Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew 23 / The Most “Un-Christian” chapter in the Bible? 

Matthew 23 is a challenging chapter. In this chapter, Jesus, God’s mighty prophet, calls down seven woes upon the religious leaders of his day. They were diverting people from Jesus and keeping people from the kingdom of God. The “pitch” of Jesus’s prophetic critique is so high that many interpreters can’t believe that Jesus really said it.  In fact, one pretentious British commentator called this “the most un-Christian chapter in the Bible.” Another said that it is the “unloveliest” chapter in the gospels. 

But I disagree. 

Structurally it is beautiful.

Spiritually it is powerful. 

Ministerially it is convicting. 

And just like a skilled master surgeon, if you let Jesus’s word do its sin-amputating work, this can be one of the most life-giving, soul-stirring, and life-changing passages in the Bible. 

Sunday I will give you an outline that will help you see the skillful symmetry of Jesus’s words. 

Now let’s pray for the Spirit to help you feel the powerful spirituality of Jesus’s words.