Matthew 23
This devotional is written by Matt Coombs. Matt is one of the leaders at St Mary's and is married to Pip.
Matthew 23
A Warning Against Hypocrisy
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 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. 4 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.
5 "Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by others.
8 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13 "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. [14]
15 "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.
16 "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.' 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 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.' 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
23 "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. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 "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. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 "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. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 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.' 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 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. 35 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. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
37 "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. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 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 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 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. 4 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.
5 "Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by others.
8 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13 "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. [14]
15 "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.
16 "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.' 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 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.' 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
23 "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. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 "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. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 "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. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 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.' 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 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. 35 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. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
37 "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. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
Reflection
This chapter is almost entirely Jesus speaking, and the tone, if you didn't pick up on it, is one of great sorrow or distress.
Jesus begins by contrasting how his disciples should behave in contrast with the religious leaders of the day. (1-12)
He then pronounces seven woes against these same teachers of the law and the Pharisees. (13-32)
Then in something of a climax to his speech he describes the judgement that will fall on 'this generation'. (33-36)
Before finally ending in a place of lament, where Jesus clearly hopes and prays that things would be different but in his heart, he knows these people are not willing. (37-39).
This passage begins with a warning against hypocrisy. Hypocrisy refers to the act of claiming to believe something but acting differently. The word is derived from the Greek term for actor literally, 'one who wears a mask' in other words, someone who pretends to be what they are not.
In this case, Jesus calls out the teachers of the law and says to his disciples: Do as they say (because they teach what is right) but do not do as they do. For they do not practice what they preach (3)
Jesus regularly encountered seemingly devout religious people who were well-versed in the scriptures and zealous to follow the letter of the law. But in knowing the letter of the law also looked for loopholes that allowed them to violate the spirit of the law. They also used their position as so-called 'holy men' to look down on others and garner praise.
Jesus says to them: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices mint, dill and cumin. (In other words, you fulfilled the letter of the law by giving your tithe) But you have neglected the more important matters of the law justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former." (23)
As Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders of the day, I suppose this passage acts as more of a warning to me than to most of you reading this today.
Nevertheless, I invite you to join me in a little self-examination. Have a think to yourself today:
Are there areas of my life where I am putting up a good front, but behind the scenes things are not as they appear?
Do I often say one thing, but do another?
Do I criticise certain people for one thing, but if I'm honest with myself I know I'm not perfect in that area either?
Pray this with me:
Holy Spirit, I invite you to highlight any area of my life where I'm acting and not being honest. Thank you for your grace and mercy, and the invitation to have a fresh start each day. I turn from my old way of life, help me take off the mask and to walk in holiness with you. Help me to live according to the things that matter most to you in my interactions with others. May I be known as someone who truly seeks justice for the oppressed, shows mercy to the repentant and walks faithfully according to your commands.
I ask this all in your name,
Amen.
Jesus begins by contrasting how his disciples should behave in contrast with the religious leaders of the day. (1-12)
He then pronounces seven woes against these same teachers of the law and the Pharisees. (13-32)
Then in something of a climax to his speech he describes the judgement that will fall on 'this generation'. (33-36)
Before finally ending in a place of lament, where Jesus clearly hopes and prays that things would be different but in his heart, he knows these people are not willing. (37-39).
This passage begins with a warning against hypocrisy. Hypocrisy refers to the act of claiming to believe something but acting differently. The word is derived from the Greek term for actor literally, 'one who wears a mask' in other words, someone who pretends to be what they are not.
In this case, Jesus calls out the teachers of the law and says to his disciples: Do as they say (because they teach what is right) but do not do as they do. For they do not practice what they preach (3)
Jesus regularly encountered seemingly devout religious people who were well-versed in the scriptures and zealous to follow the letter of the law. But in knowing the letter of the law also looked for loopholes that allowed them to violate the spirit of the law. They also used their position as so-called 'holy men' to look down on others and garner praise.
Jesus says to them: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices mint, dill and cumin. (In other words, you fulfilled the letter of the law by giving your tithe) But you have neglected the more important matters of the law justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former." (23)
As Jesus is speaking to the religious leaders of the day, I suppose this passage acts as more of a warning to me than to most of you reading this today.
Nevertheless, I invite you to join me in a little self-examination. Have a think to yourself today:
Are there areas of my life where I am putting up a good front, but behind the scenes things are not as they appear?
Do I often say one thing, but do another?
Do I criticise certain people for one thing, but if I'm honest with myself I know I'm not perfect in that area either?
Pray this with me:
Holy Spirit, I invite you to highlight any area of my life where I'm acting and not being honest. Thank you for your grace and mercy, and the invitation to have a fresh start each day. I turn from my old way of life, help me take off the mask and to walk in holiness with you. Help me to live according to the things that matter most to you in my interactions with others. May I be known as someone who truly seeks justice for the oppressed, shows mercy to the repentant and walks faithfully according to your commands.
I ask this all in your name,
Amen.
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