Contents | Index

Matthew 23

bar1.gif

Matthew 23 was the last public dialogue of Jesus, a great condemnation of the Scribes and the Pharisees (Also see Mark 12:38-40 and Luke 20:45-47).

The enemies of Jesus could not answer Him a word, nor did anyone ever again dare to ask Him anything. But the great crowd of people went on hearing Him gladly. The Pharisees were unrepentant, hypocritical, and more determined than ever to seek His destruction. In His final public discourse in the Temple, it was fitting that He should warn His disciples against the hypocrisy of these corrupt and wicked men. Even while He denounced their spiritual blindness, ritualism, and wickedness, He wept over Jerusalem, and ended His discourse with a lamentation, addressed to the beloved but doomed city which had sinned away its day of opportunity.

This is one of the discourses recorded almost exclusively by Matthew. The introduction presents a vivid portrait .of the Scribes and the Pharisees. There was a group of disciples around Him, and on the outskirts of the group were His enemies.


Matt 23 with Notes

  1. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,

  2. saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. DOCUMENT.gif

  3. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.

  4. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. DOCUMENT.gif

  5. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.

  6. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,

  7. greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'

  8. "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.

  9. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

  10. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

  11. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.

  12. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. DOCUMENT.gif

  13. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. DOCUMENT.gif

  14. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. DOCUMENT.gif

  15. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. DOCUMENT.gif

  16. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.'

  17. "Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?

  18. And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'

  19. "Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

  20. Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.

  21. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.

  22. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. DOCUMENT.gif

  23. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

  24. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! DOCUMENT.gif

  25. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

  26. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. DOCUMENT.gif

  27. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

  28. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. DOCUMENT.gif

  29. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,

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

  31. "Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.

  32. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.

  33. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? DOCUMENT.gif

  34. Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

  35. that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

  36. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. DOCUMENT.gif

  37. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

  38. See! Your house is left to you desolate;

  39. for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" DOCUMENT.gif

    Jesus then passed into the spacious court of the Women, fifteen feet below, and sat down in the Temple Treasury.

    bar1.gif

    bar1.gif

    Read The Bible

Table of Contents

Main Menu

Ancient Questions

Bible Study Questions

About

Welcome to Free Bible: Unearthing the Past, Illuminating the Present! Step into a world where ancient history and biblical narratives intertwine, inviting you to explore the rich tapestry of human civilization.

Discover the captivating stories of forgotten empires, delve into the customs and cultures of our ancestors, and witness the remarkable findings unearthed by dedicated archaeologists.

Immerse yourself in a treasure trove of knowledge, where the past comes alive and illuminates our understanding of the present.

Join us on this extraordinary journey through time, where curiosity is rewarded and ancient mysteries await your exploration.

Recent posts