The objective of this lesson: to emphasize that being out-of-step with God's purposes is hypocrisy. We determine God's purposes by listening to God's self-revelation, not by deciding for God what His purposes should be, or by distancing ourselves from obvious past failures.
Rather than a verse by verse analysis, this lesson seeks to focus attention on a problem of the scribes and Pharisees that deeply offended God. The problem was deeply rooted in Israel's history and in the scribes and Pharisees' self-concept. Israel had hundreds of years of history in rebelling against God. Though the scribes and Pharisees devoutly believed they were God's people, they were in fact continuing Israel's history of rebellion.
It is simple for a person or a people to define themselves and their objectives by their history. Rarely is a person or a people in the American culture aware that he or she does that. Americans often claim we are who we are because of "injustice" or "environment" or another influence without realizing the predominant contributor to our self-perception is our history. To permit God to redefine and determine who we are is an enormous, continuing challenge.
Israel's history of rebellion began before they left Egypt. Their attitude of "no confidence" is seen in Exodus 5:20, 21. The attitude was not, "Moses, we know God is working through you." It was, "Moses, we hope you are satisfied! You signed our death warrant!" God's ten incredible acts that followed were as much to identify God in Israel as the living God as to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites. The message to Israel was, "Israel, I [God] can take care of you! Trust me!"
Israel's relationship with God began in ignorance. While they were aware that God had interacted with their forefathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, his 12 sons], they did not have a developed concept of God's nature. They seemed unable to depend on God to care for them.
This attitude continued at the Red Sea when Israel was caught between the Egyptian army and the sea. It is seen in Exodus 14:10-12. They did not see God working! They only saw certain death. In fear they said they were delivered from Egypt to be destroyed in the wilderness!
Note that in troubled moments, they blamed Moses for their circumstance and forgot God's presence.
The same attitude is seen in Exodus 15:24 when the Israelites were thirsty and Exodus 16:2, 3 when the Israelites were hungry for meat.
Israel's complaints commonly began by faulting Moses. They seemed unaware that God was working through Moses.
This attitude is seen when Israel asked Aaron to build them a idol to lead them. [This occurred after God spoke the Ten Commandments to them!] Consider Exodus 32:1 and 32:4-6. Israel forgot God's previous acts! They did not see God working through Moses!
They were much more comfortable with the leadership of an idol [prevalent in their Egyptian past] than with the leadership of the living God. They rather follow something they made than He who made them.
This attitude is seen in Numbers 13:25-14:4 when Israel refused to enter Canaan. All God's preserving acts to that point were forgotten. They saw only consequences, not opportunities. They even suggested that conditions would improve if they returned to Egypt!
The majority lost all thoughts and awareness of God's past deliverance. God demonstrated He was adequate for past crisis, but they did not regard Him adequate for the immediate crisis.
This attitude of rebellion repeatedly occurred for generations. Some of the notable expressions include repeatedly turning to idolatry in Judges, Israel's request for a king (1 Samuel 8), the divided kingdom, the necessity of the Assyrian captivity, the necessity of the Babylonian captivity, and the rejection of the prophets and their messages from God. Periods when Israel trusted God were brief. Periods when Israel turned away from God were many and long.
The religious ignorance that undergirded Israel's Egyptian experience continued for generations. Formative experiences, even when they do no incorporate all reality, die hard. Among the greatest challenges people ever confront is the challenge to change as persons.
This is a brief presentation of ancient Israel's history of rebellion against God. The scribes and Pharisees agreed those things happened. They agreed ancient Israel rebelled against God. They claimed to exist to challenge Israel to do better than their forefathers. They existed to call Israel to walk in God's paths. Their position: "We would not have done what our forefathers did! We know better!"
The scribes and Pharisees at the focus of Jesus' indictment were in full agreement that Israel had a history of rebellion. However, they insisted they were different. They did not make their forefathers' mistakes! Though some of their practices were different, their hearts and attitudes were unchanged. They, too, only heard what they wanted to hear. They were as intolerant of disagreement as were their forefathers.
Jesus focused attention on the way their forefathers killed the prophets. These prophets were God's spokesmen. Often in their writings they wrote in God's voice ["The Lord says ..., etc.]. Why did past generations reject and kill the prophets? (1) The prophets' messages from God did not fit either their lives, practices, or expectations. (2) They were convinced if they killed the prophet they would destroy the prophet's message. (3) Thus they could preserve things as they were, as they wanted them to continue to be, by rejecting the prophets' words and lives.
The scribes and Pharisees defended themselves by pointing to the fact that they honored the slain prophets by making monuments to them. Their claim: "We would not have participated in killing the prophets!" However, their examples and hearts functioned in agreement with the three motives of their forefathers. They thought the easiest way to silence opposition was to destroy those who opposed.
First, note Jesus' indictment. Basically, he declared: (1) you confirm your identity by admitting you are the descendants of prophet killers. (2) You think you distinguish yourselves from past generations by showing posthumous honor to those your forefathers killed. However, you do not give serious attention to those prophets' messages. (3) You are prepared to do worse than they did. Why? You do not listen to God's message [you hear what you want to hear]. Your guilt will be greater than your forefathers' guilt.
What they did in rejecting God's message from His son was worse than their forefathers rejecting God's messages through the prophets. Killing God's son was a more serious form of rebellion against God than killing a prophet. Both were horrible forms of rebellion. This is a discussion of degree. It in no way justified the rebellious acts of the forefathers. It is easy to say, "We are different! We would not do that!" It is hard to be a changed person inside and out.
Second, note another indictment Jesus gave. He said they were serpents [snakes], specifically a brood of vipers [a nest of poison snakes]. The devout in Israel did not consider them poison snakes. They looked at them as a godly influence. The scribes and Pharisees would not call themselves a nest of poison snakes. They considered themselves to be a godly influence. Only Jesus classified them as dangerous to God's ways and purposes! The opinions of others did not destroy the fact they were dangerous! The fact they felt good about themselves religiously did not destroy the fact they were dangerous! The truth: while they fulfilled the expectations of many religious people and of themselves, they were horribly out-of-step with God. They were not an example of God's holiness, of people ruled by God, or of God's purposes!
Because they did not regard themselves as dangerous did not prove they were not dangerous. In essence Jesus said that those who looked to them for life found death. Their influence took others further from God, not closer to God. People are greatly deceived when they assume they represent God's values and purposes when they listen only what they wish to hear from God's words. God's purposes are discovered by fully listening to all God says. Thus pursuing God's purposes involves a continuous journey that results in a growing understanding. Defending can easily become more about defending "our ways'" than defending God's ways.
The scribes and Pharisees would do things worse than their forefathers? They were dangerous, out-of-step with God's purposes? Killing the son is worse than killing the prophet! [See Matthew 21:33-40.] God's son was killed by those who did not understand God's purposes. Consider John 11:47-53 as an illustration. Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish." Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
John 11:47-53 is a good illustration of the problem. They would preserve Israel and achieve God's purposes by killing God's son. They were unaware of their distorted understanding.
To misrepresent God and His purposes is hypocrisy.
The absence of hypocrisy is a proper understanding of God's purposes.
Discussion Questions:
Any combination of or all of or additional examples of ancient Israel's rebellion against God are illustrations of ancient Israel's rejection of God's leadership.
Their attitude was, "It happened! It should not have happened! We would not have been part of it!"
Basically Jesus showed how their attitudes were like those of their forefathers. Posthumous honors do not mean the attitudes no longer exist. The forefathers listened to and heard only what they wanted to listen to and hear. The scribes and Pharisees listened to and heard only what they wanted to listen to and hear. Like their forefathers, they made up their minds without hearing everything God said.
He called them poisonous snakes.
Their primary concern after Lazarus' resurrection was not focused on, "Is this an act of God?" but on preserving the nation in the face of Roman threat and preserving their position in that nation. The real concern was about "me" and "us," not about God. They assumed what was in their best interests was in God's best interest.
When we focus on our desires and purposes, we easily substitute our purposes for God's purposes. Claming to be focused on God's priorities does not mean we are focused on God's priorities. For claims to have significant substance, claims must be consistent with attitudes.
When God's people misrepresent God, they become hypocrites.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 10