Daily Bible Reading (Wednesday, January 31st)
12Matthew 23 (ESV)
Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi[b] by others. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.[c] 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.[d] 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell[e] as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah,[f] whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Lament over Jerusalem
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, 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.’”
Footnotes:
- Matthew 23:4 Some manuscripts omit hard to bear
- Matthew 23:7 Rabbi means my teacher, or my master; also verse 8
- Matthew 23:8 Or brothers and sisters
- Matthew 23:13 Some manuscripts add here (or after verse 12) verse 14: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive the greater condemnation
- Matthew 23:15 Greek Gehenna; also verse 33
- Matthew 23:35 Some manuscripts omit the son of Barachiah
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12 Comments
Arturo Feb 3, 2018 @ 12:41 pm
Amen Sarah.
Tyler T. Bull Feb 1, 2018 @ 12:06 am
All that to say I do pray, that the Lord help my walk to be straightforward. To keep me pressing on to the goal so that in my 'preaching' to others I am not to be disqualified myself. Praying the Lord help all of us keep the right hearts and the right message.
Tyler T. Bull Feb 1, 2018 @ 12:00 am
V. 3-4 tied with our command to "take up your cross and follow me". We need to be living out a narrow obedience to Christ AND we need to call others to take up the cross and follow as well.
Can't do one without the other.
Trying to do one without the other either ends us up in the easy believe-ism ditch, the hypocritical ditch, or it will just keep us mute.
The bottom line is, we first must be born again. And being born again, I need to "walk in a manner worthy of your calling." Carrying the cross and bidding others to do so as well. Not as a hippocrite, nor softening the message. It's a narrow walk.
"For they preach, but do not practice."
Some preach without practice. Others avoid the problem by not preaching. Others preach a 'gospel' requiring no practice.
We want to be practicing preachers. Folks who have the right to call men to carry the cross because they themselves carry their own crosses.
Art Wachdorf Jan 31, 2018 @ 11:07 am
Jesus gets to the crux of the issue in verse 12. God will humble the proud and exalt the humble. I must constantly examine my own heart that is so easily proud. Jesus was humble, and I'm called to humble myself. I'm thankful for this constant reminder. Most of the strife we see in the church, and our homes, can be traced to our pride.
Camacho Family Jan 31, 2018 @ 8:37 am
What a huge contrast between the Scribers/Pharisees who shut off the kingdom of heaven to the souls, with their hypocrite appearance (v. 13), and the lament of the Lord Jesus over those souls that didn’t want to be saved (v. 37), may the Lord help us to have that compassion for the souls and no the appearance of the Scribers/Pharisees. Bendiciones!
Ben Tiemeyer Jan 31, 2018 @ 8:20 am
Amazing Jesus’ compassion in v.37!
Tommy Hard Jan 31, 2018 @ 8:17 am
Theme Summary: Christ pronounces woe to the hypocritical religious leaders who exalt themselves, who keep people from entering the kingdom of heaven, make hypocritical proselytes, who think their gifts are more sacred than God whom they are given to, neglect weightier matters of the law for the trivial, work for outward appearances, and think they would have supported prophets of old while persecuting prophets in their own day. Christ promised judgment would come upon that generation for filling up the measure of bloodshed of their fathers.
The repeated warnings against hypocrisy are intense. Outward actions are important (Christ tells the people to do what the Pharisees teach) but they must be done from a heart of justice, faithfulness, and mercy.
Tom Longhway Jan 31, 2018 @ 7:58 am
Easy for me to point the finger at the Pharisees saying “how dare they?”, when often I am guilty of the same. When I do things for the approval of man and not to the glory of God. When I demand my children to act in a certain way in an unloving and non-Christlike manner. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Psalms 139:23-24 ESV
Sarah Birch Jan 31, 2018 @ 7:27 am
Once again, Christ points to the fact that He is most concerned with our hearts. He wants a heart that is in submission to Him and is wholly submitted to Him. He opposes the proud/self-righteous and gives grace to the humble. I pray Christ has our full submission and that we are not just "following" righteousness for the attention of man.
Keagan McLeese Jan 31, 2018 @ 7:12 am
Verses 1-12 are a great lesson on servant leadership: Serve others, and lead by example. A lot of people make verse 37 into a big deal regarding a potential conflict in the will of God; I just see Christ’s sorrow for the ramifications of sin in Israel. Is there significance to the fact that Christ’s quote here of Psalm 118:26 also was stated by the people earlier in His triumphal entry?
Jason Adam Jan 31, 2018 @ 6:43 am
My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit will continue to clean up my heart, so that the inside of the cup is getting cleaner every day. Lord help me to be a more effective image bearer each day as I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Colin Bradley Jan 31, 2018 @ 5:52 am
Verses 27-28 stay, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” This is a grave warning and analogy. God, you know inside I am dead, but I am so thankful for your saving grace and making me alive in Christ! Help me share this good news with others today.