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Matthew Chapter
Twenty-three
Matthew 23
Chapter 23 clearly shews how far the disciples are viewed
in connection with the nation, inasmuch as they were Jews, although the Lord
judges the leaders, who beguiled the people and dishonoured God by their hypocrisy.
He speaks to the multitude and to His disciples, saying, "The scribes and
the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat." Being thus expositors of the law, they
were to be obeyed in all that they said according to that law, although their
own conduct was but hypocrisy. That which is important here is the position of
the disciples; it is in fact the same as that of Jesus. They are in connection
with all that is of God in the nation, that is to say, with the nation as the
recognised people of God-consequently, with the law as possessing authority
from God. At the same time the Lord judges, and the disciples also were
practically to judge, the walk of the nation, as publicly represented by their
leaders. While still forming part of the nation, they were carefully to avoid
the walk of the scribes and Pharisees. After having reproached these pastors of
the nation with their hypocrisy, the Lord points out the way in which they
themselves condemned the deeds of their fathers-by building the sepulchres of
the prophets whom they had slain. They were, then, the children of those who
slew them, and God would put them to the test by sending them also prophets and
wise men and scribes, and they would fill up the measure of their iniquity by
putting these to death and persecuting them-condemned thus out of their own
mouths-in order that all the righteous blood which had been shed, from Abel's
to that of the prophet Zechariah, should come upon this generation. Frightful
amount of guilt, accumulated from the beginning of the enmity which sinful man,
when placed under responsibility, has ever shewn to the testimony of God; and
which increased daily, because the conscience became more hardened each time
that it resisted this testimony! The truth was so much the more manifest from
its witnesses having suffered. It was a rock, exposed to view, to be avoided in
the people's path. But they persisted in their evil course, and every step in
advance, every similar act, was the proof of a still increasing obduracy. The
patience of God, while graciously dealing in testimony, had not been
unobservant of their ways, and under this patience all had accumulated. All
would be heaped upon the head of this reprobate generation.
Remark here the character given to the apostles and christian
prophets. They are scribes, wise men, prophets, sent to the Jews-to the ever
rebellious nation. This very clearly brings out the aspect in which this
chapter regards them. Even the apostles are "wise men,"
"scribes," sent to the Jews as such.
But the nation-Jerusalem, God's beloved city-is guilty
and is judged. Christ, as we have seen, since the cure of the blind man near
Jericho, presents Himself as Jehovah the King of Israel. How often would He
have gathered the children of Jerusalem, but they would not! And now their house
should be desolate, until (their hearts being converted) they should use the
language of Psalm 118, and, in desire, hail His arrival who came in the name of
Jehovah, looking for deliverance at His hands, and praying to Him for it-in a
word, until they should cry Hosanna to Him that should come. They would see
Jesus no more until, humbled in heart, they should pronounce Him blessed whom
they were expecting, and whom they now rejected-in short, until they were
prepared in heart. Peace should follow, desire precede, His appearing.
The last three verses exhibit clearly enough the position
of the Jews, or of Jerusalem, as the centre of the system before God. Long
since, and many times, would Jesus, Jehovah the Saviour, have gathered the
children of Jerusalem together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, but they would not. Their house should remain forsaken and desolate, but
not for ever. After having killed the prophets, and stoned the messengers sent
unto them, they had crucified their Messiah, and rejected and slain those whom
He had sent to proclaim grace unto them even after His rejection. Therefore
should they see Him no more until they had repented, and the desire to see Him
was produced in their hearts, so that they should be prepared to bless Him, and
would bless Him in their hearts, and confess their readiness to do so. The
Messiah, who was about to leave them, should be seen of them no more until
repentance had turned their hearts unto Him whom they were now rejecting. Then
they should see Him. The Messiah, coming in the name of Jehovah, shall be
manifested to His people Israel. It is Jehovah their Saviour who should appear,
and the Israel who had rejected Him should see Him as such. The people should
thus return into the enjoyment of their relationship with God.
Such is the moral and prophetic picture of Israel. The
disciples, as Jews, were viewed as part of the nation, though as a remnant
spiritually detached from it, and witnessing in it.
── John Darby《Synopsis of Matthew》
Matthew 23
Chapter Contents
Jesus reproves the scribes and Pharisees. (1-12) Crimes
of the Pharisees. (13-33) The guilt of Jerusalem. (34-39)
Commentary on Matthew 23:1-12
(Read Matthew 23:1-12)
The scribes and Pharisees explained the law of Moses, and
enforced obedience to it. They are charged with hypocrisy in religion. We can
only judge according to outward appearance; but God searches the heart. They
made phylacteries. These were scrolls of paper or parchment, wherein were
written four paragraphs of the law, to be worn on their foreheads and left
arms, Exodus 13:2-10; 13:11-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21.
They made these phylacteries broad, that they might be thought more zealous for
the law than others. God appointed the Jews to make fringes upon their
garments, Numbers 15:38, to remind them of their being a
peculiar people; but the Pharisees made them larger than common, as if they
were thereby more religious than others. Pride was the darling, reigning sin of
the Pharisees, the sin that most easily beset them, and which our Lord Jesus
takes all occasions to speak against. For him that is taught in the word to
give respect to him that teaches, is commendable; but for him that teaches, to
demand it, to be puffed up with it, is sinful. How much is all this against the
spirit of Christianity! The consistent disciple of Christ is pained by being
put into chief places. But who that looks around on the visible church, would
think this was the spirit required? It is plain that some measure of this
antichristian spirit prevails in every religious society, and in every one of
our hearts.
Commentary on Matthew 23:13-33
(Read Matthew 23:13-33)
The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of
Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep
away from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others from him. Yet it is
no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the
greatest enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckoned double iniquity.
They were very busy to turn souls to be of their party. Not for the glory of
God and the good of souls, but that they might have the credit and advantage of
making converts. Gain being their godliness, by a thousand devices they made
religion give way to their worldly interests. They were very strict and precise
in smaller matters of the law, but careless and loose in weightier matters. It is
not the scrupling a little sin that Christ here reproves; if it be a sin,
though but a gnat, it must be strained out; but the doing that, and then
swallowing a camel, or, committing a greater sin. While they would seem to be
godly, they were neither sober nor righteous. We are really, what we are
inwardly. Outward motives may keep the outside clean, while the inside is
filthy; but if the heart and spirit be made new, there will be newness of life;
here we must begin with ourselves. The righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees was like the ornaments of a grave, or dressing up a dead body, only
for show. The deceitfulness of sinners' hearts appears in that they go down the
streams of the sins of their own day, while they fancy that they should have
opposed the sins of former days. We sometimes think, if we had lived when
Christ was upon earth, that we should not have despised and rejected him, as
men then did; yet Christ in his Spirit, in his word, in his ministers, is still
no better treated. And it is just with God to give those up to their hearts'
lusts, who obstinately persist in gratifying them. Christ gives men their true
characters.
Commentary on Matthew 23:34-39
(Read Matthew 23:34-39)
Our Lord declares the miseries the inhabitants of
Jerusalem were about to bring upon themselves, but he does not notice the
sufferings he was to undergo. A hen gathering her chickens under her wings, is
an apt emblem of the Saviour's tender love to those who trust in him, and his
faithful care of them. He calls sinners to take refuge under his tender
protection, keeps them safe, and nourishes them to eternal life. The present
dispersion and unbelief of the Jews, and their future conversion to Christ,
were here foretold. Jerusalem and her children had a large share of guilt, and
their punishment has been signal. But ere long, deserved vengeance will fall on
every church which is Christian in name only. In the mean time the Saviour
stands ready to receive all who come to him. There is nothing between sinners
and eternal happiness, but their proud and unbelieving unwillingness.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Matthew》
Matthew 23
Verse 2
[2]
Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
The scribes sit in the chair of Moses — That is, read and expound the law of Moses, and are their appointed
teachers.
Verse 3
[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.
All things therefore — Which they read out of the law, and enforce therefrom.
Verse 4
[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.
Verse 5
[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,
Their phylacteries —
The Jews, understanding those words literally, It shall he as a token upon thy
hand, and as frontlets between thine eyes, Exodus 13:16. And thou shalt bind these words
for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes, Deuteronomy 6:8; used to wear little scrolls of
paper or parchment, bound on their wrist and foreheads, on which several texts
of Scripture were writ. These they supposed, as a kind of charm, would preserve
them from danger. And hence they seem to have been called phylacteries, or
preservatives.
The fringes of their garments — Which God had enjoined them to wear, to remind them of doing all the
commandments, Numbers 15:38. These, as well as their
phylacteries, the Pharisees affected to wear broader and larger than other men.
Mark 12:38. 8,9,10. The Jewish rabbis were also
called father and master, by their several disciples, whom they required, 1. To
believe implicitly what they affirmed, without asking any farther reason; 2. To
obey implicitly what they enjoined, without seeking farther authority. Our
Lord, therefore, by forbidding us either to give or receive the title of rabbi,
master, or father, forbids us either to receive any such reverence, or to pay
any such to any but God.
Verse 9
[9] And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which
is in heaven.
.
Verse 10
[10]
Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
.
Verse 11
[11] But
he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
Verse 12
[12] And
whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself
shall be exalted.
Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be
humbled, and he that shall humble himself shall he exalted — It is observable that no one sentence of our Lord's is so often repeated
as this: it occurs, with scarce any variation, at least ten times in the
evangelists. Luke 14:11; 18:14.
Verse 13
[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.
Wo to you —
Our Lord pronounced eight blessings upon the mount: he pronounces eight woes
here; not as imprecations, but solemn, compassionate declarations of the
misery, which these stubborn sinners were bringing upon themselves.
Ye go not in —
For ye are not poor in spirit; and ye hinder those that would be so.
Verse 14
[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.
Verse 16
[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!
Wo to you, ye blind guides — Before he had styled them hypocrites, from their personal character: now
he gives them another title, respecting their influence upon others. Both these
appellations are severely put together in the 23d and Matthew 23:23,25. 25th verses; and this severity
rises to the height in the 33d verse.
The gold of the temple — The treasure kept there.
He is bound — To
keep his oath.
Verse 20
[20]
Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things
thereon.
He that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by
it, and by all things thereon — Not only by the gift, but by the holy
fire, and the sacrifice; and above all, by that God to whom they belong;
inasmuch as every oath by a creature is an implicit appeal to God.
Verse 23
[23] Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise
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.
Judgment —
That is, justice: Faith - The word here means fidelity.
Verse 24
[24] Ye
blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Ye blind guides, who teach others to do as
you do yourselves, to strain out a gnat - From the liquor they are going to
drink! and swallow a camel - It is strange, that glaring false print, strain at
a gnat, which quite alters the sense, should run through all the editions of
our English Bibles.
Verse 25
[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.
Full of rapine and intemperance — The censure is double (taking intemperance in the vulgar sense.) These
miserable men procured unjustly what they used intemperately. No wonder tables
so furnished prove a snare, as many find by sad experience. Thus luxury
punishes fraud while it feeds disease with the fruits of injustice. But
intemperance in the full sense takes in not only all kinds of outward
intemperance, particularly in eating and drinking, but all intemperate or
immoderate desires, whether of honour, gain, or sensual pleasure.
Verse 26
[26] Thou
blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that
the outside of them may be clean also.
Ye build the tombs of the prophets — And that is all, for ye neither observe their sayings, nor imitate their
actions.
Verse 30
[30] And
say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been
partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
We would not have been partakers — So ye make fair professions, as did your fathers. 31.
Wherefore ye testify against yourselves — By your smooth words as well as devilish actions: that ye are the
genuine sons of them who killed the prophets of their own times, while they
professed the utmost veneration for those of past ages. From the 3d to the 30th
verse Matthew 23:3-30 is exposed every thing that
commonly passes in the world for religion, whereby the pretenders to it keep
both themselves and others from entering into the kingdom of God; from
attaining, or even seeking after those tempers, in which alone true
Christianity consists. As, 1. Punctuality in attending on public and private
prayer, verse 4-14. Matthew 23:4-14 2. Zeal to make proselytes to
our opinion or communion, though they have less of the spirit of religion than
before, verse 15. Matthew 23:15 3. A superstitious reverence for
consecrated places or things, without any for Him to whom they are consecrated,
verse 16-22. Matthew 23:16-22 4. A scrupulous exactness in
little observances, though with the neglect of justice, mercy, and faith, verse
23, 24. Matthew 23:23,24 5. A nice cautiousness to
cleanse the outward behaviour, but without any regard to inward purity, verse
25, 26. Matthew 23:25,26 6. A specious face of virtue
and piety, covering the deepest hypocrisy and villany, verse 27, 28. Matthew 23:27,28 7. A professed veneration for
all good men, except those among whom they live.
Verse 32
[32] Fill
ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Fill ye up — A
word of permission, not of command: as if he had said, I contend with you no
longer: I leave you to yourselves: you have conquered: now ye may follow the
devices of your own hearts.
The measure of your fathers — Wickedness: ye may now be as wicked as they.
Verse 33
[33] Ye
serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Ye serpents —
Our Lord having now lost all hope of reclaiming these, speaks so as to affright
others from the like sins.
Verse 34
[34]
Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and
some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in
your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Wherefore —
That it may appear you are the true children of those murderers, and have a
right to have their iniquities visited on you: Behold, I send - Is not this
speaking as one having authority? Prophets - Men with supernatural credentials:
Wise men - Such as have both natural abilities and experience; and scribes -
Men of learning: but all will not avail. Luke 11:49.
Verse 35
[35] That
upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood
of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew
between the temple and the altar.
That upon you may come — The consequence of which will be, that upon you will come the vengeance
of all the righteous blood shed on the earth - Zechariah the son of Barachiah -
Termed Jehoiada, 2 Chronicles 24:20, where the story is related:
Ye slew - Ye make that murder also of your fathers your own, by imitating it:
Between the temple - That is, the inner temple, and the altar - Which stood in
the outer court. Our Lord seems to refer to this instance, rather than any
other, because he was the last of the prophets on record that were slain by the
Jews for reproving their wickedness: and because God's requiring this blood as
well as that of Abel, is particularly taken notice of in Scripture.
Verse 37
[37] O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which
are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
Verse 38
[38]
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Behold your house —
The temple, which is now your house, not God's: Is left unto you - Our Lord
spake this as he was going out of it for the last time: Desolate - Forsaken of
God and his Christ, and sentenced to utter destruction.
Verse 39
[39] For
I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is
he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Ye — Jews in general; men
of Jerusalem in particular: shall not see me from this time - Which includes
the short space till his death, till, after a long interval of desolation and
misery, ye say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord - Ye receive
me with joyful and thankful hearts. This also shall be accomplished in its
season.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on
Matthew》
Chapter 23.
Eight Woes to Hypocrites
Bound by What Is Trivial
Neglect What Is Really Important
I. The lord's Judgment on Religion
II. Sins of the Pharisees
III. Lament for Jerusalem
── Chih-Hsin Chang《An Outline of The New Testament》
Learning From Hypocrites (23:1-39)
INTRODUCTION
1. What is a hypocrite? a. Some are accused of hypocrisy when their walk does not measure up to their talk b. But that may be an indication of weakness, not hypocrisy per se c. "Hypocrite" comes from the Greek "hupokrites (hoop-ok-ree-tace'), meaning an actor under an assumed character; e.g., stage-player (Strong's) d. A true hypocrite is one who pretends to be something he or she is not, and really has no intention of becoming 2. Jesus addressed hypocrites in His day, in particular some scribes and Pharisees... a. They were among the more religiously conservative of that time b. Yet some of the harshest words Jesus ever spoke were directed toward them c. In just one speech, he called them... 1) Hypocrites (seven times) - Mt 23:13-15,23,25,27,29 2) Fools (twice) and blind guides (five times) - Mt 23:16-17,19,24,26
3) Serpents, brood of vipers (once) - Mt 23:33 3. Despite such strong condemnation, one can learn from hypocrites... a. You can heed their teaching, when it comes from God's word - cf. Mt 23:1-3 1) Don't automatically disregard the message if the messenger is a hypocrite 2) Look beyond the messenger to the original source of the message b. You can also learn how not to act... 1) Especially when you take note of how Jesus rebuked them 2) Which we shall do in this lesson [What valuable lessons can we learn from hypocrites? The first arelessons gleaned ...]