24:1-3 WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN 70 AD

To adequately understand what this time in history actually meant, you have to go back 4 years. The reason many people misinterpret Matthew chapter 24 is that they don't understand what the first three verses mean. But before we delve into that we must understand what is going on here.

The precarious truce that Rome had with Jerusalem was tested daily. Zealot Jewish forces railed against Rome having so much control over Israel. Understand that these zealots were loyal to Israel, not God. And their zeal for Israel led them to do unthinkable, rather stupid things and in reality it was equal parts their responsibility what happened.

In 66 AD, about half the apostles have been martyred for their faith. And the population of Israel was divided into two main camps, zealots then everyone else. In the non-zealot camp there were the Pharisees and Sadducees who hated Rome as much as the zealots did, but understood that Rome was stronger and in charge.

These were those who despised Rome's presence but just wanted to live their lives, worship their way, and pay their taxes. But Rome was a brutal master. In 66 AD, Roman governor Gessius Florus, violated standing Roman law and pillaged the temple for gold. He carted it off with the excuse that it was for taxes he considered unpaid. This led to Pharisees and Sadducees ending the previously offered temple sacrifice on behalf of Rome. This was a move that Rome considered treasonous. This same move was considered by the zealots as a “strongly worded letter” to Rome.

In 70 AD, the Roman army stood in front of Jerusalem and allowed the millions of visiting Jews for the Passover that week to enter the city, but did not allow anyone to leave the city. And Jerusalem filled up that week as the emperor Titus knew it would.

Titus was tired of dealing with the Jews. And he decided to utterly destroy Israel. Keep in mind that it was a minor concern, an area Titus wished would go away permanently, and after attacks by zealots and the temple ceasing prayers for the emperor, it was time.

So, during the passover of 70AD, Titus allowed Jerusalem to fill to capacity and then sealed them inside the city. Jesus told them to pray this wouldn't happen during the Passover, but it did. Titus then constructed a siege wall against Jerusalem. And waited.

Inside the Zealots were angry. But they were as angry at Rome as they were at the Pharisees and Sadducees for trying to capitulate to Rome and attempt a way to resolve Titus’ anger. The Pharisees and Sadducees were not aware that their continued bowing down before Rome had led to this. And the behavior of these Jews in compromising with Rome for generations, infuriating the zealots had reached its end.

Inside Jerusalem, the storehouses of grain were full. They could have held off a siege for months and they would have. But the zealots foresaw a possibility of a long seige ending with a peaceful agreement with Rome led by the Pharisees and Sadducees. This was what they saw as well, but they did not understand the red hot rage that Titus felt. Titus fully expected a long siege and his plan was always completely destroying the city and temple and murdering all of them.

So the zealots decide they want to spur the Pharisees and Sadducees on to fight, so what do they do? They burn the storehouses to the ground with all their stored grains inside. The idea being ‘Fight or Starve’ being the motivation to make the ones who didn't want to fight actually do so.

But they never had a chance. The city was now wholly without food. Millions inside. It began in April. The Passover feasts had been consumed, there were no backup supplies. The fate of Jerusalem was already sealed, the zealots just speeded up the result. Hundreds died of starvation daily. Those who attempted escape were being crucified at a rate of 500 each day.

Children were killed and eaten. The dead were being consumed for sustenance. Civil War between rival factions of Jewish leadership broke out. By the time Titus entered Jerusalem the people were dying and certainly in no shape to fight. This is September, October time. Titus sets fire to the temple and city.

The ornate gold decorations of the temple melted ran down the cracks in between stone bricks and cooled into solid gold rivulets within the spaces between bricks. So when Jesus said, not one brick will be left on another, He was right.

The leadership responsible for calling out ‘Crucify him’ were some of the same people who were watching this happen around them. The months that this event happened had millions of people starving to death inside a walled city. It was a time of persecution and horror that had never happened on this scale before and never would again.

Next we look at what it means that this happened.

24:1-3 WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN 70 AD

To adequately understand what this time in history actually meant, you have to go back 4 years. The reason many people misinterpret Matthew chapter 24 is that they don't understand what the first three verses mean. But before we delve into that we must understand what is going on here.

The precarious truce that Rome had with Jerusalem was tested daily. Zealot Jewish forces railed against Rome having so much control over Israel. Understand that these zealots were loyal to Israel, not God. And their zeal for Israel led them to do unthinkable, rather stupid things and in reality it was equal parts their responsibility what happened.

In 66 AD, about half the apostles have been martyred for their faith. And the population of Israel was divided into two main camps, zealots then everyone else. In the non-zealot camp there were the Pharisees and Sadducees who hated Rome as much as the zealots did, but understood that Rome was stronger and in charge.

These were those who despised Rome's presence but just wanted to live their lives, worship their way, and pay their taxes. But Rome was a brutal master. In 66 AD, Roman governor Gessius Florus, violated standing Roman law and pillaged the temple for gold. He carted it off with the excuse that it was for taxes he considered unpaid. This led to Pharisees and Sadducees ending the previously offered temple sacrifice on behalf of Rome. This was a move that Rome considered treasonous. This same move was considered by the zealots as a “strongly worded letter” to Rome.

In 70 AD, the Roman army stood in front of Jerusalem and allowed the millions of visiting Jews for the Passover that week to enter the city, but did not allow anyone to leave the city. And Jerusalem filled up that week as the emperor Titus knew it would.

Titus was tired of dealing with the Jews. And he decided to utterly destroy Israel. Keep in mind that it was a minor concern, an area Titus wished would go away permanently, and after attacks by zealots and the temple ceasing prayers for the emperor, it was time.

So, during the passover of 70AD, Titus allowed Jerusalem to fill to capacity and then sealed them inside the city. Jesus told them to pray this wouldn't happen during the Passover, but it did. Titus then constructed a siege wall against Jerusalem. And waited.

Inside the Zealots were angry. But they were as angry at Rome as they were at the Pharisees and Sadducees for trying to capitulate to Rome and attempt a way to resolve Titus’ anger. The Pharisees and Sadducees were not aware that their continued bowing down before Rome had led to this. And the behavior of these Jews in compromising with Rome for generations, infuriating the zealots had reached its end.

Inside Jerusalem, the storehouses of grain were full. They could have held off a siege for months and they would have. But the zealots foresaw a possibility of a long seige ending with a peaceful agreement with Rome led by the Pharisees and Sadducees. This was what they saw as well, but they did not understand the red hot rage that Titus felt. Titus fully expected a long siege and his plan was always completely destroying the city and temple and murdering all of them.

So the zealots decide they want to spur the Pharisees and Sadducees on to fight, so what do they do? They burn the storehouses to the ground with all their stored grains inside. The idea being ‘Fight or Starve’ being the motivation to make the ones who didn't want to fight actually do so.

But they never had a chance. The city was now wholly without food. Millions inside. It began in April. The Passover feasts had been consumed, there were no backup supplies. The fate of Jerusalem was already sealed, the zealots just speeded up the result. Hundreds died of starvation daily. Those who attempted escape were being crucified at a rate of 500 each day.

Children were killed and eaten. The dead were being consumed for sustenance. Civil War between rival factions of Jewish leadership broke out. By the time Titus entered Jerusalem the people were dying and certainly in no shape to fight. This is September, October time. Titus sets fire to the temple and city.

The ornate gold decorations of the temple melted ran down the cracks in between stone bricks and cooled into solid gold rivulets within the spaces between bricks. So when Jesus said, not one brick will be left on another, He was right.

The leadership responsible for calling out ‘Crucify him’ were some of the same people who were watching this happen around them. The months that this event happened had millions of people starving to death inside a walled city. It was a time of persecution and horror that had never happened on this scale before and never would again.

Next we look at what it means that this happened.

Jesus continues his speech of Woes by covering tithes and offerings. There were obligations of specific ways to tithe spices that quite literally mean nothing and are not important enough to explain. The fact is it didn't matter then and it certainly doesn't matter now. Jesus is angry because these religious leaders had the technique down pat with no clue how to handle the more important matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness.

He calls them blind guides. It takes a fair amount of audacity for a man with no sight to attempt to guide another, but that is the very picture Jesus leaves us with. These supposed “men of God”, spent so much time and effort on the finer details of the Law that they completely neglected the parts of the Law that mattered.

He rebukes them for their ritualistic methods of washing cups and bowls. To them, they were concerned for the appearance of the bowl they are eating from, not with the bowl's actual cleanliness. The thought of eating from a bowl that is only clean on the outside is rather disgusting to me personally.

But Jesus continues the rebuking by calling them “white-washed tombs”. Indeed these tombs were beautiful on the outside, the limestone gleaming in the sun amongst the graves in Jerusalem. That was Jesus’ assessment of the situation. There was absolutely nothing good in these men. All they had to offer was the appearance of godliness but denying the power behind it.

It is these people and those like them who were guilty of killing these prophets and their descendants are revering the appearance of the tombs that people like them made necessary. God's people have a history of rejecting and persecuting the prophets of God. And it's with this wailing and complaining that they admit the truth.

By insisting that they themselves are regretting their ancestor's role in murdering the prophets they admit that their ancestors are guilty. But something is coming that is so devastating, so frightening that Jesus is couching his words in a truth sandwich.

His words of truth? He's sending them prophets that history has already proven they will kill, persecute and chase from city to city. So that everyone remains clear Jesus is holding them responsible for the murder of all the righteous men of history.

so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar

An event is coming in which the suffering is so great it is bringing Jesus to tears. And he is warning them that as they shut their ears to his teaching that it is their actions that led to this punishment. This event is going to be so horrific that every one of them who is angry at him now will experience the horrors to come. These individuals personally, not their future generations.

This is a different kind of warning Jesus is giving. And a truly horrendous event did happen to these people. It was a level of suffering that is rarely seen in history. It was a punishment that though deserved, would not end quickly. The warning Jesus is giving is one of urgency. All this, He's saying will fall upon these individual people. Within a generation, which in Jewish culture equates to 40 years.

And it all happened 37 years after He spoke these words. So these individual Pharisees would experience this pain and this pain would be felt for generations afterward. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is what all of Israel would point to as the most singularly destructive event in their nation's history prior to the Holocaust.

It would be the point at which in biblical history that God “cut off” from His nation all who rejected Jesus. It's the point at which all sacrificial offerings for sin are over. To this day, there has not been another offering in the last 1,956 years. Almost 2,000 years where Israel has not been able to offer sacrifice. Biblical Israel no longer exists as a functioning religion and hasn't since 69 AD. Really, since the veil of the temple was torn at Jesus’ death.

A Woe is coming that will be Hell on Earth. It will be well deserved by a nation of those who have always capitalized on religion while at the same time murdered those they claim to revere.



23] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. [24] You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! [25] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. [26] You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean. [27] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. [28] So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. [29] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, [30] and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ [31] So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. [32] Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. [33] You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? [34] “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, [35] so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. [36] Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Jesus continues his speech of Woes by covering tithes and offerings. There were obligations of specific ways to tithe spices that quite literally mean nothing and are not important enough to explain. The fact is it didn't matter then and it certainly doesn't matter now. Jesus is angry because these religious leaders had the technique down pat with no clue how to handle the more important matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness.

He calls them blind guides. It takes a fair amount of audacity for a man with no sight to attempt to guide another, but that is the very picture Jesus leaves us with. These supposed “men of God”, spent so much time and effort on the finer details of the Law that they completely neglected the parts of the Law that mattered.

He rebukes them for their ritualistic methods of washing cups and bowls. To them, they were concerned for the appearance of the bowl they are eating from, not with the bowl's actual cleanliness. The thought of eating from a bowl that is only clean on the outside is rather disgusting to me personally.

But Jesus continues the rebuking by calling them “white-washed tombs”. Indeed these tombs were beautiful on the outside, the limestone gleaming in the sun amongst the graves in Jerusalem. That was Jesus’ assessment of the situation. There was absolutely nothing good in these men. All they had to offer was the appearance of godliness but denying the power behind it.

It is these people and those like them who were guilty of killing these prophets and their descendants are revering the appearance of the tombs that people like them made necessary. God's people have a history of rejecting and persecuting the prophets of God. And it's with this wailing and complaining that they admit the truth.

By insisting that they themselves are regretting their ancestor's role in murdering the prophets they admit that their ancestors are guilty. But something is coming that is so devastating, so frightening that Jesus is couching his words in a truth sandwich.

His words of truth? He's sending them prophets that history has already proven they will kill, persecute and chase from city to city. So that everyone remains clear Jesus is holding them responsible for the murder of all the righteous men of history.

so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar

An event is coming in which the suffering is so great it is bringing Jesus to tears. And he is warning them that as they shut their ears to his teaching that it is their actions that led to this punishment. This event is going to be so horrific that every one of them who is angry at him now will experience the horrors to come. These individuals personally, not their future generations.

This is a different kind of warning Jesus is giving. And a truly horrendous event did happen to these people. It was a level of suffering that is rarely seen in history. It was a punishment that though deserved, would not end quickly. The warning Jesus is giving is one of urgency. All this, He's saying will fall upon these individual people. Within a generation, which in Jewish culture equates to 40 years.

And it all happened 37 years after He spoke these words. So these individual Pharisees would experience this pain and this pain would be felt for generations afterward. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is what all of Israel would point to as the most singularly destructive event in their nation's history prior to the Holocaust.

It would be the point at which in biblical history that God “cut off” from His nation all who rejected Jesus. It's the point at which all sacrificial offerings for sin are over. To this day, there has not been another offering in the last 1,956 years. Almost 2,000 years where Israel has not been able to offer sacrifice. Biblical Israel no longer exists as a functioning religion and hasn't since 69 AD. Really, since the veil of the temple was torn at Jesus’ death.

A Woe is coming that will be Hell on Earth. It will be well deserved by a nation of those who have always capitalized on religion while at the same time murdered those they claim to revere.



23] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. [24] You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! [25] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. [26] You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean. [27] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. [28] So you too, outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. [29] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, [30] and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ [31] So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. [32] Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. [33] You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? [34] “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, [35] so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. [36] Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Matthew 23:13, 15-22

Jesus begins his Woes speech against the Pharisees. Their continued behavior in opposing Him not withstanding, they were still behaving as enemies of God. Because they were enemies of God. Now no one can literally stop another person from entering the Kingdom of God.

These leaders however, in the interest of protecting their power, can burden the people with religious laws God never intended. By this behavior, they can block others from responding to the Gospel with no intention of ever entering themselves.

And here we have to mention that verse 14 is one of the verses that is in dispute for the simple reason that many of the older manuscripts do not contain it. There is no reason to doubt it as the same teaching is found in Mark 12:40

[40] who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.” and,

Luke 20:47
[47] who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

So here's another verse that liberals like to use as proof the Bible isn't to be trusted when it doesn't get close to doing so. And since Jesus uses the same words elsewhere there really should be no controversy. What the Pharisees were doing was using the Law to seize the homes of widows for personal enrichment.

Jesus’ clear warning is that they will receive harsher judgment than those who disobeyed in ignorance. Without sounding flippant, as I do not intend to do so, their judgment will be endless torture, pain, and loss for everyone who rejects Jesus. How much worse then is it for those who use religion the same way the Pharisees did?

Next Jesus condemns the proselytizing the Pharisees do as they travel the word passing their own distortions of truth on to a group of new Pharisees who are as morally bankrupt as they were.

Then Jesus hits their habit of swearing by the temple. The Pharisees were guilty of making vows, then breaking them and justifying doing so by ridiculous methods. They could swear they will fulfill a promise, much like this,

“I swear I will do such and such by the temple of God.” Then when it didn't get done excusing it with, “but I didn't swear by the gold of the temple”. An oath to these people was extremely important but these people were essentially not only making excuses for lying but justifying it as well.

He repeats Himself but then uses swearing by the altar versus swearing by the gold on the altar. The conclusion is this “Let your Yes be Yes and your No's be no.” In other words your character should be able to be judged based on the words you swear by, not by the object being sworn by. An oath adds nothing to the words of an honest man.

Jesus isn't giving instruction on how to swear an oath, He's telling us our promises, our words don't need an oath. And He's not done. Stay with us tomorrow as he continues just ripping the Jews to pieces, metaphorically speaking.





[13] “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation
[15] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. [16] “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ [17] You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? [18] And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’ [19] You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? [20] Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. [21] And the one who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells in it. [22] And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.


[

Matthew 23:13, 15-22

Jesus begins his Woes speech against the Pharisees. Their continued behavior in opposing Him not withstanding, they were still behaving as enemies of God. Because they were enemies of God. Now no one can literally stop another person from entering the Kingdom of God.

These leaders however, in the interest of protecting their power, can burden the people with religious laws God never intended. By this behavior, they can block others from responding to the Gospel with no intention of ever entering themselves.

And here we have to mention that verse 14 is one of the verses that is in dispute for the simple reason that many of the older manuscripts do not contain it. There is no reason to doubt it as the same teaching is found in Mark 12:40

[40] who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.” and,

Luke 20:47
[47] who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”

So here's another verse that liberals like to use as proof the Bible isn't to be trusted when it doesn't get close to doing so. And since Jesus uses the same words elsewhere there really should be no controversy. What the Pharisees were doing was using the Law to seize the homes of widows for personal enrichment.

Jesus’ clear warning is that they will receive harsher judgment than those who disobeyed in ignorance. Without sounding flippant, as I do not intend to do so, their judgment will be endless torture, pain, and loss for everyone who rejects Jesus. How much worse then is it for those who use religion the same way the Pharisees did?

Next Jesus condemns the proselytizing the Pharisees do as they travel the word passing their own distortions of truth on to a group of new Pharisees who are as morally bankrupt as they were.

Then Jesus hits their habit of swearing by the temple. The Pharisees were guilty of making vows, then breaking them and justifying doing so by ridiculous methods. They could swear they will fulfill a promise, much like this,

“I swear I will do such and such by the temple of God.” Then when it didn't get done excusing it with, “but I didn't swear by the gold of the temple”. An oath to these people was extremely important but these people were essentially not only making excuses for lying but justifying it as well.

He repeats Himself but then uses swearing by the altar versus swearing by the gold on the altar. The conclusion is this “Let your Yes be Yes and your No's be no.” In other words your character should be able to be judged based on the words you swear by, not by the object being sworn by. An oath adds nothing to the words of an honest man.

Jesus isn't giving instruction on how to swear an oath, He's telling us our promises, our words don't need an oath. And He's not done. Stay with us tomorrow as he continues just ripping the Jews to pieces, metaphorically speaking.





[13] “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation
[15] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. [16] “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ [17] You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold? [18] And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.’ [19] You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? [20] Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it. [21] And the one who swears by the temple, swears both by the temple and by Him who dwells in it. [22] And the one who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.


[

Matthew 23:1-12 The Beginning of Woes


The close of His ministry is fast approaching and Jesus is done with parables and speaking around issues and is flat out warning others to not be like them. The Pharisees are not all that different from today's self righteous Christians.

All they did they did to be seen and admired by men. He's careful to include the warning to do as they tell others to do. The Pharisees represented themselves as leaders and were in fact the ones in charge of the temple laws and practices.

The Pharisees placed emphasis on the physical acts of religious law rather than the spiritual law that necessitated the physical act being done. As an example we are told in
Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
[6] These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. [7] And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. [8] You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. [9] You shall also write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

In this passage, God is telling His people that the words of the Law should be “on your heart” , so evident in your day to day life that your children and those around you know from your conduct how you honor God. Our behavior, our heart is the emphasis here and the act God gives as a physical act to help remember the spiritual Truth.

The people are told to bind God's word to their hands and foreheads. Why? To remember His word and how it's supposed to influence our day to day life. So what did the Pharisees do? They created phylacteries, small boxes into which they placed portions of Scripture to wear around their wrists and on their heads.

They would make them ornate, large and cumbersome because the human response is often “well look at his phylacteries he must be super spiritual” The appearance of the phylacteries often reflected as being the indication of spiritual stature rather than that individuals’ behavior. This is why Jesus condemns the acts of altering robes or tassels because they are doing so rather than actually allowing God's word to affect their lives.

Following this, Jesus gets into the seven woes of the Pharisees and he desperately warns his disciples not to behave as the Pharisees do.

We are not to give them titles that may make us hesitant to question them or their authority. A biblical church leader's authority ends at Scripture. It is in this passage that Jesus says
“And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven.”

Obviously He isn't saying that we can't call our father, Dad. What He's saying is do not confer to any man the title of “father” granting the man an authority God never gave him. It's almost as if Jesus is warning of a coming pseudo religious group that put more emphasis on titles and fictional authority. A group that calls their religious leaders, “Father” claiming extra-biblical authority.

So Scripture says, call no man father.
Your church is led by Father O'Leary.
Which are you going to trust?



[1] Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, [2] saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. [3] Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them. [4] And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. [5] And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. [6] And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, [7] and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by the people. [8] But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. [9] And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven. [10] And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. [11] But the greatest of you shall be your servant. [12] Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Matthew 23:1-12 The Beginning of Woes


The close of His ministry is fast approaching and Jesus is done with parables and speaking around issues and is flat out warning others to not be like them. The Pharisees are not all that different from today's self righteous Christians.

All they did they did to be seen and admired by men. He's careful to include the warning to do as they tell others to do. The Pharisees represented themselves as leaders and were in fact the ones in charge of the temple laws and practices.

The Pharisees placed emphasis on the physical acts of religious law rather than the spiritual law that necessitated the physical act being done. As an example we are told in
Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
[6] These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. [7] And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. [8] You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. [9] You shall also write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

In this passage, God is telling His people that the words of the Law should be “on your heart” , so evident in your day to day life that your children and those around you know from your conduct how you honor God. Our behavior, our heart is the emphasis here and the act God gives as a physical act to help remember the spiritual Truth.

The people are told to bind God's word to their hands and foreheads. Why? To remember His word and how it's supposed to influence our day to day life. So what did the Pharisees do? They created phylacteries, small boxes into which they placed portions of Scripture to wear around their wrists and on their heads.

They would make them ornate, large and cumbersome because the human response is often “well look at his phylacteries he must be super spiritual” The appearance of the phylacteries often reflected as being the indication of spiritual stature rather than that individuals’ behavior. This is why Jesus condemns the acts of altering robes or tassels because they are doing so rather than actually allowing God's word to affect their lives.

Following this, Jesus gets into the seven woes of the Pharisees and he desperately warns his disciples not to behave as the Pharisees do.

We are not to give them titles that may make us hesitant to question them or their authority. A biblical church leader's authority ends at Scripture. It is in this passage that Jesus says
“And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven.”

Obviously He isn't saying that we can't call our father, Dad. What He's saying is do not confer to any man the title of “father” granting the man an authority God never gave him. It's almost as if Jesus is warning of a coming pseudo religious group that put more emphasis on titles and fictional authority. A group that calls their religious leaders, “Father” claiming extra-biblical authority.

So Scripture says, call no man father.
Your church is led by Father O'Leary.
Which are you going to trust?



[1] Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, [2] saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. [3] Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them. [4] And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. [5] And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. [6] And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, [7] and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by the people. [8] But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. [9] And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven. [10] And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. [11] But the greatest of you shall be your servant. [12] Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Matthew 22:41-46

This is a passage for all those who try to claim that Jesus never claimed to be God. And here, Jesus blows that ridiculous claim to bits. Here he is trying to tell them that the Christ was going from the line of David and was being considered a son of David.

Son of David is a title given specifically to the one who will be the Messiah. The Pharisees had just failed the three tests they attempted to test Jesus with, by asking a question that they believed he couldn't answer . So here, Jesus flips the script and asks the Pharisees, whose son is the Christ?

They answer “the son of David”. It is the title ascribed to the Messiah going back to the days of King David. So Jesus posits this, if the Messiah is rightly called the ‘son’ of David, why does David refer to his son as “Lord”.

And He quotes Psalm 110:1

[1] The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
Psalm 110 was King David explaining that this individual known as the Son of David was the Messiah to come from whom all things are expected.

Later in the Psalm, David calls this same person a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. So the Messiah is both the son of David but also commands respect as a holy priest and David Himself calls him Lord.

The surge of protests claiming that Jesus never demanded worship as God is increasing. More groups try to equate Jesus with a “good teacher” and try to say our opinions of Jesus's identity are irrelevant to our salvation. That all we have to do is just appreciate that Jesus was a standup guy, a faithful human.

Let's make this clear. From Genesis to Revelation the identity of Jesus is always as God. From the appearance as 3 men to Abraham to His claim to be the Alpha and Omega In Revelation Jesus tells us that He is God.

And in John 8:24 Jesus removes all doubt.

John 8:24
[24] I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

What he's saying is this, “Unless you believe that I AM THAT I AM, You will die in your sins.” So absolutely yes, our belief in who Jesus is is 100% essential to our salvation. So a God fearing Jew who accepts 99% of his faith's Religious precepts but does not believe that Jesus is God ends up eternally in the same place as the murderer and liar.

It matters who you say He is. It's a reason He put in place Himself, and I have no room to argue or debate. The Pharisees couldn't answer truthfully because to do so would force them to answer why they weren't submitting to Him.

Any demotion of Jesus from the triune god hood is a movement that sends people to Hell. Jesus is Jehovah. He is God the Son. But who do you say He is?





41] Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: [42] “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” They *said to Him, “The son of David.” [43] He *said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, [44] ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies under Your feet” ’? [45] Therefore, if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” [46] No one was able to offer Him a word in answer, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him any more questions.