Outloud Bible Project Podcast
Mike Domeny, actor, author, and founder of Outloud Bible Project (outloudbible.com), reads the Bible out loud in a conversational and approachable way so you can read the Bible like it makes a difference! This isn't simply an audiobook version of the Bible! Every episode offers helpful context so you won't get lost, and a brief takeaway to help apply that reading to your life.
Want to invite Mike to read Scripture at your event or gathering? Visit outloudbible.com.
Starting with episode 279, the Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® https://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved
Outloud Bible Project Podcast
Matthew 22-23: Whoas and Woes
Jesus directly challenges religious hypocrisy in Matthew 22-23, revealing the disconnect between outward religious practice and inner spiritual reality. This passage invites us to examine our own lives and let Scripture be a mirror that reveals our true spiritual condition.
• Jesus tells the parable of the wedding banquet, showing how many reject God's invitation while others attend without true transformation
• Religious leaders attempt to trap Jesus with questions about taxes, resurrection, and the greatest commandment
• Jesus masterfully answers each challenge, silencing his critics with wisdom
• In chapter 23, Jesus pronounces multiple "woes" against religious leaders for their hypocrisy
• Jesus condemns focusing on outward appearances while neglecting inner spiritual health
• We're challenged to let Scripture examine us rather than just applying it to others
• The passage encourages authentic faith rather than religious performance
Are you willing to hear God say "woe" if it means you can be made more like Jesus?
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Check out outloudbible.com for helpful study resources, and to discover how to bring the public reading of God's word to your church, conference, retreat, or other event.
Hey, welcome back to the Outloud Bible Project podcast. This is Mike, and if this is your first time listening to the podcast, welcome. I'm glad you're here. I trust this will be a valuable time for you. We're going to let the Word of God speak for itself and walk away with something to do about it. That is the point, after all, and if this is not your first time, if you're maybe an old veteran at this whole Outloud Bible thing, well, I am so thankful that you have made this part of your Bible experience and we got to get into it. We got to get into the Word, we got to let the Word get into us and then we got to get the Word out of us. We got to go do something about it, and that is, after all, what we are about here.
Speaker 1:A lot of fun things in Out Loud Bible lately. I know I've mentioned the Echo Discipleship Guides available at the website outloudbiblecom Great way to go deeper with what we hear. And I've talked about the live experiences, the Outloud Bible experiences that we're doing to bring the Word of God spoken out loud to the church, and we've been to a number of churches in the area and have a few more and are excited to be able to see that grow. And if you're interested in having Out Loud Bible Live presented at your church or event, or if you're involved in a conference or whatever it may be, just reach out through the website. I'd love to chat with you to see how we can make that work. That would be really, really special, I think. But other things I have not mentioned yet is that we have a blog on the website recently started a blog. It comes out once a week. It's a pretty quick read and it does a good job of just reinforcing some of the themes and the lessons that we've been talking about over the week. So if you're into blogs, I would go check out the Outloud Bible Project blog over on the website outloudbiblecom, and you can also follow Out Loud Bible Project on Facebook. We're posting quotes and ideas inspired by our conversations here on the podcast and it can make it an easier way to kind of share a little bit of what you've heard or learned here. If something really resonates with you, I encourage you to share it and see what kind of impact it might have on those around you.
Speaker 1:Of course, we can never fully know the impact of what we do. Jesus makes that very clear in his a lot of seeds and gardening parallels and parables when he talks about the kingdom. There's a lot of work that just goes unnoticed and is a mystery to us. We got to remain faithful to do what we do. We got to remain faithful to the word and to share it, to be Jesus to people. And how do we do it? Well, we got to get into it ourselves, we got to know. So let's get into it.
Speaker 1:Today we're in the book of Matthew and Jesus man, he's not messing around, he is just cutting to the heart of issues. He's just shooting straight. I feel like he's been doing that this whole time, don't you think? But here we get into it in Matthew 22 through 23, where we see some things that will make us go whoa and some things that made Jesus go whoa. You'll see what I mean here in Matthew 22 through 23.
Speaker 1:Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son and he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they wouldn't come Again. He sent other slaves saying Tell those who have been invited. Look, the feast I prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet. But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, the rest seized his slaves insolently, mistreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He sent his soldiers and he put those murderers to death and set their city on fire. And he said to his slaves the wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy, so go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet. Well, those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes and he said to him Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes? But he had nothing to say. Then the king said to his attendants Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for many are called but few are chosen.
Speaker 1:Then the Pharisees went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words. They sent to him their disciples, along with the Herodians, saying Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You do not court anyone's favor because you show no partiality. Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said Hypocrites, why are you testing me? Show me the coin used for the tax. So they brought him a denarius and Jesus said to them Whose image is this and whose inscription? They replied Caesar's. He said to them Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. Now, when they heard this, they were stunned and they left him and went away.
Speaker 1:The same day, sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him Teacher Moses said if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers among us, and the first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The second did the same and the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman died In the resurrection, died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they had all married her. Jesus answered them you are deceived because you don't know the scriptures or the power of God, for in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. Now, as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God? I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He's not the God of the dead, but of the living.
Speaker 1:When the crowds heard this, well, they were amazed at his teaching. Now, when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together, and one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him Teacher, what commandment in the law is the greatest? Jesus said to him love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.
Speaker 1:While the Pharisees were assembled, jesus asked them a question what do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he? And they said the son of David. He said to them how then does David, by the Spirit, call him Lord? Saying the Lord said to my Lord Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet. If David then calls him Lord, how can he be his son? Well, no one was able to answer him a word and from that day on, no one dared to question him any longer. Whoa right? Well, chapter 23,.
Speaker 1:Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples the experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses's seat and therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it, but do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy loads hard to carry and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long and they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi. But you're not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher and you are all brothers, and call no one, your father on earth, for you have one father who's in heaven. Nor are you to be called a teacher, for you have one teacher the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant, and whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you, experts in the law, and you Pharisees, hypocrites. But land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
Speaker 1:Woe to you, blind guides who say whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath. You blind fools. Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? And whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he's bound by the oath. You're blind, for which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple, swears by it and the one who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.
Speaker 1:What are you, experts in the law and you Pharisees hypocrites. You give a tenth of mint, dill and cumin and yet you neglect what is more important in the law justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides you strain out a gnat, yet swallow a camel. Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees hypocrites. You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they're full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup so that the outside may become clean too. Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees hypocrites. You're like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you're full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees hypocrites. Woe to you, experts in law and you pharisees hypocrites.
Speaker 1:You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous and you say if we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in the shedding of blood of the prophets. By saying this, you testify against yourself that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you offspring of vipers. How will you escape being condemned to hell?
Speaker 1:And for this reason, I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Barakiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth this generation will be held responsible for all these things. Truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things. Oh, jerusalem, jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you. How often I've longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it. Look, your house is left to you, desolate, for I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord, okay, well, jesus is flying off the handle here, this chapter, making the Pharisees and everyone go whoa with his wise answers to his questions with his wise answers to his questions, but then saying whoa to all of these religious leaders for their behaviors.
Speaker 1:Now it's easy to kind of think we're doing fine here when we read passages like this, like, oh yeah, those religious leaders or you know, those church leaders, if we want to make it more modern day who just you know kind of are in it for the money or the looks or the platform or the following or whatever. And yeah, you know it might apply to that, but it doesn't really do us much good when we read the Bible and just think about all the other people who need to hear it. Maybe they do and hey, if they come to mind, pray for them. That would be a good, actionable thing to do. But let's not just let it land for other people. Let's allow ourselves to be honest and let the Bible be a mirror. Now, sometimes, yeah, you look in the mirror and you realize, okay, yeah, I'm doing. Okay, I'm doing the righteous thing, I'm doing the right thing, I'm obeying him. That's great, good. But we can't always just look in the mirror when we know we're having a good hair day, right, let's be honest with it If we call ourselves Christians or Christ followers or religious people, or whatever we may use to describe ourselves.
Speaker 1:Let's just test ourselves against what Jesus is saying about these people. Things like expecting people to kind of fit our standards and expectations of how a Christian should be. Things like making promises to God that we don't intend to keep. Things like thinking that our giving is good enough and we neglect. Things like forgiving other people and staying faithful to what we know we need to be doing from the Bible. Other things like making sure we have a good outward appearance, that we look happy, clean, upbeat, put together for other people, but inside we're a mess.
Speaker 1:Or how about this? Looking in the Bible and saying things like oh well, I wouldn't do those things that those bad people did in the Bible. I'm much better than those people. This is exactly what we're talking about. I'm not just making up these examples. Go read Matthew 23 for yourself. Let's be honest with it. It doesn't feel good, no, but this is exactly the sort of wrestling we have to do with God's word if we're going to let him mold us and shape us and refine us into someone who he sees as holy, righteous, faithful. Are you willing to hear God say whoa if it means that you can be made more like Jesus. That's the thinking out loud thought for the day.
