Realigning with the Hall of Faith

Scripture: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.” Matthew 23:29-32 ESV

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Observation: Recapping yesterday’s Daily Focus, the sixth woe builds on the extent of the scribes and Pharisees’ hypocrisy. Jesus describes them as whitewashed tombs with a pristine outward appearance that belies the decay inside—referring to their unrighteous spiritual condition borne in hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Building on this theme of “death,” today’s devotion addresses the seventh and last woe against the scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus describes as “sons of those who murder the prophets” (v.31 above). Because these religious leaders pay tribute to the martyred prophets of Israel and boast that they would have never committed such heinous acts as did their ancestors, Jesus, like a skillful prosecuting attorney, contends that they are guilty by association because, to the contrary of their self-praise, they act just like their forefathers.

Of note, the imagery in verse 29 of building tombs of the prophets and decorating the monuments of the righteous is a literary device of stacking phrases that carry the same meaning for emphasis, i.e., the prophets and the righteous are one and the same. Indeed, earlier in his ministry, Jesus categorically tagged the prophets with the righteous (see 10:41 and 13:17).

Takeaway: According to theologian Michael Wilkins, literary and archaeological evidence confirms Jews, during the Roman occupation, began building “elaborate memorials and richly ornate ossuaries, tomb facades, and sarcophagi, as well as wall paintings and graffiti” to venerate heroes of Israel’s history (NIV Application Commentary: Matthew, p.755). Scripture suggests the same (Matthew 27:51 and  Acts 2:29-30). So while memorializing the heroes of the faith to please the crowds, these forerunners of Machiavelli monitored and eliminated any who threatened Israel’s stability and their rightful positions of leadership (as they saw it). Hence, even as Jesus calls them out, a plan to kill the most righteous prophet to walk the earth is afoot. Thus, by their evil thoughts and duplicitous words and deeds, these scribes and Pharisees convict themselves as murderers in the long line of Israel’s corrupt kings and false prophets.

So what about us? Most of us have not committed murder—at least not by criminal statute—lol! Ah, but there is that little clause from the Sermon on the Mount that indicates when we harbor anger toward others, it is as good as murder in God’s economy (5:21-26). And no amount of platitudes toward those who trouble us can cover the malice of our hearts. As such, when we play the game of the scribes and Pharisees, we delude ourselves, creating distance between us and our only means of forgiveness and reconciliation: faith and repentance in Christ. But when we attune to the Holy Spirit and discern his convicting thoughts (through our quiet reflections or those who confront us), Christ’s grace and forgiveness abound. And we realign with the great cloud of witnesses from the Hall of Faith (see Hebrews 11:1-12:1).

Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who always acted with integrity, aligning his words with his actions. And we thank you for the saints who have gone before us, modeling a life of faith and repentance. Lastly, we thank you for the Holy Spirit, who guides us in all truth and convicts us when we stray. So would you please help us to follow the lead of your Son and the Holy Spirit? And when we wander, would you please help us submit to the Holy Spirit’s means of accountability to realign with the saints of our Hall of Faith? Amen.

Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling

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