(remember, these are unedited/draft show notes, not a transcript — listening is always better…and if you listen AND follow along below, you’ll see how)
Focus Question:
What does “Abel to Zechariah” signify?
Intro:
Remember how the book of John ends?
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. (Jn 21:25, CSB)
That’s how I feel sometimes…there is never enough time to explore the wondrous depths of the story of Jesus…including today’s little factoid that we’ll get to toward the end of Matthew 23 today — What does “Abel to Zechariah” signify?
Remember how yesterday I gave you a little background on the Pharisees and Sadducees? Let me add a bit of context to this. Today you’re going to hear Jesus reeeeally getting in the bidness of the Pharisees. And it’ not like what Jesus is saying is untrue. But remember two things. Generally, the Pharisees were considered righteous, and no doubt many were in many ways…at least in terms of their passion for adhering to the ethics of the Law. That said, they also considered verbal tradition as authoritative. Meaning “the Bible plus something.” Keep that in mind, and we’ll tie that in with the Able-to-Zechariah thing on the other side.
New Testament segment:
Passage: Matthew 23
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 39
Words: ~824
You’ve heard me many times point out that Jesus — meaning God himself — has pointed out the divine authority of the Old Testament and promised the divine authority of the NT. So what about those verses talking about Abel to Zechariah?
Well, it’s total coincidence that just like we, in English, say “from A to Z” to mean the totality of something, that this is actually what that Abel-Zechariah reference signifies.
These verses refute the idea that additional scripture is needed from heaven. Here, many scholars believe Jesus to be giving bookends for the Old Testament as he lists the first and last martyrs: Abel and Zechariah. In the original organization of the Hebrew Old Testament, though all thirty-nine books are present, Genesis is first and Second Chronicles is last. The first martyr in Genesis is Abel, and the last in Second Chronicles is Zechariah. Likewise, many New Testament texts place New Testament writings alongside the Old Testament as “scripture.” Thus, there is no need for other testaments of Jesus or additional revelation from heaven. The Bible is indeed all we need “for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness” (2Tm 3:16).(1)
So remember how I mentioned that the Pharisees also counted their traditions and interpretations as authoritative? This is Jesus countering that. And it applies today.
As we journey through this section of Isaiah, remember that chapters 13-27 are three sets of oracles depicting God’s judgment and grace for the world. The first part of what you’ll hear today is an oracle against Moab, and you’ll remember that the Moabites were the distant relatives being descendants of Lot and his oldest daughter, that crazy story back in Genesis 19.
The second part of what we’ll hear today is direct against Damascus/Syria. But it is also directed against the northern kingdom of Israel, because they were in cahoots politically in terms of being allies. And finally, Isaiah (or God) calls out Cush, which was part of Egypt.
Old Testament segment:
Passage: Isaiah 15-18
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses: 44
Words: ~1200
Wisdom segment:
Passage: Proverbs 13:1-
Translation: CSB (Christian Standard Bible)
Verses:
Words: ~
The bottom line:
For reasons we don’t (and can’t) get to in a program primarily concerned with just sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to His Word, we can scarcely mention why it is we can trust the Bible we have today — both the old and new testaments.
That said, today is a useful warning to remember against adding anything to the Bible. Even today there are Christian sects, denominations, and seminaries who do do the same thing.
If you ever hear things like “Well, the Bible is a human book” or that it “‘contains’ versus ‘is’ the Word of God” or that the message of the Bible is less about sin and redemption and more about social justice, be warned: you may be talking to someone who’s being influenced to think that the Bible is less than the voice of God.
So now the question is, “Are they talking the Jesus as we know Him in the NT or a Jesus of their own making?”
Love you!
Roger
ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.
Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.
Sources and resources:
(1) Alan Hultberg, “Matthew,” in CSB Apologetics Study Bible, ed. Ted Cabal (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1207.