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The Gospel of Matthew

Pharisees and scribes denounced

Chapter 22:41-23:39

The Pharisees were gathered together, and the Lord used this opportunity to ask them what they thought about the Christ, and whose Son He was. They promptly answered “The Son of David”. He then asked them to explain how David could call Him his son, if in the Holy Spirit he also called him “LORD” (i.e. the Son of God). No one was able to answer this question, because it actually explained the identity of the Lord Jesus himself.

David wrote this Psalm, as all the Scriptures of which it is part, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so it is an undeniable truth. The only possible answer to this question is that the Messiah was eternal, superior to King David and alive at the time, and human, because he would be his descendant. The Messiah is both the Lord of David, and the son of David - He is God and man.

The fulfilment of the prophecy was in the coming to the world of the Lord of David, by the work of the Holy Spirit, born of a woman who was a descendant of King David, Mary, and taking the name of Jesus (Saviour). He was the Messiah. This explanation should jump to the eyes of those religious men, but "no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him any more". (Verse 46).

The Pharisees and scribes, realizing that He was wiser than they were, and that they could not subdue Him by means of arguments, set out to overcome Him with physical violence, which He was already counting on.

Then, in His last speech to the Jews, the Lord Jesus warned the people against their leaders, scribes and Pharisees, who "sat on the throne of Moses", that is, taught the law of Moses. The Lord Jesus commanded the people to obey them, for they were the constituted authority, but not to do what they did, because it was not what they taught. They imposed heavy burdens on the people (for example, they exaggerated the requirements of the law), while they themselves were not willing to do anything to relieve them.

All the Pharisees and scribes did was to show off. For example:

• The law required God's words to be "bound as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:8, 11:18), figuratively as seen in Exodus 13: 9,16, meaning that its statutes should be always at hand to be remembered. However, the Pharisees introduced small boxes or leather cylinders containing biblical texts, to be tied to their foreheads and arms ("tefillins"), materializing what was spiritual. They made them wide for all to see.

• The law ordered that the Jews “make tassels on the corners of their garments and put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners” (Numbers 15:38-41, Deuteronomy 22:12) to remember all the commandments of the Lord and fulfil them. The Pharisees made exaggeratedly long fringes to draw attention.

• They wanted the places of honour at parties and in the synagogues, and to be hailed in public places as important people and masters ("rabbis").

The Lord Jesus commanded that nobody should adopt titles to distinguish himself from others and that they should be reserved to the deity. There is only one Master (the Christ), one Father (God) and one Teacher (the Christ). Of course, this is in the spiritual sense, in the environment of the church, and has nothing to do with family and professional circles, etc. (Numbers 15:38-41, Deuteronomy 22:12). In these areas, we must obey the commandment "Render therefore to all their due: … honour to whom honour.” (Romans 13: 7).

In the kingdom of God all saints are brothers and sisters and no one should exalt himself over the other. This commandment from the Lord Jesus has been largely abandoned by many institutions and "churches" who call themselves Christian, through the ages, and pompous titles like "Most Holy Pope", "His Reverence", "Reverend", and many more are used. However, within His churches, the greater should be servants, because who exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Then the Lord Jesus pronounced seven "woes" on the scribes and Pharisees. They were not curses, but expressions of sadness for the fate that awaited them, in view of what they did:

1. They shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for they did not go in themselves nor did they allow those who were entering to go in. It was hypocritical of them because they pretended to be pious. The false religious leaders today also are the greatest enemies of the Gospel. (Verse 13).

2. They exploited the assets of widows, under the guise of making long prayers. Because of the disguise, they were subject to greater condemnation. Even today, there are institutions and sects that require elderly widows to transfer their properties to their "church" in return for promises of prayers, or "masses" for their souls. (Verse 14).

3. They were zealous in making proselytes to teach them their evil ways. These proselytes became twice as bad as they were. "Son of hell" was an expression used to denote those who were evil and deserved to go to hell. It is a feature of the leaders of heretical sects found today. (Verse 15).

4. They were blind, foolish, not understanding the law of God. It was their duty to know and teach the precepts of the law, but they had built up a false system of reasoning to evade the payment of vows. For instance, they taught that if you swore by the temple, you were not obligated to pay, but if you swore by the gold of the temple, then you must perform the vow. They said that swearing by the gift on the altar was binding, whereas swearing by the empty altar was not. Thus they valued gold above God (the temple was the house of God), and the gift on the altar (wealth of some form) above the altar itself. They were more interested in the material than the spiritual. They were more interested in getting (the gift) than in giving (the altar was the place of giving). In this way, they ignored that whatever they swore by, God was involved and they were obliged to fulfil the vow. Man cannot escape his obligations by specious reasoning. Vows are binding and promises must be kept. It is useless to appeal to technicalities to evade obligations. (Verses 16 to 22).

5. They were meticulous in fulfilling the smallest detail of the letter of the law, but neglected its most important precepts. They paid tithes on the smallest things, but did not practice justice, mercy and faith - it was like "straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel." They should practice these precepts, without omitting those details. (Verses 23 and 24).

6. Outwardly, they were immacutely clean, but within themselves, they were full of greed and self-indulgence. They should first clean your insides and purify your actions. (Verses 25 and 26). They were like whitewashed tombs, beautiful on the outside, but filthy inside. They appeared to be righteous to the people, but in reality were full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Verses 27 and 28).

7. They falsely honoured the prophets and the righteous of antiquity to manifest they would not have killed them as their ancestors did. By admitting that those criminals were their ancestors, the Lord Jesus declares that they confess having the same nature as theirs. They would do the same and so their measure of sin would be completed (as He prophesied in the parable of the farmer-chapter 21, verses 33-39). The fathers had filled the cup of murder part way by killing the prophets. The scribes and Pharisees would soon fill it to the brim by killing the Lord Jesus and His followers, thus bringing to a terrible climax what their fathers had begun. (Verses 29 to 32).

The Lord Jesus ended with a violent invective against the leaders of the Jews and their capital, Jerusalem.

Because of their wickedness and hypocrisy, for the second time (see chapter 12:34) He called them "serpents and brood of vipers". If they continued on that path it would be impossible for them to escape the condemnation of hell, but He would still give them a chance by sending prophets, wise men and scribes.

However, He already knew that they would treat very badly these He would send, killing and crucifying, and scourging them in their synagogues and chasing them from town to town. This was fulfilled after the day of Pentecost.

Along with their ancestors, they would become guilty of the murder of all the righteous, since Abel until Zechariah son of Berechiah (understood to be the Prophet mentioned in 2 Chronicles 24:20-21, the last book in the order given to the Hebrew Scriptures).

The punishment here on earth would come over that generation. Jesus Christ, Lord of Israel, declared that He had often sought to give them shelter and protection, but they refused it, and killed the prophets and stoned the envoys. As a result, their “house" (Jerusalem, their territory) would be deserted (the destruction of Jerusalem would come a few years later, as well as the expulsion of the people from their land).

They would not see Him any more until they received Him as the Messiah.

It was his last message to the people of Israel while he was on Earth and the prophecy of His return will be fulfilled after the Great Tribulation, when He will return to save the remnant of Israel, which is being pursued through the desert by the beast and his armies. This is when the nation will see Him, believe in Him, and see the fulfilment of old prophecies they expected for so long (Revelation 19:11-21).

 

R David Jones

 

 

41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
42 saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David."
43 He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'LORD,' saying:
44 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, TILL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL" '?
45 If David then calls Him 'LORD,' how is He his Son?"
46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples,
2 saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!' "

Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 22 verse 21 to the end of chapter 23