March 2, 2003 / Volume 7, Issue 9
An Analysis Of Matthew 24
Matthew 23:29-24:5
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Matthew 23:29-36
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up then the measure of your fathers' guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Parallel: Lk 11:48-51
| The crimes of the Israelite people against the prophets of God are revealed. The tombs and monuments they built did not appease divine justice, for their attitude and conduct was like that of their fathers. Prophets, wise men and scribes were sent to that generation as well, and they treated them as their fathers did those sent in their generations:
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware fo men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues."
(Matthew 10:16-17)
"You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers... and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul."
(Acts 7:51-52, 58)
"Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem."
(Acts 9:1-2)
"Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also..."
(Acts 12:1-3)
As it was necessary in the days of old for judgment to wait "...for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete" (Genesis 15:16), so it was that the iniquity of the Jews was not yet complete – but would be completed by that generation, and thus God's righteous judgment would fall upon them.
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Matthew 23:37-39
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Parallel: Lk 13:34-35
| Having been charged with great wickedness against the chosen messengers of God (23:29-36), the sentence is now pronounced against the nation Israel. Jerusalem would be destroyed, and most notably, the temple (24:1-2), which was the hub of Judaism.
With sadness, the Lord acknowledged the fate of Jerusalem, "Now as He drew near, He saw the city, and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes...'" (Luke 19:41-42). It was not the Lord's delight to destroy Jerusalem, but the unfortunate end of their own hard-heartedness.
These verses lead into the discussion of Matthew 24, and serve as a foundation for the primary topic of that chapter.
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Matthew 24:1-2
Then Jesus went and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Parallel: Mk 13:1-2; Lk 21:5-6
| "...it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind."
(Josephus, The Wars Of The Jews, 7:1:1)
"...the Romans set fire to the extreme parts of the city, and burnt them down, and entirely demolished its walls."
(Josephus, The Wars Of The Jews, 7:9:4)
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Matthew 24:3
Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'
Parallel: Mk 13:3-4; Lk 21:7
| Considering the questions as stated in each of the three accounts, it should be apparent that the disciples had two inquiries: 1) when will these things be & 2) what is the sign. In context, these questions apply to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (v 2). It is noteworthy that the belief and expectation of the disciples at that time is not consistent with a question about the second coming (Matthew 16:21-22; 20:20-22; Mark 8:31-32; 9:31-32; 10:32-38; Luke 18:31-34; 19:11; 24:6-8; Acts 1:6).
However, it is also apparent that the disciples thought that nothing short of the end of the age could effect the destruction of the Temple. Thus, after responding to their initial inquiry (about the destruction of the Temple), Jesus takes the opportunity to address His second coming.
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Matthew 24:5-6
And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ' and will deceive many.
Parallel: Mk 13:5-6; Lk 21:8
| "But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practised sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the great power of God.' And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time."
(Acts 8:9-11)
"And after the time of Jesus, Dositheus the Samaritan also wished to persuade the Samaritans that he was the Christ predicted by Moses; and he appeared to have gained over some to his views."
(Origen contra Celsum, 1:57)
"Now it came to pass, while Fadus was procurator of Judea, that a certain magician, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects with them, and follow him to the river Jordan; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it; and many were deluded by his words."
(Josephus, The Antiquities Of The Jews, 20:5:1)
"...for the country was again filled with robbers and imposters, who deluded the multitude. Yet did Felix catch and put to death many of those imposters every day, together with the robbers."
(Josephus, The Antiquities Of The Jews, 20:8:5)
"And now these imposters and deceivers persuaded the multitude to follow them into the wilderness, and pretended that they would exhibit manifest wonders and signs, that should be performed by the providence of God. And many that were prevailed on by them suffered the punishments of their folly; for Felix brought them back, and then punished them. Moreover, there came out of Egypt about this time to Jerusalem, one that said he was a prophet, and advised the multitude of the common people to go along with him to the Mount of Olives..."
(Josephus, The Antiquities Of The Jews, 20:8:6)
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We will continue to chart through Matthew 24 next week...
Click here for this week's Answering The Atheist
How many Gods are there? Some passages state there is only one (Deuteronomy 4:35; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:8; Isaiah 45:5-6; Mark12:29), but others indicate there are several (Genesis 1:26; Genesis 3:22; Exodus 12:12). Is there a contradiction?
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