Matthew 23:25 - Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

Reader Related Verse
Bible Comments

Jesus Passes Judgment On The Scribes And Pharisees And Describes the Devastations Coming On The World Prior To His Coming Again And The Judgment That Will Follow (23:1-25).

Having made clear that He has come to establish a new ‘congregation' and a new ‘nation' Jesus will now reveal what is to happen to the old nation that has rejected Him, and why. In chapter 23 He brings His severe indictment on ‘the Scribes and the Pharisees'. While His words appear to be fierce they are nothing less than we should expect in view of the situation (see below), and we must remember that in fact the Rabbis themselves later said equally fierce things about many of the Pharisees. They also were not unaware of their faults.

But such a huge change as the rejection of a people who are to be replaced by a remnant from among them (‘the congregation') who would form a ‘new nation' (Matthew 21:43), required justification, even though it was in fact simply a repetition of their previous history (see Numbers 14:28-32; Deuteronomy 1:35; Deuteronomy 2:14-15) and was in line with what the prophets had forewarned (Isaiah 4:3-4; Isaiah 6:11-13; Hosea 1:9; Zechariah 13:8-9). Thus here in chapter 23 we have Jesus official indictment on those who were seen by the majority of Jews as the cream of the people of Israel, so as to explain why the change is being made, and why He Himself has rejected them. He wants them to know without any doubt that those religious leaders, to whom supremely they had looked for the truth about God, have failed and therefore will have to be replaced (Matthew 21:33-44). And all would have agreed that if these were doomed, Israel also was doomed, for religiously they were the most respected men in Israel. This doom is what Jesus will reveal in Chapter s 24-25.

This combination of discourses falls into the following pattern;

Final Words in the Temple. Jesus' Indictment against those who represent the people, explaining what is to result from their attitude and behaviour (Matthew 23:1-39).

Words after leaving the Temple and on the Mount of Olives as He announces the coming destruction of the Temple, and His own coming in Judgment and final Triumph (Matthew 24:1 to Matthew 25:46).

This may be further analysed in detail as follows:

Related Commentaries of Matthew 23:1

Matthew 23:1-25

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.#rl

5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries,a 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.

13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.#rl

15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

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

17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.b

19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?#rl

20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.#rl

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

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anisec and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

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