Who had Jesus been addressing in the chapters just before Matthew 23?
In the two chapters preceding Matthew 23, Jesus had been addressing the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, exposing their serious errors and wrongdoings even though they considered themselves religious. By Matthew 23, He speaks to the gathering crowd, Jerusalem, and the Jews in the temple area.
Les explains that in the previous two chapters Jesus had been addressing the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, pointing out their gross misgivings and wrongdoings even though they thought they were religious. Then, in Matthew 23, while Jesus is in the temple area, He speaks to Jerusalem—representing the Jews, not the world. Les notes that crowds were gathering because Passover was approaching, with Jews coming from all over the then-known world. Jesus says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,” and laments how often He would have gathered her children as a hen gathers chicks under her wings, but they would not.