacher. In Luke 19:10 He said, 'The Son of Man has come to seek and to save those who were lost.' And that is what He did.
*Jesus sought out the lonely, the hurting, the destitute, the forgotten ones, the guilty, the hopeless, the rejects of society, and His love transformed them. Everywhere He went, Jesus changed lives." (5)
*One night many years ago, D. L. Moody was preaching in a big circus tent in Chicago. His Scripture was Luke 19:10, where Jesus said He had "come to seek and to save that which was lost."
*After Moody finished preaching, a little boy was brought to the platform by a police officer. The policeman had found the little boy lost and wandering in the crowd. D. L. Moody took the boy in his arms and asked the crowd to look at him. Then he said, "The father of this child is more anxious to find the child than the child is to be found. So it is with our Heavenly Father. He has been looking for you to come to him for many years."
*At that moment, a man with a worried look on his face rushed to the platform. The boy saw his father and took off running to him. Then the little boy jumped into his father's outstretched arms, and the crowd gave out a loud, joyful cheer. When the crowd got quiet, D. L. Moody said, "God will receive you in the same way if you run to Him today." (6)
2. WE SHOULD SEE JESUS SEEKING TO SAVE OUR SOULS. BUT WE SHOULD ALSO SEE HIM AS OUR SHELTER IN THE STORMS OF LIFE.
*Again in vs. 37, Jesus cried out and said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. . ."
*One preacher who raised chickens explained that whenever he came near, "the old hen would cluck, and it was to give them a warning of danger. They understood it to mean they were to come to her. I could not understand that language. But those little things that had never been to school knew instantly what she said. She gave her whole self to them, and their instinct was to run to her, and find warm shelter under her wing. I have watched them as they did this again and again. What a picture of the endearing relationship the Lord Jesus Christ wants to have with us." (7)
*We should see Jesus as our shelter, because He will give us shelter in the storms of life. Listen to these declarations of faith from King David: In Psalm 57:1, "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by." And in Psalm 63:7 David said, "Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice."
*Psalm 91:4-6 also says, "He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday."
*Richard Fairchild reported the story of a man who grew up in the town of Mission, Canada. His name was Ike, and he told about the day his grandfather's hen house burned to the ground. Ike got there just in time to help put out the last of the fire. Then, he and his grandfather began to sort through the wreckage. They came upon one hen lying dead near the door of the hen house. Her top feathers were singed brown by the fire's heat. Her neck was limp.
*Ike bent down to pick up the dead bird, and as he did, the hen's 4 chicks came scurrying out from beneath her burned body. The chicks survived because they were sheltered under the wings of their mother. And Jesus gave His life to save all who will trust in the shelter of His wings. (8)
3. HOW SHOULD WE SEE JESUS CHRIST? WE SHOULD SEE HIM AS OUR SHELTER IN THE STORMS OF LIFE. AND WE SHOULD SEE JESUS AS OUR SOVEREIGN LORD.
*Jesus Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And in today's Scripture we see the Lord's sovereignty in the things He said to the Christ-rejecting scribes and Pharisees.
[1] FIRST, JESUS SPOKE OF THEIR FATAL MISTAKE.
*In vs. 37-38, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Behold! Your house is left to you desolate."
*Speaking of the temple Jesus told them, "Your house is left to you desolate."
*In the beginning of the Lord's ministry in John 2:13-16, we read:
13. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business.
15. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.
16. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make MY FATHER'S HOUSE a house of merchandise!''
*Then in Matthew 21:12-13, near the end of His earthly ministry, just a day before this "Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, 'It is written, "MY HOUSE shall be called a house of prayer," but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"
*But now in Matthew 23, the Lord no longer called it "My Father's house" or "My house." Now the Lord says, "YOUR HOUSE is left to you desolate."
*John Gill explained, "The city in which they dwelt, where they had fine homes and stately palaces, would, in a little time, within the space of forty years, be destroyed, and become a desert. And the Temple, formerly the house of God, but now only theirs, and in which they trusted, would be abandoned by God. He would no longer grant His presence in it. And the Messiah, the owner of it, and who was now in it, would take His leave of it, never more return to it. These religious leaders would share the same fate as the city and the Temple." (9)
*"Your house is left to you desolate." Albert Barnes explained, "Our blessed Lord reproved those wicked people with amazing power and authority. It is a wonder that they ever waited for a mock trial, and did not kill him at once. But His time was not come. And they were not allowed to act out the fury of their mad passions." (10)
*"Your house is left to you desolate." -- This may not seem to apply to us. But remember the words that Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:24-27, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount:
24. "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25. and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26. Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27. and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.''
*Anybody who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ and His teachings will wind up with a desolate house. Jesus Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords, so He sovereignly spoke of their fatal mistake.
[2] THEN JESUS BOLDLY SPOKE OF THE FUTURE.
*In vs. 39, "For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" John Phillips explained that "Never again would Jesus walk those temple courts. In a few days He would be separated from them by death, for after His resurrection He would appear only to His own.
*But beyond the centuries, in ages then unborn, Jesus would come again. Then Israel too will say, 'Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.' The Jewish nation still is not ready to say that. The time has not yet come, but the day draws near." (11)
*Church: That was no guesstimate or uncertain prediction by the Lord. Jesus boldly told them exactly what was going to happen. Jesus Christ is coming again! In the next chapter, the Lord will give us some of the signs of His return. And there is a lot of mystery in that Scripture. But this much is sure: Jesus Christ is coming again!
*C. S. Lewis described the Lord's return this way: "When the author walks onto the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade, all right; but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else comes crashing in? This time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. That will not be the time for choosing. It will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side." (12)
*Choose the right side. Choose Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior! Then your future will be secure in Him. The King of kings, Jesus Christ sovereignly spoke of the future.
[3] BUT IN VS. 39, HE ALSO SHOWS US THE HEART OF FAITH.
*It is the heart that says, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" There, Jesus quoted from Psalm 118:26. And they were the same words the Lord's followers shouted out when Jesus earlier rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
*"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" The Old Testament word for "blessed" carries the idea of kneeling in adoration and worship. The New Testament word for "blessed" has the idea of speaking good words or giving praise. In this case, it's giving praise to the One who comes in the name of the Lord God Almighty.
*And if the words are spoken sincerely, they are coming from a heart of faith. If the words are spoken sincerely, they are coming from a heart overflowing with love, praise, and gratitude for our Lord Jesus Christ.
*"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" If these words are spoken sincerely, they are coming from a heart that is born again. For in John 3:3 Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.''
CONCLUSION:
*"Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" These words come from a heart that in Hebrews 2:9 sees "Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." And though we cannot see Him physically yet, by faith we can see the Lord Jesus high and lifted up.
*And we should see Jesus seeking to save our souls. We should see Jesus as our shelter in the storms of life. We should see Jesus as our Sovereign King, because He is Lord of all! So put your trust in our crucified and risen Savior! Call on Jesus to save you now, as we go back to God in prayer. Then keep blessing the Lord, and keep trusting in Him, even in the worst storms of life.
(1) Sources:
-"Harmony of the Gospels" - THE OPEN BIBLE - "The Old Time Gospel Hour Edition" - Copyright 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville TN - "Harmony of the Gospels", p. 868
-Adapted from WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - Matthew 23:13 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(2) BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES - NEW TESTAMENT by William Barclay - Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "Shutting The Door" - Matthew 23:13 - https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/william-barclay/scribes-and-pharisees-matthew-231-39
(3) Adapted from online sermon "Who Is Jesus" by David Fairchild - Kaleo San Diego Church - 10/15/2006 - http://www.kaleochurch.com/sermon/who-is-jesus/ - Link missing in 2022
(4) Adapted from VINTAGE JESUS by Mark Driscoll - Source: http://www.kaleochurch.com/sermon/who-is-jesus/ - Link missing in 2022
(5) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "The Wounded Warrior" by Wayde Wilson Isaiah 53:3-5
(6) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Fabulous Fathers' by Marc Axelrod - Luke 15:20-31
(7) Adapted from THE BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR by Joseph S. Exell - "Relationship between the Lord and His people " by H. W. Beecher- Matthew 23 - https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/tbi/matthew-23.html
(8) Rev. Richard J. Fairchild - www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermon.html - Source: Sermonillustrations.com 03/07/2004
(9) Adapted from JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLE by Dr. John Gill, D. D. - 1697-1771 - Published in 1746-1766, 1816 - Matthew 23:38 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(10) Adapted from - ALBERT BARNES' NOTES ON THE BIBLE by Albert Barnes - Published in 1847-85 - "Remarks on Matthew 23" - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(11) EXPLORING THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "His Return Decreed" - Matthew 23:39 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(12) C. S. Lewis - "Mere Christianity" - Harper, San Francisco - Zondervan Publishing House, Copyright renewed 1980
