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    Matthew 23:1-12
    ​Lesson 46

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:  
     
    Those who see Jesus as a gentle Savior may not be prepared for Matthew 23.

    People have the ability to call themselves believers while living in sin.  
    In the next three lessons, Christ gives a scathing denunciation of religious hypocrisy. 
     
    Also -
    The folly of arrogance (23:12).  

    Study Tip:
     
    Find the truth in each passage.  To help you, click on the links and read the Margin Notes in blue.     ​

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 23:1-12
    Warning

    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.
     
    11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
     
    12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.                        ​
    ​​Margin notes: 
     
    "Whatsoever they bid you observe." (23:3) - "Do whatever they tell you."
     
    "But do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not." (23:3) - "But don't do what they do, because they say one thing and do another."  In other words, practice what you preach.  Paul expands on this hypocrisy in Romans 2:17-24.
     
    "They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne." (23:4) - Means, "they (scribes and Pharisees) saddle people with heavy, hard to bear (religious) burdens."  In Luke 11:46 Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisee' face to face of placing heavy religious burdens on people.
     
    "All their works they do for to be seen of men." (23:5) - Some only performed good deeds for the praise they received and not for God.  Jesus warns against this hypocrisy again in Matthew 6:2. 
     
    "Phylacteries." (23:5) - Hebrew for "prayer fillets."  They were small leather boxes worn by pious male Jews as head or armbands.  Each box contained four compartments, each compartment held one Scripture verse in this order, Deuteronomy 11:13-21, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Exodus 13:11-16 and Exodus 13:1-10.  Some Pharisees liked to wear large ornate phylacteries to impress people with how religious they were.
     
    "Love the uppermost rooms at feasts." (23:6) - "Love the place of honor at banquets."  See also Mark 12:38-39 and Luke 11:43.
     
    "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant." (23:11) - Jesus is reinforcing this message from verse 20:26-27.
     
    "Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased." (23:12) - "Whoever praises himself will be humbled."  See Proverbs 29:23; Ezekiel 21:26; Luke 14:11 and 18:14.

                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew 23:1-12 
    Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders

    1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 


    2 "The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. 


    3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach. 


    4 They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.
     
    5 "Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. 


    6 And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. 


    7 They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi.'
     
    8 "Don't let anyone call you 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. 


    9 And don't address anyone here on earth as 'Father,' for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. 


    10 And don't let anyone call you 'Teacher,' for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. 


    11 The greatest among you must be a servant. 


    12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
    ​This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's Question:​
     
    1. Why did Jesus condemn the wearing of phylacteries and the enlarging of the fringes on garments?  (23:5)​



    ​You can receive these lessons up to five times per week.  If you would like to change the number of times you're getting them, let me know.
    Answer: (Do you agree?) 
    ​
    1. Although wearing phylacteries and adding fringes to the borders of garments was inspired by the Old Testament (Numbers 15:37-41 and Deuteronomy 6:8), many Pharisees corrupted these practices.  They wore them only for show, not as signs of genuine love for God.  In Jesus' day, many Pharisees enjoyed their privileged status and considered themselves above the people they were supposed to serve.  They loved sitting at the head table at banquets and in the reserved pews in the synagogue (23:6).  T    o them, religion was a means of gaining respect, and they relished the praise they received when they were out in public (23:7).



    Application thought for the day:
        
    This passage offers the classic "practice what you preach" advice.      Spend the week identifying any hypocrisy you might be guilty of. ​
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
    ​    © 2024 evolke ​