The Lord’s Day 8 May 2005
The Effect Of The Parable On The Hearers (The Pharisees in Particular):
They Understood But Not With Faith (22:15) – They knew the parable was directed against them and their errors, but though they understood, their response was not one of humility and repentance, or of recognizing Christ and worshipping Him. It was a counter-attack on Christ that they were planning. They understood the message so the only thing they could do to maintain their sinful ways was to get rid of the Messenger! Contrast Proverbs 9:8; Note also Proverbs 15:12.
Let us pray for ourselves that we might always receive the mercy and grace of God to enable us to respond in faith to His Word. Let us pray for our families and loved ones that they might receive saving grace from the hand of God, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Let grace alone be our hope in all things in this world, especially in the going forth of God’s Word. Every other hope is a false hope.
They Flattered (22:16) – This was the first line of attack. It is an old trick of the devil to flatter. It is a bit like poisoning your prey with a juicy bait. It avoids an open conflict and an unseemly situation, and it keeps everything nice and peaceful on the surface. Years ago Kristoffersen sang a song about “The Silvertongued Devil”. That is a good description of the Devil, for “devil” literally means “slanderer” or “false accuser”.
Notice in our first reading this morning (Psalm 12) is all about this very situation, speaking of how “The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:” (verse 3). But the Psalmist’s hope was in the Words of the Lord, which are “pure”, unlike the words of devils, which never fail and which He promised to preserve for all generations of His people (verses 6-7). David, in writing the Psalms, was often speaking as a prophet, prophesying of the Messiah. These words were fulfilled concerning Jesus, as He was flattered and slandered by the Jews. These pure and preserved words also are a comfort to every follower of Christ today, for He said to His disciples, “The disciple is not above his master … If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?” (Matthew 10:24-25)
Likewise is the wisdom of Proverbs, written by the hand of Solomon, son of David the psalmist, and his successor to the throne of Israel. “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.” (Proverbs 29:5). Flattery is not a godly act, especially when it is a deliberate cover for an attack on the person being flattered.
The Church is warned against flattery and is forbidden even to used “flattering titles” (Job 32:21-22, Matthew 23:7-12), yet those using any English Bible other than the Authorized Version (KJV) will probably not pick up this important doctrine, for the term “flattering titles” has been removed from the only two places it appears in the text! It is common courtesy to use some form of title when we speak to people e.g. when writing or speaking to people we don’t know personally it is right to call them Sir or Madam; to people who are our elders or superiors or if it is just in a more formal situation, the titles Mr, Mrs, and Miss are appropriate; that is our British culture and heritage, and the normal order and etiquette in the English-speaking world. Such common courtesies have their roots in the Word of God e.g. “Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord…” – Read 1 Peter 3:1-7; this term “lord” is the same word used of the Lord Jesus and of God, but that doesn’t mean women should treat their husbands as if they were God, neither is it a blasphemy to use the same term. In fact, quite opposite to what many apparent language experts would tell us, the English language is often more versatile than some others, so that the Greek word for “lord” is sometimes appropriately translated as “lord” or “sir”, depending on its context. Often too much is made of the meaning of an individual word, so that we see the whole meaning of the context and passage being twisted and manipulated according to somebody’s idea of what the individual word means. It is all well and good if they have the correct meaning but often they don’t! It is good to get an accurate understanding of the meaning of individual words using a good English dictionary like Oxford, Collins, or Webster’s, and a Strong’s Concordance which gives the meanings of Hebrew and Greek words. But just as importantly, learn to read words in their context. If you do this you can often pick up the meaning of a word you have never seen before because the context reveals it (though it’s not always as simple as that).
Why am I spending time on such a mundane point as this? Well, it’s because Christians today are rapidly losing the ability to read with understanding, and it is not only a lack of spirituality (caused by neglect of reading the Scriptures daily) but also a lack of basic understanding of English. In fact, much of the false doctrine which prevails in Churches today hangs on the simple fact of blatant manipulation of plain English texts! And the people allow it, often because they are too lazy to use a dictionary!
So, we have an interesting situation – society is breaking down in it’s standards; on one hand you have a lack of respect generally for parents, elderly people, people in authority, and this is shown by a lack of the use of appropriate respectful titles; on the other hand you have a continuing excess of the use of “flattering titles”, especially in the Churches, such as “Father”, “Reverend”, “Pastor” etc., which are strictly forbidden in Scripture. Words are not insignificant in this sense, for “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matthew 12:34) In other words, people either use flattering titles where they shouldn’t or fail to use respectful titles where they should, because their hearts are not right with God and their understanding of godliness (according to Scripture and not man’s traditions) is lacking or perverted.
Before leaving this point, I want to digress a little to show how thoroughly the English language is being changed and is causing the manipulation of the once-Christian mindset of the people. You will notice in our reading of Psalm 12 this morning, in the same verse which mentioned “flattering lips” we saw also the mention of “the tongue that speaketh proud things”. Pride has become a very popular and acceptable quality today, even among Christians! How could this be? I believe the answer is really quite simple and yet amazing. Apart from the obvious fact that godly qualities are flouted by many, there has been a subtle change of wording of what people know as The Bible. Without taking the time to go into detail now, I would like to commend to you a thorough study of the word “pride” and its various forms in Scripture. A study through Strong’s Concordance will yield a list of usages of these words in Scripture which are all in a bad sense i.e. pride, in every case is portrayed as a sinful thing. Yet a study of modern Bible versions (so-called – though “perversions” would be a better description of them) will show that many times the word “pride” has been used to replace other words and phrases in such a way as to put pride in a positive light – as if you can have good pride and bad pride. Many supposedly learned men keep telling us that the Bibles we have are only translations, as if there is really very little difference between one translation and another. The truth is that the difference between the Authorized Version (KJV) and others is really astronomical – so much so that you are literally subjecting yourself to a detailed, comprehensive, and thorough brainwashing into a sort of cross between Roman Catholic and New Age mindset. If you think I am being melodramatic saying this, I simply ask you, for your own sake, don’t take this point lightly! Check out the facts and see if what I say is true! The evidence is overwhelming, and I assure you I do not say these things lightly. As I say these words I am aware that I speak to a generation that, in general and to a large extent (not to speak of every individual), has lost its grip on plain English and plain common sense. Words are being used literally to mean whatever the speakers or writers of them want to make them mean! Just so you don’t let this opportunity slip by I’ll give you a list of Scriptures to compare between the AV and the Modern Versions concerning the use of the word “pride” – 2 Corinthians 1:14, 5:12, 1:12, 7:14, James 1:10, Philippians 1:26, James 1:9, Galatians 6:4). I acknowledge the work of Gail Riplinger who did extensive research in these matters and, while she is not right about everything, she has made a great contribution to this desperately important issue of the manipulation of the Scriptures. Her Book called “New Age Versions” is not an exaggeration, as she documents much evidence to show how the blend of Catholic and New Age thinking is accommodated by modern versions. Christians are constantly saying, Yes, but I know the truth so it doesn’t affect me when I read the New King James. Nothing could be further from the truth! In fact I see clearly in the lives of people, their beliefs, and the way they speak, that they are being affected. The language of the old KJV is absolutely clear and unambiguous – not only this but this generation fails to realize that the English language was basically built and crystallized with the formation of the AV and the advent of printing at the same time.
Returning now to our text, note that flattery is not a godly quality! The use of flattering titles is not good but evil! This was one of the marks of Phariseeism, one of the symptoms of their hypocrisy. Jesus said to His disciples, “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Luke 12:1).
Notice that they had a political agenda. Unger comments that the Herodians were “something more than a political party, something less than a religious sect.” Similarly today, we find many who want to improve and save the nation, but who stop short of accepting the fact that an acknowledgment of the Lordship of Jesus is the only foundation on which such national reforms and helps can be built. Jesus said it plainly when He taught that those who build on His words as a foundation are like a man who built his house on a rock, while the rest are like a man who built on sand, and the first storm or flood that comes along will destroy the house. Why would any man or woman give their whole life and energy to building sandcastles? It can only be because they do not and will not believe the words of Jesus! This is why we see so much social and political failure all around us today, because the earlier social and political reforms upon which our society was built in the first place were soundly Christian and soundly Biblical and the Bible they used was the AV! If there are young people today who want to make their lives count in this world, the only way possible for them is to build on the words of Jesus – whether they will be farmers, lawyers, construction workers, politicians, school teachers or architects. For generations it has been drummed into us that religion is something completely impractical – it is all in your mind. But just take a look at the Muslims who openly admit they are bent on conquering the world. Their religion is not passive and theoretical! And the Roman Catholics with their Jesuit Scholars, who have managed to indoctrinate practically all the protestant Churches to this day. Their religion is not passive and theoretical! Please note carefully the article in today’s Bulletin about the Baptist Union in South Australia.
Let us then, in view of these things, beware of the power of flattery and guile.
They Used Guile As They Questioned The Lord – This is seen in verse 15 and proven by Jesus’ answer in verse 18. This is the very opposite of the character of Christ. See 1 Peter 2:22, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” If we are to be like Him we must avoid using guile. We must be honest and sincere. We must be genuine in our communication. There must not be hidden agendas.
You can’t have a conversation with a dishonest man! All efforts to do so are a waste of time. The whole exercise is a sham and a fraud! There is nothing more offensive than to be lied to. Dishonesty is a disease, a pandemic in our world and society today, and sadly, even among professing Christians. If a man professes to be a Christian and lies to you he is a complete and utter fraud, unless he repents. We are all fraught with human weakness. As Jesus said to His failing disciples in Gethsemane, “The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.” And while nobody should be so arrogant and foolish as to claim sinless perfection in this life, it should go without saying that if a Christian is at fault, he should quickly and humbly repent. If he does not show the fruit of repentance and faith in Christ, he can hardly be called a Christian, but should be called what he is, a hypocrite! Such were the Pharisees. Such were not the disciples of Christ.
Their Question Was An Attempt To Subtly Contradict The Parable And Justify Themselves – It was a trick question. They hoped to get Him to give an answer that would give them some excuse to slander Him further, to discredit Him, to somehow raise public opinion against Him, and in that way, to put an end to His ministry and public influence. If He had said the Jews were under no moral obligation to pay taxes to Rome, they would have exposed Him as a rebel against the authhorities. If He had said they were under obligation, they could have accused Him of being unpatriotic and a traitor to the Jews.
Here is cause for a word of caution. While it is right and important to mark those who say they are Christian but are not, who claim to be honest men and are proven to be liars, let us beware that we do not falsely accuse those we do not understand, or don’t like. This is what the Pharisees did to the Lord.
Recently we saw in the local media, an overview of the career of the late Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Queensland’s longest serving Premier. His critics tried to pin a charge of corruption on him. When that failed, they tried to pin a charge of perjury on him, claiming he lied to the court. We saw his vehement public statement where he boldly declared that they would not find anything because there was nothing to find. His critics failed to convict him of anything yet he was left with a multimillion dollar legal bill as a result. One of the foundational principles of our law system has always been that a defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty by the due process of law. There are many Australians who have made up their minds that Joh was guilty, and they are entitled to their private opinions, but nobody is entitled to condemn a man who has not been proven guilty by law. Personally I don’t believe what the government did to Joh was lawful, let alone acceptable! It simply cannot be lawful to have the possibility that any time anybody (particularly the government) wants to victimize somebody they have the right to drag them into the courts and destroy them financially even if they fail to get a conviction. This is very similar to what the Pharisees and Sadducees did to Jesus. They set up false accusations against Him, and when their legal trials failed to convict Him they had him crucified anyway. This is also, in principle, what often happens to those who serve the Lord in the Ministry. People who don’t like the message “shoot the messenger”. They then go from house to house and town to town spreading their slanders – accusations which they never had the courage to raise in the proper forum. We should not be surprised. We should count it a privilege to follow in the Lord’s footsteps and remember that if the critics attack us it can only be because our message was on target.
Some would say it is not my place to defend Sir Joh. What they fail to realize is that I would defend any body who is not treated fairly. I also defend, in principle, the Muslim man Habib, who was wrongfully detained and apparently tortured in Guantanamo Bay by our allies, which shameful action was defended by our own government. Some Australians think it doesn’t matter if we treat an enemy this way, because he is an enemy. Alexander Downer and John Howard had to been seen and heard to be believed when they openly and publicly said, “But this man is a terrorist!”(or similar words). Well, what right do they have to decide and declare he or anybody else is a terrorist? Howard is a lawyer. He knows that a man is to be held to be innocent until proven guilty. He is without excuse. These are the attitudes being displayed and promoted by leading Australian (also American and British) politicians. This “them and us” kind of morality. Such men are Church-goers, men who think they are Christians and examples to the rest of us! Some say, “Aren’t you being too political?” I say to them, “Is it political to point out sin when you and your family and friends and neighbours are confronted with it every day in the media?” “Is it political when you choose to ignore the sin and go along with it, rather than expose it for what it is?”
Everybody has a right to a personal opinion, politically, socially, religiously etc., and a right to declare that opinion openly and give reasons for it. But nobody has the sovereign right to argue and force his or her opinions without any reference to the known facts of the case. The mark of New Age religion, as Gail Riplinger points out, is that it has to do with feeling rather than facts. This generation is showing distinct signs of having no interest in facts, but feelings are everything. This mindset is New Age, not Christian! It is a generation which has swallowed the “leaven of the Pharisees”.
So, we see here that the Pharisees were firstly very cunning in an attempt to incriminate Jesus. Notice that they did not attempt to answer His parable. They completely bypassed that because it was unanswerable. The cap fitted and they had to wear it. But they were determined not to wear it at all costs. So, they brought in a scheme by which they hoped to make false accusations stick on Jesus. What a treacherous, evil bunch they were! And they still have their followers today.
Note: Sometimes I think we see all these things and then conclude that, while that was how it happened at that time, there really isn’t a distinct parallel situation with us today, so we probably don’t take too much from the lesson. However, we must also remember that, while there may not be a Pharisee behind every bush, the warning is valid for us all, that we heed these godly principles and that we don’t get conned into a worldly and Pharisaic way of thinking and operating. For example, sometimes Christians will play the Pharisee’s part without realizing they are doing so, or they may do so unintentionally. In such cases amends need to be quickly made and love should cover a multitude of sins.
Finally on this point of the Pharisees justifying themselves: Let us note that once we discard the foundational principle of “Scripture alone”, anything at all, any evil can be justified, because there is no longer an unchanging yardstick by which measure all things. When the king of Babylon was “weighed in the balances and found wanting”, it was the balances of God’s infallible and unchanging Word he was weighed in. And it is the same unchanging balance in which every man will be weighed at the last day, at the judgment seat of Christ.
The great lesson here in the Pharisees’ response to the parable of the kingdom of heaven is that the kingdom of heaven has “many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9), as Paul also discovered. And therefore, we must remind ourselves that Satan is always active where the gospel goes and be “not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
The Lord’s Supper: Let us read Hebrews 12:1-4 and “consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself” for us, and who is “the author and finisher of our faith.” Remember even as Jesus instituted this Supper, Judas Iscariot also was present, and the Lord said to His disciples, “One of you is a devil”. He did not mean one was a demon manifested in the flesh. “Devil” means slanderer/false accuser. That is what Judas was. He betrayed the Lord with a kiss. May the grace of God keep every one of us from evil!