Matthew 23 - Introduction

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO OUTLINES

Section 57.

(continued) Jesus Meets Challenges of Authority

D, The Parable of the Slighted Marriage Invitations (Matthew 22:1-14)

Section 58.

Jesus Answers Captious Questions (Matthew 22:15-46)

A.

The Question of Tribute to Caesar (Matthew 22:15-22)

B.

The Question of the Resurrection (Matthew 22:23-33)

C.

The Question of the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40)

D.

The Question Regarding the Son of David (Matthew 22:41-46)

STUDY OUTLINES
AN INVITATION TO JOY (22:1-14)

I.

GOD'S DEALINGS WITH ISRAEL (Matthew 22:1-7) To the Jew first (Romans 1:16; Romans 2:9)

A.

God's gracious provision for Israel's blessing (Matthew 22:1-4) The goodness and long-suffering of God (Cf. Romans 11:22)

B.

Israel's ingratitude and rejection (Matthew 22:5-6)

1.

Crass indifference (Matthew 22:5)

2.

Outright brutality toward the king's messengers (Matthew 22:6)

C.

God's punishment of the Jews (Matthew 22:7) the well-deserved severity of the punishment

II.

GOD'S DEALINGS WITH THE GENTILES (Matthew 22:8-10) And also to the Greek (Romans 1:16; Romans 2:9)

A.

The undeserved goodness of the invitation (Matthew 22:8)

B.

God's graciousness to the Gentiles (Matthew 22:9 f.)

III.

GOD'S DEALINGS WITH INDIVIDUALS AT JUDGMENT (Matthew 22:11-13) To each according to his deeds

A.

The presumptuous gall of the hypocrite (Matthew 22:11)

B.

The gentle request for an explanation unanswered (Matthew 22:12)

C.

The ultimate damnation of hypocrites (Matthew 22:13)

IV.

THE BOTTOM LINE IN GOD'S DEALINGS (Matthew 22:14)

THE RELIGIO-POLITICAL QUESTION: IS JESUS A REBEL? (22:15-22)

I.

A QUESTION TO TRAP THE TEACHER (Matthew 22:15-17)

A.

The Plot (Matthew 22:15-16 a)

B.

The Flattery (Matthew 22:16)

C.

The Crucial Question

II.

A COUNTER-TRAP (Matthew 22:18-20)

A.

The Trappers Unmasked (Matthew 22:18)

B.

The Counter-Trap Executed (Matthew 22:19-20)

III.

THE THEOLOGY OF DOUBLE TAXATION (Matthew 22:21) Jesus-' Masterful Solution: Dual Citizenship

IV.

THE TRAPPERS GIVE UP (Matthew 22:22)

THE DOCTRINAL-EXEGETICAL QUESTION: IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH? (22:23-33)

I.

THE PROBLEM: Sadducees affirm: There is no resurrection, no life after death. (Matthew 22:23-28)

A.

The legal basis: the brother-in-law code (Matthew 22:24)

B.

The hypothetical case (Matthew 22:25-27)

C.

The resulting conundrum (Matthew 22:28)

II.

THE SOLUTION: Jesus exposes the cause of these materialists-' ignorance (Matthew 22:29-32)

A.

Proposition: You are wrong because of fundamental ignorance (Matthew 22:29 a)

B.

Explanation of His accusation (Matthew 22:29 b)

1.

Ignorance of Scripture that reveals life after death as true

2.

Ignorance of God's power to make resurrection possible

C.

Proofs:

1.

Your ignorance of God's power blinds you to the possibility that the resurrection world shall be different from this one: heaven is not earth. (Matthew 22:30)

2.

Your ignorance of God's Scripture blinds you to that text of all texts that reveals that God is still worshipped by LIVING men! (Matthew 22:31 f.)

III.

THE RESULT: Jesus-' masterful rebuttal inspires praise. (Matthew 22:33)

THE SPECULATIVE QUESTION: THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT (22:34-40)

I.

SITUATION: Pharisees test Jesus-' rabbinical credentials with the problem: What kind of commandment is great in the law? (Matthew 22:34-36)

II.

JESUS-' RESPONSE: (Matthew 22:37-40)

A.

First table of the Law:

1.

What we are to do: Love

2.

Whom we are to love: the Lord our God

3.

How we are to love Him: wholeheartedly

B.

Second table of the Law:

1.

What we are to do: Love

2.

Whom we are to love: our neighbor

3.

How we are to love him: as ourselves.

THE QUESTION TO CONTEMPLATE: THE MESSIAH'S TRUE NATURE (22:41-46)

I.

A COMMON CONVICTION: Son of David (Matthew 22:41-42)

II.

A CORRECTING QUOTATION: Psalms 110:1 (Matthew 22:43-44)

III.

A CRUCIAL QUESTION: If David's Lord, how then his Son? (Matthew 22:45)

IV.

ALL QUESTIONING CANCELLED (Matthew 22:46)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE OUTLINES
SECTION 59
JESUS ATTACKS THE SIN OF THE RIGHTEOUS (23:1-39)

I.

TO THE CROWDS AND HIS DISCIPLES (Matthew 23:1-12)

II.

TO THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES THEMSELVES (Matthew 23:13-36)

III.

TO JERUSALEM, IDEAL OF THE NATION: (Matthew 23:37-39)

A LIFE-SIZE PORTRAIT OF A RELIGIOUS COUNTERFEIT

I.

CONTRAST BETWEEN FALSE AND TRUE SPIRITUAL LEADERS (Matthew 23:1-12)

A.

Warning against false teachers (Matthew 23:1-7)

1.

Whereinsofar their message is Mosaic, listen and obey (Matthew 23:1-3 a)

2.

But beware of their falsity and failure (Matthew 23:3 b - Matthew 23:7)

a.

Not practicing what they preach (Matthew 23:3 b)

b.

Making religion unbearable (Matthew 23:4)

c.

Proud humility (Matthew 23:5-7)

B.

The essence of true religion and the character of its teachers (Matthew 23:8-12)

1.

Its only, unmediated source of life, truth and direction is God (Matthew 23:8-10)

2.

Its highest ambition is sincere, humble service to others (Matthew 23:11 f.)

II.

SEVEN SOLEMN DENUNCIATIONS OF HYPOCRITICAL RELIGION (Matthew 23:13-29)

A.

The Teaching of Error (Matthew 23:13-15)

1.

Fanatic sectarianism blocks progress into the Kingdom (Matthew 23:13)

2.

Partisan missionary zeal promotes false spirit (Matthew 23:15)

B.

The Imperceptiveness of Error (Matthew 23:16-28)

1.

In the field of reverence toward God: no sense of awe before God (Matthew 23:16-22)

2.

In the field of observance of duty: majoring in minors (Matthew 23:23 f.)

3.

In the field of personal holiness: (Matthew 23:25-28)

a.

Cleansing the outside

b.

Concealing the inside (Matthew 23:27-28)

C.

The Punishment of Error (Matthew 23:29-39)

1.

For the multiplied guilt of murdering God's witnesses (Matthew 23:29-36)

2.

For contempt for His marvelously patient compassion (Matthew 23:37-39)