In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 23, our Lord Jesus issued seven woes to the scribes and Pharisees. Having observed a culture of hypocrisy among them, he highlighted various areas of their religion that greatly distressed and troubled him. He observed that that they did not practice what they preached. He saw that they placed heavy burdens on men’s shoulders and were unwilling to lift a finger to help them. They did deeds to be seen by others, and as the religious leaders, they loved the honor and esteem that was given to them. They exalted themselves, made proselytes, and led men astray. “Woe to you blind guides”, he said. They tithed with excessive attention to detail. They cleaned the outside of the cup, and yet inwardly were as whitewashed tombs, with hearts full of greed and self-indulgence. Outwardly, they appeared righteous but inwardly were full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. And last but not least, they shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.

We must not think that because we are Christians, we are exempt from the possibility of any of these sins being true in our own lives. Yes, Matthew 23 was spoken by Christ to the Pharisees. And yet, this chapter must stand as a warning against hypocrisy to all of us. If any of these sins were true in our lives, does that mean we are unregenerate? No, but we must repent and return to the true intention of God’s Word. The Pharisees were focused on the letter of the Law, and yet Jesus was more focused on the intention of the Law. Why else would he say, “You have heard that it was said, but I say to you”? After all, Christ warned his disciples in Luke 12:1 “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”

So, we must ask ourselves, is it possible that as true Christians we could shut the kingdom of heaven in someone’s face? If we do not apply the Scriptures correctly and we miss the intention of the Word of God, then yes. Let us look at the ways in which we could do this.

Complicating the Gospel

Have you ever shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with someone and it felt like weaving an elaborate tapestry of words, biblical concepts, doctrines, personal responsibilities, spiritual truths, imperatives, and conditional promises? Congratulations, you’ve just over complicated the Gospel. While all those things are contained in the Gospel, this is not the intention of Christ or the Scriptures in how we relay it.

The Gospel is so simple, that a child can understand it! And yet, it’s deep realities require an entire life of devotion to scratch the mystery of it. To reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3) is not what a lost and spiritually dead man needs to hear. These things come later, with time and personal devotion.

Jesus preached a gospel of “Repent and believe.” Paul preached Christ crucified. I’m afraid that we attempt to add a layer of depth to our gospel presentation that the Scriptures do not intend for us to add right away. The world seeks wisdom, but not the wisdom of God. “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified” (1st Cor 1:20-23).

If we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a lost man or woman and we begin to add things we consider to be enlightening on top of Christ crucified, then we miss the intention of God and empty the Gospel of its power! Men may go away sad, because it is too far beyond them, and they will not believe on something that they do not understand. And if there’s anything I know about the Gospel, it’s that God intended it to be understood.

Thankfully, the Lord saves despite our errors, but dear Christian, we must preach the Gospel as it is intended to be preached, and in all its simplicity! If a man be saved, the depth will come later. In 1st Corinthians 1:17 Paul said, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross be emptied of its power.” May the cross never be emptied of its power because of our attempts to be eloquent, or because we multiply words. The focus must always be Christ. And the Gospel is more powerful in its simplest form.

Attempting To Do the Work of The Spirit for Him

Have you ever heard the words of the famous 19th century evangelist D.L. Moody? “We must get men lost before they can be saved.” Amen! There is truth in this statement. And our brother intended that “getting lost” be a precursor to “being saved.” A Christian may hold this view because of the well-known fact that men often view themselves as generally good, or not that bad, and very rarely in need of a savior. But our job as Christians is to preach the gospel, and if we do it clearly enough then men will see their need of a Savior and get saved, right? Wrong!

To be sure, we do need to show men their great need of Christ our Savior. We do need to tell them that they have sinned against God. We must plant the seed, yes. But it is God who makes it grow. I’m convinced that we sometimes do not leave room for the Spirit of God to convict, and we take that ministry upon ourselves.

We often wind up being more of an accuser of lost men than we do a witness of the saving power of the Gospel. Have you ever found yourself trying and trying to convince a lost man of just how wicked he really is? I know I have. But we are to speak the truth, plant the seed, and let the Spirit of God do his work. When Christ sent out the 12 Apostles, he said “If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave” Matthew 10:14.

We ought to preach the Gospel at face value, and if men are not convicted then we leave. We only further alienate them when we try to convict and condemn them with words. Often, they do not recognize that we acknowledge that we are also deserving of death. The world must never think that the church is full of men who condemn them and think that they are better than them. State the Gospel and allow for the Sprit to convict.

The Bible is very clear; the chief ministry of the Spirit of God is to convict men of their sin. “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” – John 16:8-11.

Over Emphasis on the Law

The pharisees were looking to usher in the fulfillment of the law. And in doing so, they “tied up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and laid them on people’s shoulders.” No one looked to Mount Sinai more than the pharisees. This was their message. But they themselves were hypocrites. Christ said of them “So you outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” So, what are we to do as Christians! We’ve already acknowledged that men do not see themselves as sinners, worthy of God’s wrath. But on the other hand, we mustn’t preach Sinai! Right?

In verse 23, a word jumps off the page to those with eyes to see. A word that sums up both the intention of the Law of God, and the very Gospel itself. Justice! The pharisees fastidiously tithed their own spices and yet neglected the weightier matters of the Law. Justice and mercy, and faithfulness. And Christ does not even condemn them for tithing so intentionally! “These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

So, Christ sheds light on a blind spot in the pharisees theology. They kept the letter of the Law but had forgotten about justice. As 21st century Christians, we are well acquainted with what biblical justice demands! It demands that the law breaker be punished! It demands that sin be dealt with! We also are well acquainted with the dilemma that biblical justice poses. How can God be a just God and allow us into the kingdom? Allow us to go unpunished. How can He forgive sins without being accused of just sweeping them under the rug?

This is where the Gospel of Jesus Christ comes in. He is the perfect sacrifice which allows us to be counted right before God. And our sins which demand punishment are then imputed to him! We are then reconciled with our Just God! Christ has satisfied His wrath, and God’s justice rings out even clearer. He is willing to send His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The key to a clear gospel that does not turn men away is a clear presentation of justice. In fact, we ought to preach it! Christ did. He was the fulfillment of what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles” – Matthew 12:18. Christian, it’s true, we must proclaim the Law. But we must not linger there. Pointing men to Christ is our calling. And by God’s grace, may we proclaim the gospel in all its simplicity and power.

Harshness

The manner with which we share the Gospel matters. If we share it with a spirit of harshness, we become a hindrance to men entering the kingdom. If we pray for open doors to witness to others, but then become harsh in our delivery, we are inconsistent. May this never be. Is our goal to stir up anger? Then give a harsh presentation of the gospel and men will be stirred. If men reject the truth, may it not be because we shouted them down, or spoke a grating gospel. We must understand that often, men will not receive the message. So how should we respond when the Gospel is rejected? The Bible is clear; we are to speak the truth in love and then continue. A mature Christian understands that it is not just what we say, but how we say it.

Consider Luke 9:51-56. We cannot entertain the mindset that the disciples displayed when the Samaritan village rejected Christ. The Lord sent messengers ahead of him, who went into the village to make preparations for him. And how did James and John react when the Samaritans did not receive him? “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” This is exactly the wrong response to men rejecting our Savior. Christ turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.

Such a hellfire and brimstone reaction is void of love, and it is the very harshness that shuts the door of the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. Thankfully, our God saves despite our shortcomings and deficiencies, but we must learn from the disciples, and most importantly from Christ Jesus and how he loved others. How much of the book of Jonah is an admonition of how gracious, merciful, and slow to anger God is? He is abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster (Jonah 4:2).

A rejection of the Gospel today does not equate to a rejection of the Gospel tomorrow. Yes, we must admonish men that today is the day of salvation. But we do not see all ends, and we mustn’t deliver this Gospel with harshness or react severely, if men reject it. As long as men draw breath, they are able to enter into the kingdom through Christ Jesus. We mustn’t shut the door in their face because they don’t heed our message. Trust not in the arm of the flesh or a perfect delivery of the Gospel. “The Spirit gives life; the flesh is of no use at all.”

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