Jesus, on How to Win Friends and Influence People

What was the last pubic sermon Jesus preached? The answer to this question lies in Matthew 23. Over the last couple of days I have been thinking through the so-called "Seven Woes" that Jesus felt appropriate to end his public teaching ministry on. Jesus, apparently was not as concerned as we are with pleasing the crowds.

I have to be honest, I think I would like to end on an up-note. Maybe I could preach from Philippians 3- "All things I once counted as gain, I now count them as loss...that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering that by any means I may attain the resurrection from the dead."

Or maybe I'd like to end like Paul's last letter to his friend Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have I have kept the faith, henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness..."

Or perhaps I would end with an apocalyptic look at the future where we will "see his face...and there will be no need for sun or moon or lights for the light of the city of God will be the Lamb..."

I do not think I really want to end like Jesus. I would encourage myself. He warned others.

Thinking back, maybe I have heard Matthew 23 preached before but I do know that I do not remember hearing it. There are just so many other fantastic passages.

The more I have thought about it, though, the more I think the reason nobody preaches Matthew 23 (or at least memorable sermons on Matthew 23) is because it is way too easy to demonize the Pharisees. Yes, Jesus had very harsh words for the Pharisees but they were the ones wearing the black hats with the goatees. They were the red devil on the shoulder and we are the white angel on the shoulder of justice, right? We are on the right side, are we not?

Well, I cannot speak for you, but I am dangerously close (less than a month to be exact) to being an official "approved" theologian. Do you know what a theologian would be called in Jesus' time? A scribe. A teacher of the law. Perhaps even a Pharisee. Maybe Jesus' words in Matthew 23 are pointed in my direction. Maybe they are pointed in your direction.

Consider these reworded woes I have been working with:

1. Woe to you for allowing only the socially acceptable into your gatherings.
2. Woe to you for teaching people to rely on you and not Jesus.
3. Woe to you for being a different man or woman in different contexts.
4. Woe to you who know how to parse but don't show mercy, justice, or faithfulness to your fellow man.
5. Woe to you who confess you are a sinner but do not really believe it.
6. Woe to you who preach grace but live under the law.
7. Woe to you who speak against the Pharisees while opposing Jesus' rule the same as they did.

The good news for my fellow Pharisees is that this is not the end. Jesus finishes the sermon with prayer for us. He actually weeps over us and pleads for us to turn back to him.

O Church, O Church, how he longs to gather you up into his arms like a mother hen brings her chicks underneath her wings. The love of Christ is all we have. The excellent news is that his love is more than we will ever need.

He still prays for me. He still prays for you.