Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
A. We should read the entirety of Matthew (the book) to gain a fuller context on what is said on the topics of "Man's Inability, Election, Atonement, Grace, and Preservation of the Saints." (to be provided elsewhere).
B. We should read the entirety of Matthew 23 (the chapter) to gain a fuller context on what is said on the topics of "Man's Inability, Election, Atonement, Grace, and Preservation of the Saints." (a rough draft has been provided elsewhere).
C. Here we examine this verse and how it may impact one's understanding of "Man's
Inability, Election, Atonement, Grace, and Preservation of the Saints."
1. What in this verse communicates, "A sinner has the ability to place faith and repentance towards Christ prior to regeneration.?"
I see nothing. In fact, I see a communication of, "The sinner's violence and rejection of God, by rejecting God's message, evidenced by rejecting God's messengers." b. "The sinner's unwillingness to let his children be gathered by Jesus." c. Another blog post will highlight at least 20 other evidences in this same chapter of man's rebellion, rejection, unwillingness, and inability to love, trust, or obey Christ.
2. What in this verse communicates, "The Election of sinners is based on sinner's meeting the condition(s) of God."
I see nothing. The verse mentions nothing of election. Election is an act of God before creation. Even many Arminians will assert, "God elected Jacob because God foresaw or foreknew what Jacob would do." Which at least communicates that election is prior to Jacob's response. So this verse does not address election.
3. What in this verse communicates, "The blood of Jesus atones for the sins of every sinner even the reprobate and goats?"
I see nothing. Persons may ask, "Why would Jesus appeal for the children of Jerusalem if He was not planning to atone for their sin?" #1. If he atoned for their sin, they will be in heaven, regardless of their response. Many people have an entirely wrong understanding of "atonement", which is not a "possibility" of cleansing, but a true, real, and actual cleansing. #2. Isaiah was not sent to "open eyes" as prophet, but to "close eyes". Jesus was sent not merely to cornerstone for the sheep, but an "intentional" stone of stumbling for the goat. #3. We do not make exposition on a topic (i.e. atonement) when the verse says nothing about the topic.
4. What in this verse communicates, "The power of the Holy Spirit to regenerate is ineffectual when countered by man's unwillingness to be regenerated?"
I see nothing. The Holy Spirit is not regenerating here. The Holy Spirit is not speaking here. Jesus is speaking. Jesus does not regenerate, the Holy Spirit regenerates. Jesus is "The Prophet" that God promised through the writings of Moses. Jesus is "THE" Prophet, which is unique, special, and different than any other prophet. He is God, He is Lord, He is King, He is the High Priest, He is the Lamb, He is the Messiah; Yet His Office as Prophet does mean He is the High Priest and Lamb for everyone He warns as "a prophet". None of the prophets promised a guaranteed atonement and salvation for everyone they warned. The prophets had one office, and the High Priest had a different office.
Jesus is both Prophet and High Priest, but that does not mean He serves every individual with both offices. An example is Moses, Moses was a prophet to Pharaoh, but not a priest for Pharaoh. Moses made sacrifices for atonement in relation to Israel but not in relation to Pharaoh and Egypt. A great example of this is seen at "Passover", and Jesus is the "Passover Lamb" for Israel today, but not for Egypt.
One may say, "Jesus was ineffectual in gathering the children of Jerusalem." Yes, but gathering children is not the same as attempting to regenerate them, when regenerating them was not His aim, for it is not His role. Jesus spoke as a prophet throughout his earthly ministry and was constantly rejected. He was rejected constantly, His message was rejected constantly. Moses was rejected by Pharaoh and by Korah. Yet none of this relates to what the Holy Spirit does, and power of regeneration.
Even the sheep rejected Jesus as prophet. This is the rejection of the general call. A command that goes to every sinner to repent and trust Christ.
5. What in this verse communicates, "The regenerated soul, the sheep, will not be preserved by the grace and power of God."
I see nothing. This verse does not communicate that Jerusalem is currently saved; nor in danger of abolishing the atoning work of Christ (if He will atone their sin). This topic does not require any further investigation.
6. Who is Jesus desiring to gather? (the children of Jerusalem, not Jerusalem).
Most people misquote this verse by replacing "thy children" with the word "you." Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!--- as if Jesus is trying to gather all of Jerusalem.
a. If I sent my wife to your house in order to pick them up and take them to a Kid's Park, and you killed my wife, what should I think? What if I married a 2nd wife, and sent her, and you killed her; a 3rd wife, a 4th wife, a 5th wife, and even my 10th wife? What should I expect if I decided then to send my only son to you in order pick up your kids to take them to the Kid's Park? And when my son arrives you say, "I didn't kill your mother nor any of your 9 step-mothers." My son might say, "I am willing to take your kids to the park but you WOULD NOT, and though you deny killing my mom (the prophets) her blood is on your hands.
(read verse 34 Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.)
Consider verse: 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
This question of Jesus is not asked because He does not know the answer. He knows. Nor is it asked to prompt us to answer, "Oh simple, just make a decision, just say yes, just believe, just trust Jesus, just accept Jesus, just repent." Rather it is to indicate the complete and total impossibility of the sinner to change his condition, his mindset, his heart, his values, his love, his bondage. He calls the entire generation, not merely the leaders, not merely a few, but the entire generation, the entire population a generation of vipers. It was the snake in the garden who deceived eve, and it is the generation in Jerusalem who speaks deception to their children.
Read verse 15. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
If that describes the outcome of a proselyte who is not their own blood offspring, how much more will the Pharisees and Scribes indoctrinate their own children. So when Jesus says "He desires to gather their children" He boldly displays the adamant defiance of Jerusalem in "YOU WOULD NOT!!!"
This continues a long list of descriptions that Jesus provides in Matthew 23 (I encourage to study each verse slowly in the chapter and write out the condition of "this generation" in detail, which will greatly influence your approach to verse 37 as the context is meant to do.)
In closing, verse 37 communicates the nature of Jerusalem: God-haters, Jesus-haters, defiant, adamant, entrenched, enslaved. The prophetic warning and desire of Jesus is despised by fallen man. The prophetic warning is akin to Moses warning Pharaoh, who "could have lived longer" if he simply let the people go, but God never intended to take Pharaoh into the Promised Land.
