CHAPTER 23
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.” Matthew 23:1-2
This is a very strange and interesting section of scripture that is mostly recorded for us in Matthew, with some scattered portions in the other gospels. Morris says of this section, “There is nothing comparable to this sustained denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees in any of the other gospels…” 1 Barclay adds: “Nobody pays any attention to the anger of a bad-tempered man. But when a person who is characteristically meek and lowly, gentle and loving, suddenly erupts into blazing wrath, even the most thoughtless person is shocked…It is seldom in literature that we find so unsparing and sustained an indictment as we find in this chapter when the wrath of Jesus is directed against the scribes and Pharisees.” 2
Jesus says, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.” No doubt, this is a reference to the continuing tradition of teaching the law that had its beginning with the great Moses.3 However, in the 1920s, a black basalt chair was unearthed at the synagogue of Chorazin and has earned the title of “Moses’ Seat.” It is now felt that authoritative teachers may have visited and given their teaching from chairs such as this one.4
“So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach” (23:3). Osborne says, “This seems strange at first because of Jesus’ denouncement of much of their teaching (see 12:1-14; 15:1-20; 16:6-12; 19:3-9). Yet, Jesus did not toss aside the religious leaders as worthless; he understood the need for their function when they taught correctly. But he did question their actions.” 5 Obviously, many things that were taught from the Torah were good and wholesome. Unfortunately, the scribes and Pharisees desired to protect the law so they “built a fence” around it by adding many restrictions to it.6 Little did they realize that in building such a fence they were adding to the law, a thing that God had sternly commanded against (Deut. 4:2). Barclay says, “By the time this scribal interpretation of the law was finished, it took more than fifty volumes to hold the mass of regulations which resulted.” 7
“They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (23:4). Morris comments, “The regulations they evolved for ritual purity were much harder for people in trades and similar walks of life than for the more leisured and scholarly Pharisees.” 8 The scribes and Pharisees were experts at dreaming up and fitting heavy burdens to other people but they were not willing to help lift them. We might have here a picture of an overloaded donkey that has fallen down under the weight of the burden with no one is willing to help the little beast get back up.
It is interesting that in Acts 15:10, Peter makes a comment about these heavy burdens and about how impossible it was to bear them. He says, “Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?” Barclay says, “Whenever religion becomes a burden, it ceases to be true religion.” 9 How all this compares with the teaching of Jesus, who says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (11:28-30).
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;” (23:5). Their religion was mostly for show and for exhibition. A good example was the size of their phylacteries and the length of their tassels. The phylacteries (Heb. Tefillin) were small black leather, cube-shaped cases that contained passages from the Torah (Exo. 13:1-10; 11-16; Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21). These were worn on the forehead and on the left arm of devout Jews in their times of prayer. The wearing of these items was an attempt to externalize the teaching of Deuteronomy 6:8 (cf. Exo. 13:16). For show, they made these phylacteries broad. Perhaps they widened the bands that held them in place or even increased the size of the boxes.
They also made the tassels (Heb. Tzitzit) on their garments long to attract attention. These tassels were commanded in Numbers 15:37-41, and in Deuteronomy 22:12. They were designed by God so that people could be reminded of the commandments. However, they were not designed as badges of status or for ostentation.10
“They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;” (23:6). At the low “U” shaped Roman-style triclinium table of those days, the host reclined at the head of the table, while the guests reclined along its two wings. The choicest places were to the right and left of the host or as close as one could get to the head of the table. We can only imagine the scramble of guest for these choice places. It was no doubt a silly and sickening thing to watch at every banquet. For this reason, Jesus commanded his followers to seek the lowest place (Lk. 14:10). If the host, or God himself, wants us in a higher place they will see to that, and the elevation will then bring praise instead of shame.
“They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others” (23:7). The title of “Rabbi” meant “great one.” 11 Clarke says that these Rabbis “…were looked up to as infallible oracles in religious matters, and usurped not only the place of the law, but of God himself.” 12 Coffman notes that we have a few similar problems today with our religious nomenclature, with titles like: “…Evangelist, Elder, Minister, Bishop, Deacon, Cardinal, Pope, Metropolitan, Monsignor, etc., etc.” 13 In the evangelical realm, we often have a lot of people strutting around with “Reverend” or “Doctor” in their titles. God is just not impressed with such things.
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven” (23:8-9). Blomberg comments here, “So the point of vv. 8-12, must be that such titles are not to be used to confer privilege or status.” 14 It does not mean that titles can never be used. We note that Jesus was called a Rabbi (Matt. 26:25, 49; Jn. 1:38; 3:26). Also, Paul called himself a father (1 Cor. 4:15; Phil. 2:22). He also called himself a teacher (1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11).15 Plenty of other people are called “father” in Scripture (Gen. 11:26ff.; 17:4; 25:19).
It should be noted in the Bible that there are no “clergy” vs. “laity” distinctions.16 In Christ we are all just brothers, sisters and servants of the Lord. I remember the story of one who was visiting a prominent house church in China and who was very eager to meet the leader. Finally, someone pointed him out to the visitor. To the newcomer’s shock, it was the man pushing the wheelbarrow full of manure.
“Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (23:10-12). We have one teacher and his name is Jesus. The rest of us are followers and students. In some ways the Christian world is a very strange world. The way to receive is to give; the way to gain is to lose; the way to live is to die; the way up is down! If we would like to be exalted we must take the road of humility. It is a theme that occurs often in scripture (cf. Job 22:29; Pro. 29:23; Lk 14:11; 18:14; Jas. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5).17
EXCLUDING OTHERS
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Matthew 23:13
We have in this section a series of seven woes against the scribes or teachers of the law and the Pharisees. Barclay says of the woes: “…The Greek word for woe is ouai… and is hard to translate for it includes not only wrath, but also sorrow….” 18 Osborne adds: “‘Woe’ is a term that warns of judgment to come but also conveys a feeling of regret because the listeners refuse to repent.” 19 Sometimes the word is translated “alas!”
These leaders and teachers were guilty of closing the door of salvation on others. They would not go in themselves and neither would they let others enter. Morris says, “There were people in Galilee and Judea who heard Jesus gladly and were ready to respond to his teaching. But some of them had respect for the scribes and the Pharisees, the respected teachers of Israel, and when these revered leaders tried to discredit Jesus, they believed them.” 20 Often while they claimed to be helping people spiritually speaking, they were really making it impossible for them to believe. In Malachi 2:7 it is written: “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth.”
It should be noted here that verse 14 is missing in the NIV. It is also missing in several other modern translations such as the RSV and NJB. In other translations the verse speaks of the scribes and Pharisees as devouring widow’s houses and as a pretense making long prayers. Interestingly, this verse is found in Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47. Utley says, “Matthew 23:14 is not in the Greek uncial manuscripts A, B, D, or L, nor most versions and, therefore, is probably not original to Matthew. It was probably put here by a copyist from Mark 12:40 or Luke 20:47.” 21 As we see from Mark and Luke, the saying of Jesus was authentic, although not originally recorded in Matthew.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are” (23:15). Keener says, “The wing of Phariseeism most influenced by Hillel was said to be especially open to converting non-Jews to Judaism. Judaism continued to be a missionary religion for centuries, until it was finally stifled by the legislation of Roman Christendom. ..” 22
We note here that when they made a disciple, that person became worse than their teachers. Morris says, “It has often been demonstrated that a new convert may be fanatically zealous for the new faith, far more zealous than those who have accepted it all their lives.” 23 Many of these proselytes probably came from the large groups of god fearers who were closely connected to the synagogues. Many folks were fed up with paganism and were attracted to the high morality associated with the synagogues. This was particularly true of pagan women. These god fearers made a fertile ground later for the Apostle Paul and many of them were brought into Christianity. The proselyte was a god fearer who went all the way into Judaism.24 For the males this required circumcision, so we can understand why the women could be more attracted than the men.
FALSE SWEARING
Woe to you, blind guides! You say, “If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.” You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? Matthew 23:16-17
The scribes and Pharisees had devised a vast system of oaths. These oaths supposedly varied in their seriousness and validity depending upon how closely they were related to God himself. In this verse we can easily see that they valued the gold in the temple more than they valued God’s holy temple itself. In all their reasoning and scheming they had ended up with a seriously distorted system of values.25 All this allowed them to quickly escape from vows that had become too costly or painful for them.
We might remember from 5:33-37, that Jesus forbade the use of oaths entirely. He taught that it was much better just to reply with a simple “yes” or “no.” Everything beyond that could come from the devil. We might think that this was a small and insignificant area for the Jews but rather it was major. Morris comments: “…But if we can go by rabbinic literature, the swearing of oaths was commonplace among the Jews. A whole tractate of the Mishnah is given over to the subject (Shebu-ot).” 26
“You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?” (23:18-19). The reference here is likely to the altar of burnt-offerings that stood before both the tabernacle and the temple.27 On this great altar all Israel brought her sacrifices. On this altar the sins of Israel were forgiven. We can see how warped the thinking of the scribes and Pharisees had become. The animal on the altar had become more important to them than the altar itself. Jesus directed them back to the fact that the altar made the gift sacred.
“Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it” (23:20-22). So, in swearing by anything connected to the temple they were unknowingly swearing by God, and thus their vow was binding and could not be revoked. By their trickery with words they had ended up doing the very thing that was anathema to them in the first place.
It is interesting how Christians in the present day do a similar thing by trying to rationalize with God’s word and commands. They end up with a solution that better suits them, their desires and lusts. We need to just simply take the Bible as it is and obey God, doing away with all the trickery and scheming.
FALSE IDEAS OF GIVING
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices— mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law— justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Matthew 23:23
The Jewish people were commanded to give the Lord a tithe of their increase (Lev. 27:30-33; Num. 18:21, 24; Deut. 12:5-19; 14:22). The tithe was for the support of the Levites who did much of the work around the temple (Num. 18:21). The Levites then paid a tenth of their receipts to the priesthood (Num. 18:25-28). Today Christians often grimace at the thought of giving a tenth to the Lord. We do not stop to think of how much the Jews normally gave in the course of their religion.
Old Testament giving only started at the tithe or 10 percent. After the tithe there was the Sabbatical Year. When one lived in an agricultural society and did not farm his land one year out of every seven – that was effectively another 14.2 percent offered up to God. This did not consider that on the Sabbatical, all Hebrew slaves were freed and all debts to fellow Hebrews were canceled (Deut. 15:1, 12). If one did not harvest the corners of his fields or go back for second pickings, so that the poor could glean (Lev. 19:9), all that is possibly another 5-10 percent. For those who kept the Sabbath, that lost day of production could amount to another 14.2 percent.
Then there was the year of Jubilee every 50 years. At that time all property reverted back to its original family ownership and all Hebrew servants were set free. That might amount to another 2-10 percent, depending upon how wealthy a family happened to be. Of course, we are already getting up into the area of 50 percent of total income offered to God. All this does not count the offerings. There were the offerings of the first-born and first-fruits. Plus, all males were required to go up to Jerusalem three times a year (Ex. 23:17), and they were forbidden to appear before the Lord empty (Deut. 16:16). They had to bring animals from their flocks each time. Then there were the whole offerings, cereal offerings, drink offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings (Lev. 1 – 5). All these offerings could easily total up to another 5-10 percent of a family’s income. Whew!
Utley says, “The New Testament does not speak of tithing except here. The heart of New Testament giving is not found in a percentage (cf. 2 Cor. 8 – 9)!” 28 Actually, if we think solely in terms of a percentage we have missed the real spirit of New Testament giving.
Although these Old Testament scribes and Pharisees gave a lot to the Lord, they somehow also missed the spirit of real giving. They were real sticklers in tithing, even from their garden and table plants (which the Lord did not command) but totally missing all the weightier matters of the law like justice, mercy and faithfulness (which the Lord did command). Barclay says that they had completely lost their sense of proportion.29
“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel” (23:24). A gnat was about the smallest living thing they encountered, while a camel was the largest. No doubt the gnats swarmed around their fruits and their wine. Since the gnat was an unclean insect (Lev. 11:41), they strained their wine to keep from imbibing one. But in other ways they would swallow a camel, which was also unclean (Lev. 11:4). Commentators feel that there might be a play on words here between the Aramaic term for gnat (galma) and the term for camel (gamla).30 Again theirs was a lost sense of proportion. Minor matters were overly elevated while major matters were overly neglected.31
FALSE IDEAS OF PURITY
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Matthew 23:25
France says they were manifesting a “failure to distinguish between external correctness and internal purity.” 32 They were focusing on outward things like people so often do. However, the Bible says that God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). For this reason the scripture says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Prov. 4:23).
It is interesting that the school of Hillel got it right in saying that the inside of the cup had to be cleaned first. Apparently, on this issue Jesus sided with the school of Hillel.33 Coffman comments: “It was far more important that food be ‘clean’ in the sense of its not having been obtained through extortion, and that gluttony or excess could occur in spite of all ceremonial cleanliness…They robbed widows and orphans, dealt deceitfully, defrauded in money-changing, and violated wholesale the great moral precepts of the Law; in a genuine moral sense, therefore, their food was contaminated with extortion and excess.” 34
“Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (23:26). Morris says, “When a person is made clean in his innermost being this is necessarily reflected in that person’s outward actions…to concentrate on the outward does nothing for the inward.” 35 As Christians, we can be immensely thankful that Jesus has made possible the cleansing of our hearts and all inward things through the shedding of his precious blood on Calvary.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean” (23:27). Barker and Kohlenberger say that during the month of Adar, before Passover, the people customarily whitewashed the graves and gravesites so that they might be clearly identified by the many pilgrims who would come to Jerusalem.36 At this time of year, the winter rains would have stopped, making such an operation possible.
Of course, for the Jewish people to touch a grave or a human bone instantly defiled them (Num. 19:11-22). This uncleanness would last for a week and could conceivably cause a pilgrim to miss much or all of the Passover festivities.
“In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness” (23:28). The scribes and Pharisees were scrupulously careful in marking tombs, but they were not careful with the dead and rotten things they sheltered within themselves. While outwardly they appeared virtuous, by their very presence they were contaminating the people.37 Even their most esteemed leaders were hypocritical. On one occasion Paul referred to Israel’s High Priest as a whitewashed wall (Acts 23:3).38
FALSE IDEAS OF RESPECT AND HONOR
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. Matthew 23:29
Kretzmann says, “The actual and reputed graves of the prophets of the Old Testament were held in great veneration by the Jews of the time of Christ.” 39 A similar thing is true today. Each year in Israel at the holiday of Lag Ba’omer, there is a massive gathering of the Orthodox Jewish people on Mt. Meron, at the tomb of the noted Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. He was a second century follower of the famous Rabbi Akiva. The tombs of other important Rabbis are likewise honored in Israel today.
“And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets’” (23:30). The problem with the scribes and Pharisees building tombs for the prophets was that they did not truly honor the prophets or their teaching. Guzik says that the religious leaders honored the dead prophets but murdered the living ones.40 Jesus was the prophet of all prophets and they were fully intent upon murdering him (cf. 13:57; 21:11; Lk. 24:19).
Morris says, “Now that the prophets were safely out of the way and they could no longer hear the thunderbolts those great men hurled at conventional religiosity, they could safely applaud all that the prophets had said…” 41
“So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!” (23:31-32). Morris says, “…the prophet killers and the prophet buriers belong together…Their actions show that they are the true sons of the murderers of God’s messengers.” 42 As Guthrie says, “It is always easier to honor a dead prophet than to heed a living one.” 43
The challenge of Jesus in verse 32 is bitterly ironic. He goads them to go ahead and complete all their dirty work. He simply says, “Go on, then and finish up what your ancestors started!” 44 Jesus knew that in their day, rebellion would reach its climax and that they would be awarded the ultimate punishment.45
THE REWARDS OF REBELLION
You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Matthew 23:33
It seems here that the Lord pulls out all the stops and roundly condemns the scribes and Pharisees as a brood of snakes. This is not the first time they had heard such a condemnation. John the Baptist once labeled them in exactly the same way (3:7). They were children of the devil, who is also called the ancient serpent (Rev. 12:9). Although they were some of the world’s most religious people, they would be consigned to hell or Gehenna because of their hypocrisy (cf. Matt. 5:20).
“Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar” (23:34-35). “God’s messengers have never been warmly received by any generation.” 46 This seems to be almost a summation of the prophetic ministry and its treatment over the centuries. It is also a prophetic picture of what would happen to the earliest apostles as they spread the good news of the kingdom. They would be pursued, flogged in the synagogues and even killed. Later, some of these evil people would relentlessly pursue the Apostle Paul from town to town, trying to undue his work and even to kill him.
Their very generation would fill up the measure of iniquity and fill it to the brim.47 Their final and most loathsome act was to murder the Messiah who was sent for their salvation. Thus, they would bring down upon their generation the stored up wrath of God through all the ages. The abuse and death of prophets from A to Z would be chargeable to them. This is the first time we learn that Abel was actually a prophet. Zechariah the son of Berekiah was the last prophet to be abused and murdered. He is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 24:20-22, and Second Chronicles was the last book of the Hebrew Bible.
There is a little confusion concerning him, as to whether or not he was the son of Jehoida as mentioned in the above passage. Often in the Hebrew world people did have two names so perhaps this is the explanation. France notes how the two Zechariahs were often confused in Jewish tradition.48
“Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation” (23:36). The generation of Jesus would not be finished until AD 70 when the temple was burned and the city of Jerusalem was sacked. Perhaps there has never been a sorrow like the sorrow of that time. Josephus mentions that over a million Jews were killed with close to one-hundred thousand sold into slavery.49 It was a dreadful time in the history of God’s people. Fortunately, the Christian population fled the city, according to the Lord’s word, and survived in a city of the Decapolis known as Pella.
THE LORD’S ODE TO JERUSALEM
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, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. Matthew 23:37-38
After venting his rage over the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus turns to Jerusalem with the utmost compassion. Jesus here makes a clear identification of himself with God the Father. 50 In spite of the city’s evil, the Lord wished to gather the people like a hen gathers her chicks (cf. Psa. 17:8; 91:4; Isa.31:5). Here Jesus says that he often wished to gather the people. If we were considering only the Book of Matthew we would not understand this statement. However, in John’s gospel we learn that Jesus made many trips to Jerusalem.51 Each time he probably wept and longed to gather the people to himself.
“For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (23:39). Morris says, “You will not see me any more: marks the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry…He is surely referring to some future happening.” 52 Perhaps the Lord has in mind Psalm 118:26-27 or Zechariah 12:10. He will return when the Jewish people seek him. Today there are probably some 20,000 Messianic Jewish people in Israel (these are Jews who accept Jesus as Messiah). Many of these are almost daily saying “Come Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20), and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”