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    Matthew 23:1-12
    ​Lesson 46

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

    In this lesson:  
     
    People who see Jesus as a gentle Savior may not be prepared for Matthew 23.
    Jesus gives a scathing denunciation of religious hypocrisy in the following three lessons.​

    Some call themselves believers while they live in sin.  
     
    Also -
    The folly of arrogance (23:12).  
    A headband phylactery.
    What were phylacteries? 

    Phylacteries, which means "prayer fillets" in Hebrew, were small leather boxes worn by Jewish men as head or arm bands.  They were made from the skin of a ritually clean animal and had four small compartments.  Each compartment contained one Scripture verse, arranged in the following order: Deuteronomy 11:13-21, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Exodus 13:11-16 and Exodus 13:1-10.  The Pharisees often wore large, ornate phylacteries to impress others and demonstrate their devoutness.  See "Today's Question" below.
    Study Tip:
     
    To find the truth in each passage, 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: 
     
    "Moses' seat." (23:2) - The honorary seat reserved for a teacher of the Law of Moses.

    "    Whatsoever they bid you observe." (23:3) - "Whatever they say, you do."
     
    "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, the Pharisees and scribes didn't practice what they preached.  Paul expands on this hypocrisy in Romans 2:17-24.
     
    "They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne." (23:4) - Means "they (the scribes and Pharisees) saddle people with heavy, hard to bear (religious) burdens."  In this passage, Jesus addresses the crowd and His disciples (23:1).  In Luke 11:46, He confronts the scribes and Pharisees, accusing them of imposing unnecessary burdens on their followers.  In contrast, Jesus' "burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).  It's important to note that the practice of placing unnecessary burdens on believers did not cease with the Pharisees.  In Acts 15:10-11, Peter cautioned the Judaizers (Jewish Christians in the early church) against imposing needless burdens on Gentile converts.
     
    "All their works they do for to be seen of men." (23:5) - "All the things they do is for show."  Scribes and Pharisees prayed and performed good deeds to get praised.  Jesus first warned against such hypocrisy in Matthew 6:1-2, 6:5, 6:16. 
     
    "Love the uppermost rooms at feasts." (23:6) - "(They) 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 reinforces His teaching from verses 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.
    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 condemn phylacteries and fringes on garments?  (23:5)​



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    Answer: (Do you agree?) 
    ​
    1. The practice of wearing phylacteries and adding fringes to the borders of garments was inspired by the Old Testament (Numbers 15:37-41; Deuteronomy 6:8).  However, many Pharisees corrupted these practices.      They wore these symbols not as a genuine expression of their love for God, but rather for show.  Many Pharisees valued their privileged status and often considered themselves superior to the people they served.  They enjoyed sitting at the head table during banquets and in the reserved pews of the synagogue (23:6).  For them, religion was a means to gain respect, and they relished the praise they received in public (23:7).



    Application thought for the day:
        
    This passage provides classic advice to "practice what you preach."  Spend a day reflecting on any hypocrisy you may exhibit.​
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    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; "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; "Atlas of the Bible" edited by Joseph L. Gardner, published by Readers Digest, Pleasantville, New York; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible," published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The New Testament" Recovery Version, published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California; "The Living New Testament," published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation," published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; 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; "The New Scofield Reference Bible," published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible."  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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