What makes Jesus angry?
Text: Matthew 23
Hosts:
J. Kent Edwards
Vicki Hitzges
Nathan Norman
Narrator: Brian French
The CrossTalk Podcast is a production of CrossTalk Global, equipping biblical communicators, so every culture hears God’s voice. To find out more, or to support the work of this ministry please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org
Produced by Nathan James Norman/Untold Podcast Production
© 2025 CrossTalk Global
Brian: Have you ever experienced deep anger? I'm not referring to irritation from bad food at a restaurant or the frustration of a missed alarm that makes you late for an appointment. I'm talking about anger so profound and emotional that you publicly declare that the person who offended you is wrong and morally bankrupt that they should not be respected or listened to. Anger so intense that it causes a person to go online or stand up in church and not only publicly call a respected member of the church a flagrant sinner, but shout out a list of all their sins and then end their public tirade by announcing that they are going to hell. Have you ever been that angry at someone? No. Jesus was. Want to know why? Join Vicki Hitchkes, Kent Edwards, and Nathan Norman as they look and learn why Jesus lost his cool in Matthew, chapter 23. Welcome to CrossTalk, a Christian podcast whose goal is for us to encourage each other to not only increase our knowledge of the Bible, but but to take the next step beyond information into transformation. Our goal is to bring the Bible to life, into all our lives. I'm Brian French. Today, Dr. Kent Edwards, Vicki Hitchkis, and Nathan Norman continue their discussion through the Gospel of Matthew. If you have a Bible handy, turn to Matthew, chapter 23 as we join their discussion.
Kent: Nathan? Vicki, have you ever seen someone lose their temper? I mean, really lose it?
Vicki: I drive in Texas. I keep shotguns in the back window. Yeah, I have.
Kent: What did it look like? What does it look like when someone really loses it?
Vicki: Well, I know how it feels. We had a tornado here once, and I lost my temper. A guy. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I remember I was driving down the street and a guy got mad at me, and I don't know what I did, but it wasn't bad, and it made me mad. And I went after him, and the guy in the car behind me said, ma'am, get in your car and just keep going. And he might have saved my life.
Nathan: Yes, well, easy. You know, I got kids, so you see kids lose their temper all the time. But I can remember being even in public situations, you know, like a church meeting, where one guy just not happy with the situation that we found ourselves. And nobody had made a decision, nobody had done anything. It was just a situation that was thrust upon us and he was just furious, yelling and screaming at all of us over things that no one had any control over.
Kent: I can't think of many times when I've seen someone just lose it. I guess that's why I was so surprised to see Jesus lose his Temper. In Matthew chapter 23. After all, Jesus was full of grace. I mean, the kind of stuff that he put up with and the generosity he showed to undeserving people is legendary. But not in Matthew 23. Not that it wasn't a long time coming. After all, back in Matthew chapter three, John the Baptist called Israel's leaders a brood of vipers and told them to produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Yeah, they didn't. In Matthew 21, we have seen how Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem. And while the crowds cried out hosanna to the son of David, Israel's leaders rejected his messianic claims and were furious when he cleansed the temple. Wasn't that a good thing to do is to cleanse the temple?
Vicki: Sounds good to me.
Kent: Yeah, but they were furious. In fact, their refusal to produce the fruit of repentance when confronted by Jesus upset Jesus so much that he cursed a fig tree that failed to produce fruit. I mean, Jesus was. You could see the anger brewing. And then at the end of chapter 21, he warned those same leaders that if they didn't repent, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to people who will produce fruit. Was that enough to get them to repent?
Nathan: It was not.
Kent: No. In fact, the opposite was done. In fact, as we saw in our last podcast on chapter 22, Israel's leaders did their best to sabotage Jesus ministry any way that they could. So in a sense, I guess we shouldn't be surprised that here in chapter 23, Jesus loses his temper and he goes public with it. Look at what he says for opening verses of that chapter.
Vicki: It says in chapter 23, verse 1, then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you, but do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
Kent: Wow. So that's how it begins. And it's public, right? He's saying this to everyone. The private admonitions are over. Now Jesus is making this public. Vic, you mentioned that Jesus comment that teaches the law. And the Pharisees sit in Moses seat. So you've got to be careful to do what they tell you. What does it mean to sit in Moses seat, Nathan? Have you ever heard that before?
Nathan: Yeah, it's kind of a technical term. They're kind of sitting in the place of Moses as they are teaching on Moses. It's the place of biblical authority in a synagogue.
Kent: Hmm. So they are literally in a seat where they sit down on a seat that is reserved for those who have the training, the responsibility of accurately proclaiming God's word. Correct?
Nathan: Right. They would teach by sitting down, not by standing up the way we do today often.
Kent: So that reminds me of Jesus coming out sermon in Luke chapter four. Do you remember that, Vicki?
Vicki: It says Jesus went to Nazareth, and on the Sabbath day, he went into the synagogue, he stood up to read Isaiah, and then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. Which is what you just said, sat down. He began by saying to them, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
Kent: So Jesus, as he sits down, says, you are going to hear the word of God, not the words of people. And Jesus is saying that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were sitting in a similar seat. But what's his critique of their teaching? You see that in verse four, he.
Vicki: Says they tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
Kent: So Jesus is saying here that when they teach, these teachers of the law and the Pharisees, when they teach, they claim God's authority, but they're tying people up with heavy, cumbersome loads that aren't even in the Bible. They're saying in God's name what God is not saying. Instead, they have tied or added to God's words their oral traditions, unwarranted applications to the clear teaching of God's word. That's kind of scary, isn't it?
Vicki: Was he talking about legalism there?
Kent: Yeah. All their oral traditions, the interpretations that other people have had and their attempts to apply the law.
Nathan: Right. And they would often set up, like a hedge of protection around the law, so there would be rules that would protect the law. So if you accidentally violated one of those rules, well, you didn't actually, actually violate the law, but you still had to follow those because you're not allowed into that hedge of protection. So you'd have to do more and more. You'd have to be safer and safer and safer and be required to do more and more and more and more to protect from violating the law, which was cumbersome.
Kent: Yeah. And you saw that, for example, elsewhere in the gospels, where the disciples, you know, was on the Sabbath and they were with Jesus and they grabbed some wheat the side of the road and took the grain and began to chew on it, and oh, that's work. On the Sabbath, you're not allowed to harvest it broke one of the rules. Do you know they had rule that in today's language you couldn't walk across a lawn on the Sabbath? Sure, because if you walked across grass and your foot hit a blade of grass that had a seed on would be planted. And that's work. And now you violate the law. They invented all kinds of stuff. Intentions were good, but their application was terrible. And you can't say that their application is at equal strength and value. And importance is God's clear word. And that's what they were doing. As leaders, it seems we cannot use God's words to accomplish our agenda. We must always and only accomplish God's agenda by speaking his words. Now, we're not to fix the Bible. Our task is to say what the original author intended to communicate to the original audience the way the author did and for the purpose he intended to accomplish. Teachers of the law and the Pharisees were guilty of deceptive teaching or preaching. They were deceiving the people to think that their words were actually God's words and they weren't. But more than that, they were also deceptive in their actions. As we read in verse 2, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you, but do not do what they do, for they do not. What?
Nathan: Practice what they preach?
Kent: What are they doing that's deceptive? What are they doing that's wrong? In what way are their actions wrong? Jesus gives some examples. Starting in verse five, he said everything.
Nathan: They do is done for people to see. For example, they make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long.
Kent: Okay, what's going on here?
Nathan: What is Jesus being critical of physically showing? So the phylacteries were the law. Little boxes that they were supposed to keep the law in to remind them that God is ever present. But they're wearing huge ones to say, like, look how holy I am. Look at the size of that guy's phylacteries. Wow, he's so holy.
Vicki: Now, what about the tassels? What's that?
Kent: Well, that was also required in the law. And it had like a blue cord that would be woven in the middle of it, again to represent holiness. But they were kind of commonplace in the ancient world. But not the way these guys had their tassels, right, Nathan?
Nathan: Oh, yeah. Long, streaming, flowing, pulling attention to yourself. Look how holy I am. Absolutely.
Kent: So their actions seem godly, but their motivations make those ungodly actions. They're deceptive in their actions and not only with their clothing, but also. Well, in verse six, it says, I.
Vicki: Love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues.
Kent: Vicki, we see that important for people even today, don't we?
Vicki: Oh, yes. It matters where you sit at a banquet. I know people that always want to sit at the head table, even if they have nothing to do or say at that banquet.
Kent: Have you ever been to a concert? Isn't it interesting how people are proud when they get to sit in the first few rows? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. They're showing off. And these guys love to be seen because they're important religious leaders. They want to have that appreciation of the crowd to realize how important they are, and not only when they're in church, but also outside of church.
Nathan: In verse seven, they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called rabbi by others.
Kent: Ooh. They love the fancy titles. They love the honor. They love to have clothes that show it all off. Vicki, I can't think of this without being reminded of your father. When he and I were on faculty at a school, and this particular school enjoyed ceremonies. So there were numerous times in the academic year when everyone had to put on their doctoral robes and line up and march in with fancy music. But made it even more challenging to your father was that we had to go in in order of rank. Who was most important would go first. And we all had. The dean would come and tell me, you have to stand here, and you have to stand here and you have to stand there. And of course, your dad was always at the front of the line, and he hated. He hated the clothes that he had to wear. He hated the pomp. He hated the fact we were being honored and called all this stuff. In fact, his doctoral robe was old and ratty. I think he got it bought a second hand off a professor who was retiring. And he kind of growled on his face as the music started and he slumped into there. We all followed. What was fascinating is often after these events, faculty would be going to the dean complaining about where they were in the line. I should be in front of this guy and I should be in front of that guy. Your father would have none of it, but it makes it give me insight into what was happening at that time with these religious leaders. They wanted to be seen as godly, even though they're not. But how does Jesus define a true leader? In verse 11, he said, the greatest.
Vicki: Among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Kent: So Jesus is upset at these leaders, bad leaders, because their words are deceptive and their actions are deceptive. And he says we should be a servant. That's what a true leader is. What are the marks of a good servant?
Vicki: Well, a really good servant, this is obvious, but a good servant is there to serve and they're there for you. They're invisible, they're behind the scenes and they look for needs that they can fill. And then they go fill them. They go above and beyond. They think, oh, they're going to need this, they're going to need that. They do need this, they do need that. And then they go get that done.
Kent: For a servant, it's all about you, not about me. What can I do for you? How can I help you advance? That's completely the opposite of what Jesus was seeing in these first century leaders. Look at Jesus angry condemnation of these leaders. Here's his summary of what he thinks of them in verse 33 and following.
Vicki: Now ideally, these are people who love God and serve him and they represent him. And he goes, you snakes, you brood of vipers. How will you escape being condemned to hell? Upon you will come all the punishment of the righteous blood that has been shed on earth. Truly, I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
Kent: I think Jesus is angry here.
Vicki: Yeah, he's mad.
Nathan: It's never a positive thing to be called a snake.
Vicki: No.
Kent: And what's interesting is this is said in public, right? So this isn't a private conversation Jesus is having. He's surrounded by his disciples and the public. And this is how he defines these leaders. And if you think Jesus is overacting, take a look at the seven woes that preceded this final verdict. You can read them for yourselves, but each one begins with a sentence. Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites. He says that woe is you, woe is you seven times. Jesus here is like a prosecutor in a courtroom giving his evidence. This is why you are like snakes. This is why I reject you as leaders. What does it mean when he says, woe, Nathan, you are cursed.
Nathan: Or in common tongue, damn you to hell.
Kent: This is what he is saying publicly, you leaders. And let's just posit three examples that he gives. In verse 13 he says what?
Vicki: He says, woe to you hypocrites. You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter. Who are trying to whew.
Kent: In other words, Jesus has come as Savior. They're not pointing people towards their Savior, they're trying to get people away from Him. They don't want to enter the kingdom of heaven and they don't want others to either. Damn you to hell for that. In verse 23, another example, Woe to you, hypocrites.
Nathan: You give a tenth of your spices, but you have neglected the more important matters of the law, justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.
Kent: Here he's accusing them of majoring on minor elements of Scripture and missing the mountains. You are deceiving the people by having an emphasis in your teaching and in your teaching of God's word that is not found in the Bible. You're not having the people make the major decisions that God needs them to make.
Vicki: And in verse 25, he says, Woe to you, hypocrites. You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and self indulgence.
Kent: It's a great metaphor it's using, isn't it? For those of us who have to wash dishes on occasion. One of the things you don't want to do is miss the inside. Who cares what it looks like on the outside? You've got filth on the inside. That's right, you got filth inside of you. And that's what he's saying. External righteousness is what's important, but not internal righteousness. This flies against all his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. And again, damn you to hell. He says for that. This is just three of the seven. Why does Jesus warn Israel not to follow the leadership of the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees? Because their deceptive teaching and behavior won't only destroy their life in eternity, but all who follow them. Look what he says in verse 37 and following.
Vicki: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you. How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and you are not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Kent: I don't think in these verses Jesus is as angry as he is sad. Because here he sees the consequences of these bad leaders, bad teachers who are deceptive in what they say and how they act. It's had a tragic effect on all of Jerusalem. One of the greatest dangers to God's people, it seems as bad leaders. And Jesus is furious at leaders who fail to repent of their failures as he asks them over and over again and fail to honor God first of all in their teaching. What are the marks of a truly biblical sermon? Nathan, if I'm in the congregation, what will I hear?
Nathan: You hear basically what God says. You focus on what he emphasizes. You minimize the thing he minimizes. And you want to make sure your sermon follows the author's intent of what was said in tone and in application. So fiery text, if you preach it very mildly, making excuses for what was said there, is not preached well. And a. A loving text that's supposed to encourage us, that we are using to pull people down is also not correct.
Kent: So why is this so challenging? I mean, why isn't this obvious? Why wasn't it done in the first century? Why isn't it done sometimes today?
Nathan: Well, for me, I get in my own way. I get in my own way. I have my own sinful ideas, I have my own ideals. I am not entirely sanctified. And so I come at the text. And if I come at the text with my own ideas of what I think the congregation needs to hear, I've already lost because I'm not allowing the text to change me first before changing others.
Kent: And if I don't, I am tempted at times not to say what people don't want to hear.
Nathan: Oh, absolutely. At the end of the day, I'm a coward.
Kent: It is.
Nathan: And there's really hard things in the text.
Kent: And we want people to like us. We want to keep our jobs, we want to be popular. Who doesn't? There's all kinds of reasons why these people, these ancient leaders, first century leaders, failed to do the job God was asking to do. Their temptations or our temptations. But if we're going to be faithful leaders and avoid God's anger, we need to teach God's word as accurately and effectively and authentically as possible. But our hearts have to be different because biblical teaching is critical. But so also is sacrificial servant leadership. Like Paul. Good leaders are to pour out their lives like a drink offering for God's people. People, a genuine servant who cares about others and their needs much more than themselves. Have you ever seen people demonstrate that in their ministry?
Vicki: Oh, often, often when people love sacrificially, that's what they're doing. And it's an example of how God loves us. And it's a beautiful thing to see, isn't it?
Kent: It's not trying to Use people, but to be used for people. One of probably the most powerful examples I ever heard was of the early missionaries of my home denomination, the Christian Missionary alliance. That people would go when the fields were opening in Africa and Asia, they would get on the boats that would take them to where they were going to minister and they would all take their own coffins.
Vicki: Wow.
Kent: Because they knew that they would die of tropical diseases. It wasn't if it would be when. And they were going to serve others knowing it would cost them their life. Can't think of another example that reminds me more of Jesus.
Vicki: Hard to top that. Wow.
Kent: For pastor. Pastor to pastor. I think if we're going to be genuine servant leaders and avoid Jesus rebuke, I think we have to reject complacency. Few things make me more annoyed that when people say what I'm doing is good enough, people will accept what I'm doing. And I'm happy with complacency and average. We can't all be superstars. But I think we owe it to our people and to the God who gave us the gifts and opportunities that he has that we maximize that gift. We maximize the opportunity to help people come be formed into the image of Christ. I think complacency is our enemy. Good enough is not good enough. I'm reminded of Oswald Chambers famous book. Do you remember the title?
Vicki: Oh, absolutely. My Utmost for His highest.
Kent: I'll tell you one thing. I don't think none of us want to see Jesus angry at us. He has a temper and what got him really angry were these people were not serving the people of God. They were abusing them. They were not teaching God's Word as they ought and they were not serving them as they ought to have. The tragedy of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees is not that they did not know how they should lead God's people. The tragedy is they refused to repent of their behavior and serve him as they ought. And as a result there was hell to pay. Let's listen to Jesus angry words carefully. Let's learn from these leaders mistakes. For God's sake, let's not repeat them or their feet will be ours.
Brian: It's important to be a true teacher of scripture. And it's important to be sure we follow true spiritual teachers because false teachers will destroy themselves and their followers. I trust that today's discussion of God's Word has been helpful and served as an encouragement to not just be hearers of the Word but doers together. Let's bring God's word to life to our lives. This week, the crosstalk Podcast is a production of crosstalk Global equipping Biblical communicators so every culture hears God's voice. To find out more or to support the work of this Ministry, please visit www.crosstalkglobal.org. help us train the next generation of biblical communicators. All you have to do is click Donate in the show notes and make a donation of any size. You can also support this show by sharing it on social media and telling your friends. Tune in next Friday as we continue our discussion through the Gospel of Matthew. Be sure to join us.
Nathan: Look at the size of that guy's phylacteries. Wow, he's so holy.