Answering an Objection (Matthew 23:37)

           
                                                          [Jesus said],   "O 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,
                                                          but you were not willing."
                                                                                      Matthew 23:37


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                               DIVINE ELECTION and IRRESISTIBLE GRACE


          Matthew 23:37 is used by many to "prove" that God wants to save everyone,
     but is unable to do so without their free will consent to be saved.

          Therefore, the theory goes, since God desires to save all men, there is no
     "divine election," and since people resist Him, God has no "irresistible grace."
                                                          

           What is "irresistible grace?"  It refers to God's sovereign regeneration of
     His elect, and not to grace He may show to those who will never believe.  It is
     God's "saving" grace, shown only to those who are His chosen people.


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          Many interpret this verse to mean that Jesus desired to save the people (Jews)
     to whom He was speaking, but that He could not accomplish His desire because
     these Jews "were not willing" to come to Him for salvation.  Therefore, God is
     dependent on the will of man, to achieve His goal of salvation of souls.

          According to this belief, God can "try" and  "try" to save someone, but He is
     unable to do so unless the person chooses to cooperate.  Jesus "tried" to gather
     these people, but His will was thwarted by their stubborn refusal to believe.

          We need to look at the context to see that this is a misinterpretation of the text.


                     TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS

          First, we need to determine to whom Jesus is talking.  Who is "Jerusalem"
     in this verse?  Many assume that "Jerusalem" refers to all the Jews who live there.
     But, under closer examination, we see that Jesus is referring to two different groups
     in this passage -  1."Jerusalem," the religious leaders, and 2."your children", the
     people who follow the leaders (scribes and Pharisees).

         Throughout the entire chapter, Jesus condemns the Jewish leaders for their hypocrisy
     of following their man-made rules, but refusing to submit to the message of Jesus.
     Jesus is denouncing the Pharisees and scribes for killing the prophets God had sent
     to them, and hindering their "children," the people who followed them, from coming
     to God.

          These are two different groups.

                        "The people the Lord wished to gather are not the same
                          people who were "not willing."  No, Jesus is condemning
                          the religious leaders and saying that He desired to gather
                          their children (those under their spiritual care). 

                          But they (the leaders) were not willing.  The leaders did all in
                          their power to stand in the way of Jesus' gathering those (your
                          children) He wished to gather."
                                                    John Samson, 12 Whatabouts

         Jesus prophesied that the religious leaders would continue to do what they had
     been doing to the prophets and teachers God had sent to them.  They would kill,
     crucify, and flog them, bringing God's condemnation for their sins.


                                             [Jesus said], "You snakes!  You brood of vipers!
                                             How will you escape being condemned to hell?
                                           
                                             Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men
                                             and teachers.  Some of them you will kill and crucify;
                                             others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue
                                             from town to town."
                                                                                 Matthew 23:34
                                       

          In verse after verse, Jesus condemns the Jewish leaders for their actions, leading
     their people astray.  He pronounces "woe" after "woe" against them, condemning
     them for their actions that displeased God.

          It is obvious that "Jerusalem" here, refers to the religious leaders, and not to
     all the people of the city.
    


                       THE CONTEXT

          To find the context for Matthew 23:37, we have to go back to verse 13.

                           
                                             [Jesus said], "Woe to you, teachers of the law
                                             and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You shut the
                                             Kingdom of heaven in men's faces.  You
                                             yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those
                                             enter who are trying to."
                                                                              Matthew 23:13


          John Gill writes this about what the religious leaders were doing to hinder
     the people from coming to God.

                                          " ... the persons whom Christ would have
                                            gathered are not represented as being "unwilling"
                                            to be gathered; but their rulers were not willing
                                            that they should.

                                            The opposition and resistance to the will of Christ,
                                            were not made by the people, but by their governors.
                                            The common people seemed inclined to attend the
                                            ministry of Christ, as appears from the vast crowds
                                            which at different times and places, followed Him;
                                            but the chief priests and rulers did all they could to
                                            hinder the collection of them to Him; and their
                                            belief in Him as the Messiah, by traducing His
                                            character, miracles, and doctrines, and by passing
                                            an act that whosoever confessed Him should be put
                                            out of the synagogue; so that the obvious meaning of
                                            the text is the same with that of verse 13 ... and
                                            consequently is no proof of men's resisting the
                                            operations of the Spirit and grace of God, but of
                                            obstructions and discouragements thrown in the way
                                            of attendance on the external ministry of the word."


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                       CONCLUSION


          John Samson writes about the idea behind the text.


                    "Matthew 23:37 does not speak to the issue of election or whether
                     or not God's grace is irresistible to the elect.  That is a total
                     misreading of the text.

                     Instead it is Christ's word of condemnation to the scribes and
                     Pharisees in Jerusalem:

                                              'I sought to gather your children but you
                                              (not 'your children')were not willing.'
                                              Therefore woe to you!'

          So does this passage indicate that God's will can be thwarted by the will
     of the leaders?


           Samson continues:

                     "No, It does not mean that at all.  That argument can in no way be
                      substantiated by the text.  That's because the issue of whether or
                      not Jesus failed to gather is simply not addressed.

                      What the text teaches us is that Christ desired to gather the
                      leaders' children and the leaders were not willing for this to happen,
                      which is why they were under the just condemnation of God.
                      The text says absolutely nothing concerning whether or not Jesus
                      failed to gather the children He desired.  Nothing at all!

                      Jesus spoke in very clear terms when He said explicitly,

                                               'All that the Father gives me will come to me ...'
                                                                                    John 6:37

                     What a comfort that is."


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          All, everyone that the Father gives to the Son, WILL come to Him.

         No one, no matter how hard they try, can keep them from coming to Jesus for salvation.