Matthew, Chapter 23

Matt. 23:1-10 

            Matt. 23:1 "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ."

            "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples."  Often times we see the Lord deliver messages to the disciples and other times we see him deliver messages specificially to the multitude.  On this occasion, the message was both to the multitude and to the disciples.  Also, the message pertained to the Old Testament service as he spoke of the scribes and the Pharisees sitting in Moses' seat.  The authority of the scribes and the Pharisees was the authority of the Old Testament law as delivered unto Moses and subsequently to the children of Israel. 

            Although the scribes and the Pharisees had polluted the law, they had no authority to do so.  The Lord told the disciples and the multitude to "whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do."  Of course, this was talking about what they bid you observe under the law, in the Old Testament worship and service, they were to observe and do.

            "But do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not."  Notice the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees.  They wanted to be known for their knowledge of the law and to be honored for their knowledge of the law.  Yet they were not willing to keep the law, but wanted others to keep the law and to judge others by whether they kept the law or not.  The scribes and Pharisees are still around today in this New Testament day.  They declare to others what they should do, and yet they are not willing to do what they tell others they should do.

            " For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."  Some of the heavy burdens the Pharisaical preachers law on their congregations today include:

                        1.  They tell the congregation that they must work their way to obtain salvation and to be born of the Spirit.  Of course, it is impossible for depraved man to even understand spiritual things.  Thus, only those already saved and born of the Spirit can hear and respond to the gospel.

                        2.  They tell their congregations that it is up to the efforts of men to get the gospel to the lost in order to give them a chance to be saved.  They say that if you do not give your money, then millions and billions will be lost and spend an eternity in hell.  What a guilt trip that lays on the members of the congregation.

                        3.  They tell their congregations that they must pay tithes in order for the gospel to go forth in other countries.  This tithe is laid on the widows and orphans and poor and becomes a grevious burden to the helpless.  Yet most of the Pharisaical preachers do not pay tithes themselves, but receives large salaries to preach their form of gospel.  Often their income from preaching is far greater than the majority to whom they portend to serve. 

                        4.  They tell their congregations that the church and its gospel must be attractive to those outside the congregation and thus they encourage the people to build huge, elaborate, and extremely expensive buildings in which to worship, otherwise, they say that people will not come and will be lost and spend eternity in hell, because the congregation did not give. 

                        5.  They tell their congregations that they must send missionaries into foreign fields and pay all the expenses of sending them, otherwise, the inhabitants of those foreign countries will be lost and go to hell.

                        6.  They set up complicated structures in their worship system and have the church to salary many who occupy positions in those structures.  Thus they salary youth ministers, Sunday school teachers, secretaries, as well as the pastors.  They also insist that the church provide for their houses in which they live and to pay for their insurance and vehicles in which they drive. 

            As can be seen, they continue to bind heavy burdens upon the people and grievous to be borne and lay them on men's shoulders.  Furthermore, they lay this burden on others and make no effort to help bear the burden themselves.  All of this is unscriptural.

            "But all their works they do for to be seen of men."  As in the Old Testament day and in our day, these scribes and Pharisees are constantly calling attention to themselves and to what they are doing.  They want the recognition of men.  The true ministry of Jesus Christ does not do so.  They want to call attention to Christ and give him all the glory, honor, and praise.  The Pharisees are quick to tell you how many souls they have saved for Christ (the truth is they haven't saved any) and where all they have preached and to how many they have preached to and all about the great works they are doing. 

            "They make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments."  In this age in which we are living, we see men who wear articles of clothing in order to make it known that they are preachers.  Some wear their collars backward.  Others wear robes that no one in the congregation normally wears.  They do about everything in their power to let it be known that they are preaches or priests and to receive honor and praise of men. 

            "And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues."  Again, we see the desire for fame and honor that the Pharisees and scribes have.  They want the recognition and honor of their so-called office.  They want to be in a position of honor at community gatherings and to be recognized and have a leadership role in political events and other government events. 

            "And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi."  These Pharisaical preachers want to be greeted in the markets and to be recognized of men.  Often, however, they know the names of very few in their own congregations and recognize even fewer out in the market place.  Furthermore, they want to be recognized as great teachers and be called "Rabbi, Rabbi," or more so, in our day, "Reverend, reverend." 

            "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren."  We have only one Master and that is Christ.  To assume positions of honor, dishonors and disrespects our Master, Jesus Christ.  We are not to allow others to call us Rabbi or Master or Reverend.  In the church, we are all brethren.  We call one another brethren or sisters.  Also, the term elder is biblical and refers in the New Testament to those who preach the gospel.  Nowhere are we to assume man honoring titles.  Our purpose is to honor and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and not man. 

            "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.  Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ."  While it is appropriate for our natural children to refer to their fathers as Father, we are not spiritual fathers, thus we should not allow anyone to call us Father.  We have only one Spiritual Father and that is God.  For someone to allow himself to be called Father in a spiritual setting is dishonoring to God and should not be done.

Matt. 23:11, 12 

            "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." (Matthew 23:11-12)

            These two verses kindy puts us in our right place when we want to be the greatest, when we want to be noticed, when we exalt ourselves far and beyond our brethren, and when we desire the praises of men better than the praises of God.  This tells me that we were put here to serve, to wait upon, to help, to teach, to be servants and not to be waited upon.  The Lord has a way of bursting our bubble when we begin to exalt ourselves.  Yet if we will humble ourselves in the sense of these two verses there are blessings beyond measure.  If we can keep the mindset that all the brethren and sisters in Christ are better than ourselves, that we are willing to take a backseat, the Lord will exalt us in due time. 

            The above was written by Elder George Walker and he said it so well that I will not comment further.

Matt. 23:13-15 

            Matt. 23:13 "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."

            "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."  In this section of Matt. Chapter 23 we have several woes that the Lord pronounced against the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites.  He began by telling them that they shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.  The scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites were very much in opposition to the kingdom of heaven.  Because of their pride they had no desire to enter the kingdom of heaven themselves. 

            The kingdom of heaven requires men to humble themselves, whereas the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites were full of pride and sought honor from men rather than to give all honor, praise, and glory to God.  Furthermore, the kingdom of heaven declares God's grace in salvation, and the scribes Pharisees, and hypocrites had established a works system of salvation and convinced many of this false worship system.  By proclaiming a false or perverted gospel, establishing a false works system for salvation, and promoting the works of fleshly pride, they had turned many away from the kingdom of God who would have without their efforts have humbled themselves and sought entry into God's church kingdom. 

            "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."  To illustrate as to what great wickedness that the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites would stoop, the Lord said they devoured widows' houses and for a pretence made long prayer.  These wicked men appeal to the emotion of the poor widows and give them to give up even their own homes to pay for the wicked religious schemes these men invented.  It apparently does not matter to these scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites what hardships they bring upon such as the poor widows, so long as they receive their large salaries and honored positions. 

            Furthermore for a pretence they make long prayer.  The Lord spoke of such in chapter 6 verse 5, "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."  Thus their prayers are not sincere and are designed to call attention to themselves and gain them recognition as being pious. 

            "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."  To make one proselyte means to convert them to their false doctrines and practices.  The Lord said that they make the proselyte twofold more the child of hell than themselves.  This certainly teaches us that both the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites along with the proselyte are all children of hell.

Matt. 23:16-22 

            Matt. 23:16 "Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon."

            The Pharisees, scribes, and hypocrites had developed a great scheme whereby someone could either disannul or affirm their oaths.  This scheme was contrary to the law given by Moses: Num 30:2 "If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth."  A woman's oath could be disavowed by her husband or established by her husband, but a man's oath was established and he was not to break his word, but to do according to all that proceeded out of his mouth. 

            The Pharisees scheme took away the bond of a man's word, and put in his place the perceived value of that which was sworn by.  For instance, if a man swore by the temple he was not obligated to keep his bond.  His word was of no effect because he had sworn by the temple.  On the other hand, if he swore by the gold of the temple, then he was bound by their law to keep the oath and if he failed to keep it he came under the penalty of their law. 

            The Lord said in the Old Testament that a man's oath was binding.  The Pharisees said that a man's oath was binding only if he swore by certain things. 

            The Lord pointed out to the Pharisees that even in the things they had valued or had placed no value upon, they were wrong.  The Pharisees had valued the gold of the temple, but had not valued the temple.  As the Lord pointed out, the temple sanctified the gold, but the gold did not sanctify the temple. 

            Similarly, the Lord pointed out to them that they had valued the gift upon the altar, but had placed no value upon the altar.  Again, the Lord told them that the altar was what sanctified the gift. 

            Next, the Lord told them that if they sware altar, they swore by everything thereon.  Also, if they swore by the temple, they swore by him that dwelleth therein.  The bottom line is that whatever a man swears by he is obligated to perform his oaths and this obligation comes from God and not by the whims of men.

Matt. 23:23, 24 

            Matt. 23:23 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."

            The purpose of the tithe as God gave to the children of Israel was to provide for the priests and Levites who were not given an inheritance in the land of Canaan, but were to occupy themselves with the service of God on behalf of the rest of the children of Israel.  Also, the tithe was used to provide for the poor, the widows and orphans, and the strangers in the land. 

            Among all the cattle and crops that the children of Israel raised, some of the least significant would be the mint, anise, and cumin.  These are spices used to add flavor to the foods that they cooked.  A little bit of spice would go a long way and therefore, not much would be raised.  Yet the Pharisees wishing to observe the letter of the law and insisting that others observe the letter of the law made sure that they paid tithe of these spices and that others paid tithe of these spices. 

            However, the Pharisees complete omitted the weightier matter of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith.  Surely these matters were multiple times more important than paying a tithe of mint, anise, and cumin.  The Lord told them that they should have done the weightier matters of the law first and then done the much less significant. 

            "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."  This statement points to the fact that the Pharisees placed great emphasis on the very most minute points of the law and then completely ignored the weightier matters of the law.

Matt. 23:25-28 

            Matt. 23:25 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

            The above description the Lord gives of the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites is that they have an outward form of righteousness, but inwardly they are wicked.  Some people go to great lengths to appear to be righteous, to appear to be religious, and to appear to be holy.  They put on an outward show of religion.  However, when their lives are examined, no change is evident in their fleshly behavior to indicate a work of grace in their heart. 

            Similarly, they build great costly beautiful buildings in which to give an impression that they are very pious and holy as a group.  All of the outward trappings are beautiful and righteous appearing.  However, the Lord looks on the heart and he knows what is in the heart of all men.  The Pharisees may convince others that they are righteous, but the Lord knows they are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 

Matt. 23:29-35 

            Matt. 23:29 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar."

            Even though the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites had built the tombs of the prophets and garnished the sepulchers of the righteous and piously proclaimed that they would not have done as the fathers in shedding the blood of the prophets, yet their heart was to do the very thing that they proclaimed they would not do.  They had been so careful to appear righteous and yet the Lord knew what they were about to do in destroying the prophets, wise men and scribes.  He declared to them that some of them they would kill and crucify and some of them they would scourge in their synagogues, and all of them they would persecute from city to city.  The Lord knew what was in the hearts of these self-righteous hypocrites.  He knew they would not obey the truth and that they would not seek the kingdom of heaven and would seek to crucify him and seek to destroy all of the followers of the Lord. 

            Furthermore, the Lord laid the foundation at the close of this 23^rd chapter for what he would say in the 24^th chapter when he proclaimed judgment that would befall the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites with the coming destruction of Jerusalem beginning in 70 A.D. 

            The time of vengeance was soon coming upon the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites of Judah.  They would be called into account in judgment for their own wicked deeds and for the wicked deeds of their fathers before them: "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar."

            In addition, the Lord told these scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites: "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell."  He called them serpents and a generation of vipers.  Certainly, the Lord presented a different picture of them than they had of themselves.  They thought themselves to be righteous and went to great lengths to appear righteous.  The Lord said they were serpents and vipers.  He asked, "How can ye escape the damnation of hell?"  If the Lord did not have a way for them to escape the damnation of hell, then we certainly do not have a way that they could escape the damnation of hell.

Matt. 23:36-39

            Matt. 23:36 "Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

            The Lord is here proclaiming that the time of the Jewish economy was over and the day of vengeance was at hand.  He proclaimed them to be guilty of killing the prophets and stoning them which he had sent unto them.  Furthermore, many times he would have gathered them together as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, yet the Jews would have none of it.  Their stubborn rebellion against the Lord over a substantial period of time had led to the Lord's proclaiming their sentence of destruction that was to come upon that generation.  Their house is now desolate.  The old law economy is over and they have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and have rejected the true gospel of Jesus Christ and brought great persecutions against the Lord's servants and against his church. 

            Is there any remedy for them to be grafted back in to the service and true worship of God?  Yes there is: "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."  Will they ever do it?  I do not find that the scriptures ever give us a definitive answer to that question.  I am certain that if the Jews ever did come back into the true worship and service of God it would only be by those who have been born of the Spirit of God for "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God."