By Dan & Brenda Cathcart
Moed
Ministries International
The video version of this teaching is available at:
The
scripture reading is Matthew 23:1-36
In
the last days of Yeshua’s ministry prior to His arrest and crucifixion, He
spent His time teaching and admonishing His disciples and followers. Huge crowds gathered around Him and, in a
way, afforded Him some protection from the Sadducees and leaders of the Temple
who sought to have Him killed because He posed a threat to their power and
exposed their corruption.
Matthew 23:1-3 NKJV 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.
Despite
the evil perpetrated by the high priest and his co-conspirators against the
common people, Yeshua never cursed these leaders in the same manner in which he
addressed the Scribes and Pharisees. He never
said a word against the Sadducees. He
totally ignored the third major sect of first century Judaism, the Essenes.
Why
did Yeshua single out the Scribes and Pharisees? Why did they deserve to be publicly
chastised? Did they perpetrate an evil
against the people which was greater than that of the high priest and
Sadducees? What was their sin?
This
was to be the last time Yeshua would be teaching in the Temple courts. This
long discourse of teaching is recorded in detail in the gospels, particularly
in Matthew chapter 23. But as Yeshua begins his teaching, He details several
woes or warnings directed against the Scribes and Pharisees. But why does He single them out? Who are they exactly? Alfred Edersheim in his work the life and
times of Jesus the Messiah gives us a look and these important people.
“(The Scribe) seems ubiquitous; we
meet him in Jerusalem, in Judea, and even in Galilee… Indeed he is
indispensable… Everywhere he appears as the mouthpiece and representative of
the people; he pushes to the front, the crowd respectfully giving way, and
eagerly hanging on his utterances, as those of a recognized authority. He has
been solemnly ordained by the laying on of hands; and is the Rabbi… He puts
questions; he urges objections; he expects full explanations and a respectful
demeanor… There is not measure to his dignity, nor yet limit to his importance.
He is the lawyer… (but) more than that, his order constitutes the ultimate
authority on all questions of faith and practice.”[1]
Edersheim
goes on to explain that although the Scribes are often seen in the company of
the Pharisees, they are not necessarily one of them. The Pharisees represent a kind of religious/political
party, while the Scribe holds an office.
The scribe is the Rabbi; the Sage; he is the law! The words of the
Scribe were to be absolutely believed. They sit in Moses’s seat of authority
teaching Torah to the people, but in practice they elevate their oral
traditions above the Torah.
Sound
familiar? In many incidents, Yeshua is
referred to as Rabbi or Raboni, which means “my rabbi.” The people, as well as many of the Pharisees
and priests believed the words of Yeshua and recognized His authority as that
of a Scribe!
But
the Scribes and Pharisees which Yeshua admonishes and warns have corrupted
themselves and given into the temptations of the then current political system
under Rome. They had also, and more
importantly, corrupted the worship of God by the gradual acceptance of the
worship of idols or the more subtle incorporation of Hellenist or Greek
religious practices and misused the Torah for personal gain or public prestige.
Matthew 23:4-7 NKJV 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.'
The
Scribes and the Pharisees were the ones who were closest to the people and had
the most influence in the Jewish culture and religious practices of the
day. They had the authority and the
responsibility to lead the people; to be their servants rather than their
dictators and slave drivers. With their misuse
of their authority and responsibility, cam greater judgment.
Yeshua
begins His address to these corrupted Scribes and Pharisees by fist issuing a
warning to the people to not seek after what they had become.
Matthew 23:8-12 NKJV 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.
Why
would Yeshua tell His disciples not to call anyone, especially themselves, “Rabbi,
Father, or Teacher?” The structure of first century Judaism was such that once
a disciple of a Rabbi completed his training, he would then be ordained a rabbi
himself and raise up disciples. Their
desire was to become like their Master; to faithfully transmit the teachings of
their Rabbi to their own disciples. In Luke’s gospel, Yeshua points out an
important principle:
Luke 6:40 NKJV 40 "A disciple is
not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his
teacher.
It
was common for a Rabbi or Teacher to identify themselves by referring to their
Rabbi; that they were from the “school of so-and-so,” or the “Academy of
such-and-such.” Yeshua did not intend
for them to become the “school of Peter” or the “Academy of Andrew.”
The
practice of the day was generally corrupted and had become a system of
self-aggrandizement. Rabbi’s sought to attain disciple for themselves. These disciples
then became disciples of men rather than disciples of God!
Yeshua
ended the admonishment of His own disciples with another call to humility
before God and men. Yeshua called them
to be servants rather than masters.
After
this, Yeshua began to pronounce a series of woes against the corrupt Scribes
and Pharisees. With each, Yeshua
identifies a Torah principle that they are abusing and misusing to their own gain. The first one being obstructing the kingdom
of God.
Matthew 23:13 NKJV 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.
The
Scribes and Pharisees actively worked against the kingdom of God! In Matthew chapter twenty-one, Yeshua is asked
by them, “by what authority” He does these things; “these things” being the
miracles and healings he had performed and more specifically raising Lazarus
from the dead.
Matthew 21:23-25a NKJV 23 Now when He
came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted
Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these
things? And who gave You this authority?" 24 But Jesus answered and said
to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise
will tell you by what authority I do these things: 25 "The baptism of
John--where was it from? From heaven or from men?"
The
Pharisees and especially the scribes, being the keepers of the scriptures
charged with teaching the people, should have been the ones to embrace the
message of John the Baptist and Yeshua.
They refused to heed the message of repentance and that the kingdom of
God was at hand. They actively worked against Yeshua and this message,
persuading others to also reject both John and Yeshua. In effect, they shut the door of the kingdom
on themselves and prevented others from entering.
The
next woe is recorded in Matthew 23:14:
Matthew 23:14 NKJV 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.
This
is an odd statement and has led scholars to some interesting speculation. What did Yeshua mean by “for you devour
widow’s houses?” We do not know the
specific abuse of power that Yeshua was referencing here, but it was common
among the corrupt and powerful leadership to take large percentages of funds
given to Temple service for themselves. It is also quite possible that these
Scribes and Pharisees may have been neglecting caring for the widows as
commanded in the Torah.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 NKJV 28 "At
the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of
that year and store it up within your gates. 29 "And the Levite, because
he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless
and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied,
that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
Yeshua
also once again chastises the Scribes and Pharisees for making long and public
prayers in inappropriate situations, making a show of their piety.
Matthew 6:5 NKJV 5 "And when you
pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
Yeshua’s
next woe is a warning to missionaries.
Matthew 23:15 NKJV 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.
Wow!
That is putting it right out there! First century Judaism was not in the
general practice of proselytizing Gentiles. On the contrary, many people were
drawn to Judaism out of pagan Rome.
Yeshua was most likely referring to the common practice of the religious
leaders sending respected scholars to perform sham conversions to facilitate
intermarriages and facilitate political alliances. The results were such that
the proselyte was made “twice as much a son of hell” because his “conversion”
was not out of religious conviction.
Yeshua
issues a woe to those who take an oath or vow falsely.
Matthew 23:16 NKJV 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.'
It
was common in Yeshua’s time for people to take vows and oaths to the LORD. A common type of vow was known as a korban.
Korban means gift and any gift to God became devoted entirely to God and could
not be used for any other purpose. People often livestock, property and other
belongings to the LORD. They became
korban to them.
The
corrupt Scribes and Pharisees encouraged the people, when taking such a vow, to
avoid using God’s name or any of a number of accepted substitutes for God’s
name. They would say that swearing by the altar of the Temple or the gold of
the Temple, that is its sacred objects, does not bind the man to the oath.
Yeshua strongly disagreed with this practice.
Matthew 23:17-22 NKJV 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.
Yeshua’s
reasoning is that the Temple, the altar, anything on the altar is tantamount to
swearing by Him who dwells in the Temple, that is swearing by the name of
God! The Scribes and Pharisees were
encouraging the people to take meaningless, non-binding and showy vows. Yeshua
taught His disciples not to take needless and meaningless vows.
Yeshua
issued a woe to those who neglect weightier matters of the Torah.
Matthew 23:23-24 NKJV 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!
Yeshua
summarizes the weightier matters of the Torah by pointing out their lack of
justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Many
of the prophets also speak of the same summary.
Micah 6:8 NKJV 8 He has shown you, O
man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To
love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
The
Hebrew for justice is “mishpat”, number 4941 literally meaning justice or
judgment. It implies more than justice
in a judicial sense. Yeshua was telling them that they were neglecting their
social justice obligations; taking care of the widows, orphans, and the poor.
The
word mercy is “chesed.” Number 2617 most often translated as lovingkindness or
mercy. Yeshua used it most often in
relation to extending compassion to others.
The story of the good Samaritan is a prime example. Yeshua also often quoted Hosea 6:6 to
demonstrate that mercy or chesed should take priority over ritual concerns of
the Torah.
Faithfulness
is emunah, number 530 implying loyalty, fidelity and truth. God is and acts faithfully toward His
people. Man replies with faithfulness
towards God by obeying His commandments and holding to the covenants.
Yeshua’s
rebuke of the Scribes and Pharisees was that they directed their attention to
the ritual rather than the substance of the Torah.
Matthew 23:25-26 NKJV 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.
There
was an on-going debate between the two major schools of the Pharisees; that of
Hillel and of Shammai. Shammai said that a vessel could be clean on either the
inside or the outside, where Hillel stated that the vessel could not be
separated as such and if any part was unclean, then it was all unclean. Yeshua
sided with the school of Hillel on this matter.
Here
Yeshua however was using the debate in a metaphorical way referring to the
person, not a vessel. He used it to
illustrate a moral condition, stating that moral purity begins on the
inside. Yeshua asked them, “Why do you
wash the outside of the cup?” in other words, why do you make a show of seeming
righteousness and piety, visible to others from the outside, when inside you
are full of robbery and self-indulgence?
Yeshua
goes on to give another illustration of the corruption of the Scribes and
Pharisees by comparing them to whitewashed tombs.
Matthew 23:27-28 NKJV 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.
Yeshua
was illustrating that these Scribes and Pharisees has honed hypocrisy to a fine
art! The practice during the Passover
season was to literally whitewash the graves in and around Jerusalem with white
lime. This was to prevent any pilgrims
coming to the feast from inadvertently seeking shelter in a cave, which was in
fact, a tomb. This would render them
ritually unclean and prevent them from participating in the Passover.
Yeshua
likened these Scribes and Pharisees to graves which were clean and beautiful on
the outside but were full of dead men’s bones and unclean on the inside!
Yeshua
finishes with one last woe which may hit closer to home than we are willing to
admit.
Matthew 23:29-30 NKJV 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.'
Are
we not guilty of the same thing? We
constantly look at our own history and honor or vilify individuals and
institutions base on judgment in hindsight.
We in the Messianic or Hebrew Roots movement or what ever title you wish
to use, often wring our hands in disgust at past sins of the Christian
church. These Scribes, Pharisees and
other religious leaders of Yeshua’s day believed that, had they themselves been
around at the time of the prophets, they would not have persecuted and shunned
them. Just as we often believe that had we lived during the time of the
Crusades, or more recently had lived at the time of Nazi Germany, we would not
have participated in the ritualized slaughter of the Jewish people. But can we
be so sure?
There
was certain irony in Yeshua’s observation that all the while the Scribes and
Pharisees of His generation beautified and honored the tombs of the prophets of
old, at the same time they prepared to become party to the shedding of His
blood and that of the disciples. What an
ironic self-indictment!
Yeshua’s
woes and warnings to the Scribes and Pharisees are just as valid today as they
ever were. We have to watch for the same
pitfalls in our lives as well. Are we so
caught up in the “religion” of Torah observance that we miss the entire
point? In our zeal to follow the Master
Yeshua, do we fail to practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness?
Yeshua’s
continuing message is about a kingdom obtainable here and now! Yeshua gave us the keys to this kingdom. Our
job as disciples of the Master is not to block others from the door, but to
lead them there.
Study
Questions:
1. In our study today, we opened with
Matthew 23:1-3 where Yeshua mentions the seat of Moses. This seat is obviously a seat of
authority. Yeshua says that we are to
obey what they say but be careful not do what they do. What do the apostles say about this
principle?
2. Compare the burdens placed on the
people by the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:4-7) with the burden Yeshua
places on us (Matthew 11:28-30).
3. Yeshua said we are not to call anyone
teacher because we are all brethren (Matthew 28:8-12) What role does the
teacher have among believers? Support
with scripture.
4. Yeshua chastises the Scribes and
Pharisees for shutting up the kingdom of heaven against men (Matthew 23:13). In
what ways do they do so? How do we open
the Kingdom of Heaven?
5. All the woes which Yeshua directed to
certain Scribes and Pharisees in this study cover a broad range of
behaviors. What are some of the elements
in our society today which can lead us to fall into the same corruption as
these Scribes and Pharisees did?
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Ministries International. All rights
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