Nazarene Commentary 2000©
21st Century Paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures©
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21st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures©
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THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE:
A JEREMIAD AGAINST THE RELIGIOUS HYPOCRITES
[“Woe to a Generation of Vipers”]
(Key word: Woe!)
Matthew 23:1-12 – Prominence and Humility
|| Mark 12:38, 39; Luke 20:45, 46
MT23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds as well as his disciples, saying:
MT23:2 “The Scribes and Pharisees sat down on the seat of Moses.
| 1329 | Sat down on the seat of Moses: Or, KNX: the place from which Moses used to teach; TCNT: now occupy the chair of Moses;
PME: speak with the authority of Moses. Compare Exodus 18:13. |
MT23:3 So, everything they preach to you, do and observe; but do not imitate their actions, for they do not practice what they preach.
| 1330 | Do and observe: Or, RSV: so practice and observe whatever they tell you. Jesus does not undermine their teaching of
the Law of Moses. |
| 1331 | Do not imitate their actions: Or, BER: do not behave as they do; TCNT: do
not follow their example. |
| 1332 | They do not practice what they preach: Or, KJV: they say, and do not; RSV: they preach, but do not practice; KNX: for they tell you one thing and do another. |
MT23:4 They tie on heavy burdens and impose these on the shoulders of humankind while they are unwilling to budge [these loads] with a single finger.
| 1333 | They tie on heavy burdens: Or, KJV: they bind heavy burdens; KNX: they fasten up packs too heavy; PME: they pile up
back-breaking burdens. |
| 1334 | They are unwilling to budge [these loads] with a single finger: Or, TCNT: they decline themselves to lift a finger to move them. |
MT23:5 All their [religious] works they do to be viewed by humans. They broaden their phylacteries and they enlarge the fringes of their garments.
| 1335 | To be viewed by humans: Or, NEB: whatever they do is done for show. |
| 1336 | They broaden their phylacteries: The Greek is PHYLACTERIA. The Jewish Encyclopedia (1976, Vol. X, p. 21) states: “The laws governing the wearing
of phylacteries were derived by the Rabbis from four Biblical passages (Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18; Exodus 13:9). While these passages were interpreted literally by most commentators,… the Rabbis held that the general law only was expressed in the Bible,
the application and elaboration of it being entirely matters of tradition and inference.” These were small boxes containing Bible verses strapped around the forehead and wrist. These Jewish clergy made them large for show of their extreme religiosity.
Or, KNX: boldly written are the texts they carry; GDSP: they wear wide Scripture texts as charms; TAY: they act holy by wearing on their arms large prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside. |
| 1337 | They enlarge the fringes of their garments: See Numbers 15:38; Deuteronomy 22:12. Or, KNX: deep is the hem of their garments; GDSP: they wear large tassels; TAY: by lengthening the memorial fringes of their robes. |
MT23:6 They prefer the prominent place at suppers and the front seats in the synagogues.
| 1338 | They prefer the prominent place at suppers: Or, KJV: they love the uppermost rooms at feasts; RHM: the first couch in the chief meals; RSV: place of honor; RIEU: the best places at banquets; PME: seats of honor at dinner parties. Compare the counsel of the Nazarene at Luke 14:7, 10. |
| 1339 | The front seats in the synagogues: Note this was still a problem among Christians (James 2:2-4). |
MT23:7 [They enjoy] greetings in the market square and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.
| 1340 | [They enjoy] greetings in the market square: Or, NASB: respectful greetings; WMS: to be greeting with honor in public
places. We can see these self-righteous, condescending clergy bestowing their weak smiles and blessings upon those who raise their voices in praise. |
| 1341 | Rabbi: The term occurs 18 times in three Gospels and is absent from the Gospel of Luke. The title is a surrogate for “teacher.” (John 1:38) In time the title was elevated to “my great one;
my excellent one.” Research the word Rabbi. |
MT23:8 But, you [disciples] should not be addressed as ‘Rabbi’ for only One is your teacher. All of you [disciples] are brothers.
| 1342 | Only One is your teacher: While all Christians should be teachers (Hebrews 5:12; Titus 2:3), and while there are among
them those recognized as “teachers” (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; James 3:1-3) the entire Body of Christ understands who the real Teacher is: Jesus of Nazareth. |
| 1343 | Brothers: Jesus speaks to his male disciples. See notes on Matthew 12:50. Despite gifts and offices the general atmosphere in the church must be a brotherhood. |
MT23:9 Nor should [you disciples permit others] on earth to address you as ‘Father’ for One is your Father – the Heavenly One.
| 1344 | Address you as ‘Father’: Unfortunately later in the history of the Church clergy accepted the title “Father”
despite the command of their Lord. They will have to bear this responsibility. Often it is a matter of a teacher or leader refusing certain titles. Job 32:21 declares, “And on an earthling man I shall not bestow a title.” (NWT) |
MT23:10 Nor should you disciples be addressed as ‘Leaders’ because your Leader is only the Messiah.
| 1345 | Leaders: Or, KJV: neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master. In Spanish such a man is called Maestro
and this is not fitting for a shepherd of the flock. There is a different between a “Leader” and one who takes the lead. Compare Hebrews 13:7, 17. |
MT23:11 But
the ‘greatest’ among you will be your servant.
MT23:12 For whoever will exalt self will be humiliated; and whoever humbles self will be exalted.| 1346 | Whoever will exalt self will be humiliated: Or,
KJV: whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased. |
Matthew 23:13-14 – Woe 1: Shutting Up the Kingdom
|| Luke 11:52
MT23:13 “WOE to you hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees, because right in front of people you are closing the door to the Realm of Heaven.
You do not enter and you prevent those who might from entering.
| 1347 | Right in front of people: [Or, you slam the door in men’s faces] Or, GDSP: you lock the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven in men’s faces. |
| 1348 | Closing the door to the Realm of Heaven: We have seen elsewhere in Matthew that the Realm of Heaven is the domain over which Christ rules; that is, Christendom – the Church. The Jewish religious hierarchy opposed the Jesus movement and acted as a restraint in preventing many persons from gaining membership in the congregation Jesus was building. There are modern movements who teach that lesser persons do not attain heaven, but live on earth forever. These actually teach that opportunity to enter heaven closed. |
| 1349 | You do not enter and you prevent those who might from entering: Or, BECK: you won’t come into it yourself, and when others try to come in, you won’t let them. They do not follow the Nazarene and any who try they threaten with excommunication (See John 9:22; 16:2). |
MT23:14 [[Woe to you hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees, for you devour the houses of widows and for a pretence you make long prayers. This is why you will receive a heavier judgment.]] | 1350 | [[…]]: Most recognize this verse does not have ancient support and is not supported by the older manuscripts. |
Matthew 23:15 – Woe 2: Evangelists of Gehenna
MT23:15 “WOE to you hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees, because you travel over land and sea to make a single proselyte; and, when he becomes such [a convert to Judaism] you make him a son of Gehenna twice as much as you.| 1351 | Travel over land and sea: The Jews were great missionary evangelists and their religion had traveled to most corners of the world. |
| 1352 | Proselyte: The Greek is PROSELYTON. Or, RHM: to make one convert. |
| 1353 | A son of Gehenna: See the notes on Matthew 12:27 (= sons). The convert is a “son” and his teacher his “father.” Or, KNX: twice as worthy of damnation as yourselves; NEB: twice as fit for hell as you are yourselves; PME: twice as ripe for destruction. Research the word Gehenna for information. |
Matthew 23:16-22 – Woe 3: Blind Guides and Gold
MT23:16 “WOE to you blind guides who say, ‘It is useless to swear by the Divine Habitat; but if you make an oath
by the gold of the Divine Habitat it is binding.’
| 1354 | Divine Habitat: The Greek is NAOS (NAON, NAO) and means literally a “god’s dwelling.” It is in contrast
to HEIRON which means the whole Temple compound. Research temple for notes elsewhere. Or, KJV: temple; NEB: sanctuary. |
| 1355 |
Oath: Jesus is not encouraging oaths. See the notes on Matthew 5:33-37 regarding the words swear and oath. |
MT23:17 Blind morons, which is greater: the gold or the Divine Habitat which has sanctified the gold?
| 1356 | Morons: The Greek is MOROI. Or, RSV: blind fools. |
MT23:18 You also teach, ‘It is useless to make an oath by the [sacrificial] altar;
but, if you swear by the [sacrificial] gift on the altar it is binding.’
| 1357 | [Sacrificial] altar: That is the altar of sacrifice located within courtyard of the Temple, outside the shrine itself. |
MT23:19 Blind men, which is greater: the altar of the gift sanctifying the altar?
MT23:20 So, the person making an oath on the altar swears by it and by every [sacrifice] on it.
MT23:21 Also, the one making an oath by the Divine Habitat swears by it and those who inhabit it.
| 1358 | Those who inhabit it: Or, NEB: by him who swells there. |
MT23:22 Those who make oaths by heaven swear by the Throne of The God and the
One enthroned upon it.| 1359 | Throne of The God: See Daniel 7:9-14 and Revelation chapter 4 (Isaiah 66:1). |
Matthew 23:23-24 – Woe 4: A Disregard for Justice and Mercy
|| Luke 11:42
MT23:23 “WOE to you hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees because you tithe the mint, dill, and cummin, but you
leave out the weightier matters of the Law: justice and mercy and faith. The former is necessary to perform but also the latter.
| 1360 | You tithe: Or, give the tenth. Leviticus 27:30 commands, “Every tenth part of the land, out of the seed of
the land and the fruit of the tree, belongs to Jehovah.” Jesus is indicating their religious Jews were rigorous in their tithing, right down to such insignificant herbs. |
| 1361 | Mint, dill, and cummin: Small amounts of herbs used in seasoning food. Luke 11:42 puts it, “… and the rue and of every [other] vegetable.” Mint is mentioned
only in Matthew and Luke. Dill is only mentioned here in the Bible. Dill was used for seasoning as well certain medical disorders. Regarding cummin see Isaiah 28:22-29. Or, TCNT: mint, finnel and caraway seed; BAS: all sorts of sweet-smelling plants; TAY: down to the last mint leaf in your garden. |
| 1362 | You leave out the weightier matters of the Law: Or, ASV: have left undone; RHM: have dismissed; RSV: neglected; KNX: forgotten; NEB: overlooked the weightier demands. Certainly religious leaders create multitudinous rules great and small but in their personal lives ignore the fundamentals of their faith. |
| 1363 | Justice and mercy and faith: Or: KNX: mercy and honour; NASB: faithfulness; GDSP: integrity; BER: fidelity. Consider a similar theme at Micah 6:8. |
| 1364 | The former is necessary to perform: Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 that he did not come to destroy the Law. He speaks here to religious Jews bound by the Mosaic Law. Tithing is unknown in the early Christian church. |
MT23:24 Blind guides, you [religiously] pick out the gnat but swallow the whole camel! | 1365 | You [religiously] pick out the gnat but swallow the whole camel: The “gnat” was unclean to the Jew so these would remove from any drink (Leviticus 11:42). However the camel was also “unclean.” (Leviticus 11:4) In other words in some areas these clergy when to great lengths of religiosity while in other areas they completely ignored legal regulations. Or, KJV: strain at a gnat; RIEU: you filter your wine to get rid of a gnat; NEB: the midge; PME: you filter out the mosquito. |
Matthew 23:25-26 – Woe 5: Greed and Uncleanness
|| Luke 11:39-41
MT23:25 “WOE to you hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees because you cleanse the outside of the cup and the plate but inside they are full of grasping and lack of [moral] strength.
| 1366 | You cleanse the outside of the cup: Compare Mark 7:4. |
| 1367 | Grasping and lack of [moral] strength: Or, KJV: extortion and excess; RHM: plunder and intemperance; KNX: avarice and incontinence; RIEU: rapine and unbridled greed; MOF: rapacity
and self-indulgence; ASV: insolent behavior and uncontrolled desire. The word “grasping” (or, snatching) is from the Greek HARPAGES related to Philippians 2:6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:17. |
MT23:26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish so that it may become clean
along with the outside.| 1368 | Become clean: Compare notes on Matthew 15:18, 19. One of the worst types of hypocrisy
is a religious person with church appointments who is one person publicly but another internally. |
Matthew 23:27-28 – Woe 6: Whitewashed Graves
MT23:27 “WOE to you hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees because you are like whitewashed graves which outside seem to appear beautiful but within are full of the bones of the dead every uncleanness!
| 1369 | You are like whitewashed graves: Or, KJV: whited sepulchres; RSV: white-washed tombs. |
| 1370 | Within are full of the bones of the dead every uncleanness: Or, KNX: all manner of corruption; NEB: all kinds of filth; MON:
rottenness; BECK: every kind of decay. |
MT23:28 Just so you also give the appearance to others of righteousness but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness! | 1371 | You also give the appearance to others of righteousness: RIEU: you are law-abiding men to outside view; NEB: outside you look like honest men; MOF: so to men you seem just; TCNT: to others you have the look of religious men. Compare 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. Such pious clergy give a public persona of warm smiles, false humility, and a pseudo-love; they are completely different men behind closed doors and in judgments of others during star-chamber courts. They may claim to be righteous, or preach righteousness, while living a contradictory life. |
| 1372 | Hypocrisy and lawlessness: KJV: and iniquity; RIEU: and wickedness; NEB: brim-full of hypocrisy and crime. On the word “lawlessness” see the notes on Matthew 7:23, Matthew 13:41, and Matthew 24:12. Compare also 2 Thessalonians 2:7-11. |
Matthew 23:29-32 – Woe 7: The Only Good Prophet Is a Dead Prophet!
|| Luke 11:47, 48
MT23:29 “WOE to you hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees because you build the graves of the prophets and decorate the memoriums of the righteous.
| 1373 | Memoriums: The Greek is MNEMEIA from which “memory” is drawn. Or, RSV: adorn the monuments of the righteous;
NEB: embellish the monuments of the saints. |
MT23:30 You also claim, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers we would never have been guilty of the
blood-letting of the prophets.’
MT23:31 So you provide evidence against yourself that your are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
MT23:32 Now, live up to the example your forefathers! | 1374 | Live up to the example your forefathers: Or, KJV: fill ye up then the measure of your fathers; NEB: finish off what your fathers began; WMS: fill up to the brim the cup of your forefather’s guilt. Jesus urges them on to what he has predicted earlier: suffering at their hands and then death. |
Matthew 23:33-36 – Treatment of Future Prophets
|| Luke 11:49-51
MT23:33 “Serpents, born of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?
| 1375 | Serpents, born of vipers: Or, birthed by viperous mothers; KJV: generation of vipers; RSV: brood of vipers; LAM: seed
of scorpions. Compare GENNEMATA in verse 33 with GENEAN in verse 36. |
| 1376 | Gehenna: See notes else
where on Gehenna. Or, PME: the rubbish heap. |
MT23:34 Because of this, look! I am sending to you prophets, wise persons, and scribes. You will kill some of them, others you will impale, and still others you will scourge in your synagogues. You will persecute from city to city.
| 1377 | Prophets, wise persons, and scribes: These would be Christian prophets, wise ones, and scribes. Or, RIEU: wise and learned men; NOR: scholars; NEB: prophets, sages, and teachers; BECK: who are wise and know the Bible. |
| 1378 | You will kill some of them, others you will impale, and still others you will scourge in your synagogues: See the responsibility of the Jews in the Book of Acts (Acts 5:40; 7:54-60; 22:19). Note how Jesus foretells the same in the next chapter (See notes on Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:9). |
| 1379 | You will persecute from city to city: Or, WEY: chase from town to town; NEB: hound from city to city. Note Saul’s authority in Acts 9:1-3. Note Jesus’ counsel to his apostles at Matthew 10:23. |
MT23:35 As a result there will come upon you all the righteous blood poured out on earth – from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah (son of Barachiah) whom your murdered between the Divine Habitat and the altar.
| 1380 | Abel: See Genesis 4:10. Jesus classes these religious clergy with Cain. So there is a type of persecutor from the beginning.
There is a bloodguilt on such a class of persons. Luke 11:50 adds, “… from the founding of the world.” |
| 1381 |
Zechariah (son of Barachiah): Some think this is the same Zechariah of 2 Chronicles 24:17-22, 25. Others view the phrase Abel to Zechariah as a way of saying “Genesis to Revelation.” |
| 1382 | Divine Habitat: The Greek is NAOU and is often rendered either “temple” or “sanctuary.” Luke 11:51 uses “house” indicating
that the NAOS is the Temple proper. |
MT23:36 I tell you this truth: all this will come upon this generation!
Matthew 23:37-39 – Jerusalem, Jerusalem – Your House Is Abandoned!
|| Luke 13:34, 35
MT23:37 “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Killer of prophets, stoner of those sent [by God] to her. How often I wished to gather your children together just as a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings – but you did not wish it.
MT23:38 Look! Your House is deserted [to desolation].
| 1383 | Your House is deserted [to desolation]: If “house” (OIKOS) is the same as Luke 11:51 then the Temple is
meant here. This is exactly what Jesus goes on to discuss in the next chapter. Or, NEB: look! there is your temple, forsaken by God. |
MT23:39 For I tell you: You
will not see me again until indeed you say,
‘Blessed is the one coming in the Name of YHWH.’”
[Psalm 118:26]| 1384 | Blessed is the one coming in the Name of YHWH: This is a quotation of Psalm 118:26,
“Blessed be the One coming in the name of Jehovah.” See notes elsewhere under YHWH whether the Nazarene actually used the Divine Name in his quote. |
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Nazarene Commentary 2000©
Mark Heber Miller
©2000 All Rights Reserved
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