Matthew23

Jesus publicly rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for their profound hypocrisy, instructing the multitude and His disciples to follow their teachings but not their self-serving works. He condemns their desire for outward show and titles, urging His followers to embrace humility and service. Jesus then pronounces a series of 'woes' upon these religious leaders, criticizing their spiritual blindness, their neglect of justice, mercy, and faith, and their role in hindering others from the kingdom of heaven. He concludes with a lament over Jerusalem, prophesying judgment for its historical rejection and persecution of God's messengers.

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Jesus Condemns the Leaders' Hypocrisy

Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples,

saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat:

all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.

Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.

But all their works they do to be seen of men: for they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

and love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called of men, Rabbi.

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren.

And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he who is in heaven.

Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even the Christ.

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Seven Woes Against the Scribes and Pharisees

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter.

Not present in the manuscripts this translation follows.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves.

Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.

Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold?

And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor.

Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone.

Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel!

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess.

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous,

and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets.

Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?

Lament Over Jerusalem and Final Prophecy

Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city:

that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar.

Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

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.

Study Notes for Matthew 23

Verse 2

The phrase 'sit in Moses’ seat' refers to the accepted authority of the scribes and Pharisees to interpret and teach the Mosaic Law, placing them in the position of official religious teachers.

Verse 3

Jesus distinguishes between the legitimate office of the religious leaders and their flawed personal conduct. The people are to follow the Law as taught, but not the hypocritical examples of the teachers.

Verse 4

The 'heavy burdens' are the countless extra-biblical regulations and traditions (the Oral Law) imposed by the religious authorities, which went beyond the requirements of the Torah.

Verse 5

Phylacteries (small boxes containing scripture) and borders (tassels or fringes, cf. Num 15:38) were meant to symbolize devotion, but the Pharisees enlarged them purely for public display and recognition.

Verse 8

Jesus forbids the excessive use of honorific titles within the community of his followers, stressing that true authority belongs to Christ alone and emphasizing the egalitarian nature of the Kingdom.

Verse 11

This verse presents the core principle of leadership in the Kingdom: greatness is achieved through humble service, contrasting sharply with the status-seeking of the Pharisees.

Verse 13

This marks the beginning of the 'Woes,' a series of strong condemnations. The first woe addresses the leaders' refusal to enter the Kingdom themselves and their obstruction of others who seek to enter.

Verse 14

This verse is omitted in some of the oldest Greek manuscripts, suggesting it may be a later scribal addition drawn from Mark 12:40 or Luke 20:47. It condemns the exploitation of vulnerable widows under the guise of piety.

Verse 15

This woe condemns the misguided zeal of proselytism. Jesus suggests that the Pharisees’ legalistic teachings instilled a form of piety in converts that led to greater spiritual condemnation rather than salvation.

Verse 16

This woe addresses the casuistry of oaths, where the Pharisees taught that swearing by certain objects (like the Temple structure) was non-binding, while swearing by the items associated with them (like the gold or the gift) was binding. This was used to manipulate financial obligations.

Verse 23

The Pharisees meticulously tithed even the smallest garden herbs (mint, anise, cummin) but neglected the 'weightier matters'—the moral and ethical requirements of the Law. Jesus insists that both obedience (tithing) and justice (mercy, faith/faithfulness) are required.

Verse 24

This proverbial expression illustrates the blindness of the Pharisees: they are meticulous about tiny ritual violations (straining the gnat out of wine) while ignoring huge moral offenses (swallowing a camel, an unclean animal).

Verse 25

This woe uses the analogy of cleaning a cup to highlight the priority of internal cleansing. Outward ritual purity is meaningless if the inner life is filled with 'extortion and excess' (greed and indulgence).

Verse 27

Whited sepulchres were tombs painted white so that people would not accidentally touch them and become ritually unclean. The analogy powerfully describes the Pharisees’ beautiful religious façade covering inward spiritual corruption.

Verse 29

The final woe condemns the leaders for honoring the tombs of past prophets while simultaneously perpetuating the same mindset that led their ancestors to murder them, demonstrating hypocrisy across generations.

Verse 33

The use of 'serpents' and 'generation of vipers' is the harshest language Jesus uses, equating them with Satanic influence and confirming their path toward eternal judgment.

Verse 34

Jesus prophesies that he will continue to send divine messengers (prophets and wise men), but they will be met with the same rejection and violence, sealing the city’s fate.

Verse 35

This phrase spans the entire history of righteous martyrdom recorded in the Hebrew Bible, from Abel (Genesis) to Zacharias (2 Chronicles 24:20-22, the last book in the Hebrew canon’s arrangement). This signifies that the current generation will be held accountable for the collective sin of rejecting God’s messengers.

Verse 36

This judgment was specifically fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans in A.D. 70, which brought immense suffering upon that generation.

Verse 37

This poignant lament reveals Jesus’ deep affection and sorrow for the city. The image of the hen gathering her chicks emphasizes divine protection and yearning, which Jerusalem consistently rejected.

Verse 38

The 'house' primarily refers to the Temple, which God is abandoning, signifying the end of the old covenant era and the suspension of the Temple sacrifices.

Verse 39

Jesus declares that he will not be seen again in a public, saving capacity until Israel, as a nation, recognizes him as the Messiah, quoting Psalm 118:26, a greeting used during the triumphal entry.

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Matthew23

Jesus Condemns the Leaders' Hypocrisy

Seven Woes Against the Scribes and Pharisees

Lament Over Jerusalem and Final Prophecy

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