THE KING IN JERUSALEM (TALK 4/12: THE HEART OF THE MATTER)

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

CONNECT: How can you rejoice in knowing of your invitation into the Kingdom this week?

WARM-UP

1. Have you ever known someone who, no matter what you said or did, seemed intent on not liking you?

READ Matthew 22:15-22:40

1. At the beginning of this section, who do the Pharisees take with them to Jesus? 2. What is the intent with which the Pharisees go to Jesus? How did they think they would achieve that? 3. Can you provide a quick summary of three questions that the various groups pose to Jesus? How

about a summary of the responses that Jesus provides? 4. Do you think that there was any way that Jesus could have answered these questions in a satisfactory

way that would have ‘won’ them over? Why or why not? 5. Bringing our questions before God can be part of a healthy relationship with him, however, do you think

that we’re ever in danger of just trying to ‘entrap’ God? Have you ever tried to do this? 6. Is there anyone you know who, despite having lots of questions about Jesus, actually doesn’t seem

open to shifting from their pre-conceived view? What would be the best way to help them?

READ Matthew 22:41-45

7. Who son did the Jews expect the Messiah to be? What do they mean by this? 8. What Psalm is Jesus quoting here? In what way does the Psalm suggest that the Messiah will actually

be greater than David? If that’s the interpretation, who is Jesus therefore claiming to be? 9. Whilst we can have lots of interesting questions about God, why is the question relating to Jesus’

identity so critical? How can we help people focus on Jesus rather than ‘secondary’ issues? 10. Why do you think that people didn’t dare ask any more questions of Jesus?

READ Matthew 23:1-12 11. What is Jesus suggesting was really the problem the religious leaders? 12. Do you think that we can every be guilty of wanting to ‘look the part’ as a follower of Jesus but not

actually be genuine of heart? How can we guard against this? 13. Re-read verses 11 and 12. Why is having a humble heart so important when we come before God? 14. How can having arrogant or closed hearts actually prevent us from seeing the truth?

APPLY: What helps you cultivate a humble heart before God?

PRAY: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the truth of you Jesus is. Please soften our hearts towards you, that we might see Jesus for who he really is, rather than who we expect him to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

THE KING IN JERUSALEM

(TALK 4/12: THE HEART OF THE MATTER)

GOING DEEPER RESOURCES On Your Front Line this Week

• Bring someone along to our Pancake party, Tuesday 6:30-7:30pm. It’ll be a fun and casual night for adults and kids.

For Families

• VIDEO: “Heart, Soul, and Mind” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xb7qIjEwaE

Listen & Watch

• AUDIO: Three related talks to this section from St Helen’s Bishopsgate: Matthew 22:15-22: https://www.st-helens.org.uk/resources/talk/7503/ Matthew 22:23-34: https://www.st-helens.org.uk/resources/talk/7504/ Matthew 22:34-36: https://www.st-helens.org.uk/resources/talk/7512/

• AUDIO: “Arguing about the Afterlife” by Tim Keller: https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/arguing-about-the-afterlife-5236/

Other Helpful Resources (For Series)

• STUDY GUIDE: Download our Study Guide on Matthew: https://stbarts.com.au/matthew

• BOOK: “Matthew: A Great Light Dawns”: https://bit.ly/37KC8rX

• ONLINE: Introduction to the Gospel of Matthew (Fuller): https://fullerstudio.fuller.edu/introduction-to-matthew/

• VIDEO: The Bible Project, Matthew Overview: https://thebibleproject.com/explore/matthew

For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

TALK 4/12 (THE KING IN JERUSALEM): 24/2/20

“The Heart of the Matter” by the Rev’d Adam Lowe

Bible Passage: Matthew 22:15-23:12

SUMMARY: TBA

From the moment that Jesus entered Jerusalem, things have been really heating up!

• It’s a bit like an old pressure cooker without a safety switch, with the temperature rising, pressure building, until it reaches the point of no return, and somethings got to give.

• I remember as kids, one day my dad making a milkshake for my brother and I in the blender. And as it was all blending, dad kept on adding ice-cream. It almost became a bit of a challenge as we pushed the constraints of physics in order to discover what is the maximum load of the blender and peak saturation point of ice-cream in milk. Well, we got our answer pretty quickly, when one final scoop of ice-cream was added in, only for the blender to erupt, the lid to go flying, and for the entire kitchen to be covered in milk.

• Something had to give! // • Ever since arriving in Jerusalem, engaging with the religious leaders, Jesus has been:

a) Asserting the truth of who he really is; b) Pointing out the guilt of hypocrisy of the leaders; c) Warning them of the judgment that is to come; and d) Promising that God’s Kingdom is for all who come to him.

• And with every conversation, every parable, and every action - pressure is mounting. • As Jesus’ identity, their guilt, the warning of judgment, and the promise of the Gospel

becomes more transparent, the religious leaders feel more and more under threat, knowing that now must be the time to act.

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• And if we’ve read Matthew, that shouldn’t surprise us. • At the beginning of Matthew, with the threat of another King, Herod wanted Jesus dead.

As early as Matthew 12, the Pharisees began plotting as to how they might kill Jesus. But now, with a closing window of opportunity, the religious leaders are plotting, in order to move from intention to action.

• Having witnessed Jesus’ condemning parable of the wedding banquet…

… the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. (Matthew 22:15)

That’s the tipping point of Matthew 22. The only interest they have in Jesus’ words and actions, is the hope that they can be used against him, so that he ends up dead.

And as they try to trap Jesus, we learn that how you approach him, is the most important decision you’ll ever make:

• Because: Your INTENT can blind you; but Only JESUS can save you; and What is required is a HUMBLE HEART.

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A: YOUR INTENT CAN BLIND YOU \\ MATTHEW 22:1-40

So first, your INTENT can blind you.

• Matthew 22:15-30: we can’t possibly go through it in detail, but here’s the key: we have three groups of people, each with a different question, but all with the same intent, which is to trap Jesus with his words.

• Let’s consider them by looking at who goes, what they ask, and how Jesus responds. • So ROUND 1, in verses 15-22, we witness a political question:

Who goes? The Pharisees’ disciples and the Herodians, go to Jesus, asking:

Verse 17: Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?

• Now, if Jesus says pay unpopular tax, the religious folk think this will undercut support, But if Jesus refuses the tax, well the religious could entice the Romans to take some action.

• They think he’s in a bind: but how Jesus responds is brilliant! Taking a coin of the time, he simply asks, “whose face is this?”The answer of course is Caesar, in the same way that the Queen appears on our coins, Caesar appeared on theirs. And so Jesus says, v.21, “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s”.

• They’re all amazed at Jesus’ answer so the left him and went away. 4

ROUND 2, this time a doctrinal question, from the Sadducees…

25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?” (Matthew 22:25-28)

• Now it’s important to note, as Matthew reminds us, that the Sadducees are asking a question about the resurrection, when they don’t even believe in any life after death.

• They’re not actually worried about this poor hypothetical widow seven times over. • No. They’re trying to undermine Jesus’ credibility.

They know that Jesus has been proclaiming that there is a resurrection, They know that Jesus has promised life forever for all who follow him, and so they want to demonstrate that what Jesus is saying doesn’t work in practice, by a conundrum that whilst complicated, was possible.

• Their logic goes: Because people can remarry, there must therefore be no resurrection. • It’s doesn’t make any sense, and it totally backfires on them as Jesus asserts,

that this doesn’t reveal a problem with his view of resurrection, but it does reveal a problem with their view of the Bible and of God.

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“…at the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage.” (Matthew 22:30)

• Jesus, quoting from the Book of Exodus, says to the Sadducees:

…have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” (Matthew 22:31-32)

• It’s really interesting that Jesus is quoting from Exodus. • He’s doing that because the Sadducees with great pride only accepted the first five books of

what we now know as the Old Testament. They thought they knew it inside out. • But Jesus, quoting from the Word, points out something very obvious:

if there is no resurrection, why would God in the present tense, introduce himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, even though they had died, unless there was life after death.

• And to make matters worse, Jesus says: not only have you failed to understand the Scriptures, but you’ve also totally underestimated the power of God.

• You’ve assumed that God has to act within the constraints of what we know. • The crowds are astonished.

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So, verse 34, “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together, you can almost imagine them huddling together and desperately brainstorming, and so they ask him a biblical question. ROUND 3.

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

• This was a common question that was debated amongst Jewish teachers, but they must be hoping that Jesus’ answer in someway undermines the commandments.

• But they’re in for a big surprise, as Jesus says:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 37-40)

• Jesus brilliantly not only sums up the Law, but he critiques the leaders for what they have failed to do.

Can you see what is happening here?

• It’s not just that Jesus would be the best guest on Q&A that you’ve ever imagined.

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• But all of these groups, are coming to Jesus with questions, not because of an earnest desire to figure out who Jesus is, but to simply confirm a view that they already hold.

• They’ve already made up their minds, they’re simply not open to the truth. • There’s nothing wrong with asking questions about God. But… • They’re not interested in testing the veracity of Jesus’ claims,

They’re not interested in the possibility that Jesus is who he says, they’re not going to him with questions in order that they might truly discern, they’re just going with an agenda to confirm what they already think.

• They’re intent to trap him, has blinded them to truly who he is. • We know what that feels like when someone does that to us.

That it doesn’t matter what you say or do, that they’ll only ever use what you say or do, as self-selected evidence to confirm what they already think, or at worst to use against you in some way.

• The real question is: can we ever be that way with God? Could we ever be so intent on ignoring God, or dismissing God, or rejecting God, for whatever reason, that we can build up arguments, objections, and questions, that, if we’re honest, we would never be really satisfied with the answer.

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B: ONLY JESUS CAN SAVE YOU \\ MATTHEW 22:41-46

If that’s the case, then that’s a problem, that’s dangerous, not only because that intent will blind us to really examine who Jesus claims to be, but because if it’s true, it cuts us off from the only one who can save. • You see: the religious leaders are asking lots of questions,

but they’re failing to ask the one question that truly matters, “who do they say that Jesus is?”

• So taking the initiative, it’s Jesus’ turn to ask a question.

42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied.

Whilst the public claims that Jesus was the Son of David were controversial, the idea that the Messiah - God’s long-awaited King, would be the Son of David, was not.

• Of course, the expectation wasn’t that the Messiah was literally an immediate son of David, but that the Messiah would be a descendent of David.

• A King with an earthly rule, who would evict the Romans, and restore Israel to Power. • But of course, Jesus, has already claimed much more about himself than that.

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• Jesus didn’t just teach and heal, but he also forgave. That was a claim to be God. That’s why the religious leaders accused him of blasphemy very early on.

• It doesn’t line up with what they expect. • So Jesus wants them to see, that the Messiah can’t just be a Son of David,

but would be so great, that even David would call him Lord.

43 [He said to them], “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ 45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”

• Jesus, quoting from Psalm 110 - guys this has been here all along! If you think that the Messiah is just going to be the Son of David, how can you possibly interpret David’s own words, as he calls this son his Lord.

• I certainly don’t call my son or daughter Lord, I don’t suggest you start doing that, so of course, King David certainly wouldn’t be doin that, regardless of how many generations had passed.

• So how can this be the case Jesus is asking? There’s only one answer? That this one sent by God must not only be human - but he must also be God. The this Messiah, would be both ‘Son of David’ and ‘Son of God’.

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C: WHAT IS REQUIRED IS A HUMBLE HEART \\ MATTHEW 23:1-12

And the only way that you can see who Jesus is clearly, the only way that you can receive him for who he is, is with a humble heart.

• In the face of all the questions, Jesus cuts through it all, showing the real reason that they’re not willing to consider who he truly is, is not because he isn’t who he says; is not because of intellectual questions with unsatisfactory answers; but simply because of hearts that are too closed to even be receptive to the truth.

Years ago I was chatting on Facebook with some friends, and friends of friends. They were putting out some strong critiques of Christianity, claiming that Jesus’ death and resurrection was a fairy tale. I decided to speak up a bit and put forward some evidence (the sort of things you look at in our ‘Introducing Jesus’ course), they soon said, Okay, Jesus was crucified, but he didn’t die. Once again I shared some evidence, and they said, okay, well he died, but he certainly didn’t rise. Once again I put forward some evidence, but then a strange thing happened. Total silence. It had been a lively discussion and when I asked if anyone was still there. They simply said, they got bored.

• All of their questions, were just masks for a closed heart to God. • See, the question is not just who do you say that Jesus is,

but what is the condition of your heart. // 11

• After these interactions, Jesus goes on in Matthew 23, to systemically and comprehensively identify the hypocrisy of the leaders.

• They want to look the part, but their hearts are far from God. • The amazing news is that the God of the universe, desires sincerity of heart.

The challenging news is that the God of the universes, desires sincerity of heart. • God isn’t interested in the superficial, or the fake, but that which is sincere. • That’s why at the very end of his critique of the hypocrisy if the religious, Jesus says:

12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:11-12)

Now let’s be clear:

• Jesus isn’t saying that if you’re a bit quiet and reserved, God will glorify you; Jesus isn’t saying that if you’re humble, you are earning your salvation; He’s saying, that the only way that you can truly recognise Jesus is Lord, is with a heart that is willing to recognise that I am not, that I can’t possibly save myself, that I’m willing to trust in the one who can.

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Just a few weeks ago, one of our most senior members, Neville Strutt aged 95, went home to the Lord. He was a remarkable man with an amazing trust in the Lord. And what amazing me about Neville was that he had both his mind and heart open to God. He would wrestle over God’s Word, he loved discussing sermons, he loved to ask questions. But almost no matter the discussion, if you mentioned something about Jesus dying for us, Neville would just begin to cry, because he never stopped being overwhelmed by God’s great love for us, and his great love for God.

If you’ve dismissed Christianity, I simply want to ask you: Is that because you’ve dismissed Jesus with your head, or actually have you dismissed Jesus with your heart?

If you’ve got questions, by all means ask them! But if you’re questions are just covering for a closed heart, you’re going to miss not only seeing the truth of who he is, but you going to miss knowing him.

Your INTENT can blind you; but Only JESUS can save you; and What is required is a HUMBLE HEART.

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