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Jesus’ Final Public Sermon
Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You
are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are
filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.” Matthew 23:27–28
For the third day in a row, we read from Jesus’ fierce denunciation
of the scribes and Pharisees. His words are exactly what these
religious leaders needed to hear—strong medicine meant to awaken
them from their self-righteousness, so that they might repent and
receive the superabundant grace that would soon pour forth from His
Cross. Though His rebukes may sound shocking—especially to those
who heard them for the first time—we must receive them not with
shock, but with humility and openness, applying them to our own
spiritual journey.
Immediately after this lengthy denunciation, Jesus turns inward and
offers a heart-wrenching lament over Jerusalem, especially over the
hardened hearts of the very leaders He had just addressed. Though
not included in today’s Gospel, the very next verse reveals His
sorrow: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone
those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children
together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were
unwilling!” (Matthew 23:37). This tender image opens a window into
Jesus’ Sacred Heart—the same heart that had just delivered such
relentless rebukes.
Consider that image: a hen gathering her young under her wings. By
natural instinct, a mother hen shields her chicks, even risking her
life to protect them. In placing that instinct within creation, God
reveals something of His own divine love. He, too, longs to gather,
shield, and save us from eternal harm. Nothing—not even the
hardness of our hearts—can stop Him from extending His merciful
embrace. Yet just as a chick that strays from its mother forfeits
her protection, so do we when we resist Christ’s call. His lament
is not rooted in anger, but in grief over those who are unwilling
to be gathered and saved. Even His fiercest rebukes flow from a
heart burning with love.
Though these words were originally addressed to the scribes and
Pharisees, they apply to each of us. God will stop at nothing to
bring us safely into His care. If gentle compassion moves our
hearts, that is what He offers. If firm rebuke is what we need, He
offers that too. Whether He draws us with tenderness or corrects us
with firmness, His purpose is always the same: to keep us safe from
sin and eternal separation, and to draw us into the Kingdom of
grace.
Interestingly, this rebuke was Jesus’ final public sermon in
Matthew’s Gospel. If we were writing the script for His final week,
we might envision a message of consolation or encouragement to
close His public ministry. But instead, He ends with a sobering
warning. Why? Because it was a final act of mercy. His last words
to the crowds were meant to awaken hearts before it was too late.
It was love speaking its final appeal, a shepherd crying out for
His wandering sheep.
Reflect today on Jesus delivering this final sermon to you. Heed
His warning and receive it in the way it was delivered: with love.
Feel His urgency and His desire to do whatever it takes to draw you
closer to Himself. Respond to this sermon, and do not remain among
the unwilling. Let these final words of Jesus pierce your heart, so
that you may be gathered under the shelter of His wings and never
stray again.
Most merciful Lord, You will go to any length to draw us back to
Yourself when we stray. You long to gather us under the wings of
Your loving protection, keeping us safe from all sin that leads to
death. Open my heart, dear Lord, and grant me the grace I need to
respond to Your cry for my soul. May I never stray but always
remain firmly under the shelter of Your wings of grace. Jesus, I
trust in You.
Image: Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees, by James
Tissot
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