Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-3

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

Commentary

Why? Why should they practice and observe everything the scribes and Pharisees tell them if the scribes and Pharisees are hypocrites? Jesus has just finished thoroughly rebuking them throughout the last half of the previous chapter. It would seem more logical for Him to now instruct the crowds not to follow them. After reading chapter 22, we might expect Matthew 23:1 to say, “Ignore the Scribes and Pharisees.” Why then does Jesus tell the crowd to do everything they say?

The Israelites depend upon the scribes and Pharisees to tell them what the law of Moses says. Therefore, any Israelite who wants to pursue God has little choice but to receive instruction from them. This is why they sit in Moses’s seat. God spoke to Moses, and Moses instructed the Israelites. The scribes and Pharisees study the scriptures and tell Israel what they say. Anyone who wanted to follow God and obey the scriptures had to rely upon the scribes and Pharisees to instruct them.

But Jesus warns the people: “Do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” He then goes on to explain exactly what he means. Let’s look at the next few verses.

Verses 4-7

They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues, the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.

Commentary

Everything Jesus describes about the Pharisees ultimately comes down to their pride. Pride says, “I’m important.” “I deserve recognition.” “Look at what I’ve accomplished.” “I don’t need God.” “My will be done.”

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6b).

Pride Is Not Just a Pharisee Problem

We tend to view the Pharisees as the villains of the New Testament, and understandably so given how Jesus addresses them. But people today do the exact same things they did.

Consider this hypothetical: a police officer pulls over a car for speeding, and behind the wheel is a city council member. The first thing out of the man’s mouth is, “Do you know who I am?” That’s pride. Being a member of the city council does not give him permission to speed. He believes his elevated position in the community makes him better than everyone else.

Humility, on the other hand, is very often an intentional choice; one that sometimes requires planning ahead. When someone knows they are about to be promoted, they might say to themselves, “I’m not going to let this go to my head.” Pride, on the other hand, can be the natural default. It requires no effort at all.

When you are promoted, I encourage you to rely daily on Jesus Christ rather than on yourself. Even if you’ve been doing something for years and have become an expert in your field, continue to ask Jesus Christ to help you. The goal is humbleness.

Verse 8

But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

Commentary

In the previous verses Jesus said that the Pharisees love the places of honor, the greetings, and the titles. Jesus continues, “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’…” Jesus is not saying that the word Rabbi is somehow bad. Rather, he is making a comparison to the attitudes and behaviors of the Pharisees.

To obey this teaching, we don’t shed titles. If no one had a title, how would we know who’s responsible for what? Instead, Jesus is saying that the Pharisees loved to be called Rabbi. They craved honor and special places to sit at banquets. You and I, on the other hand, are not to let our titles inflate our egos. Don’t allow yourself to crave attention and glory.

Don’t get to the point where, after being pulled over for speeding, you say to the officer, “Don’t you know who I am?” The officer doesn’t know, and he doesn’t care. Your job is not to be self-important. Your job is to treat others as more important than yourself.

in humility consider others more important than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3b)

Verses 9-10

And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Christ.

Commentary

Jesus had just told his followers not to become prideful when given positions of authority and honor. Now He tells them not to elevate others because of their elevated positions. We are not to revere or idolize people. Instead, we are to revere God.

Consider this: if, in your mind’s eye, you view a person in authority as infallible, you’ll be inclined to accept everything they say without question. This is how people end up being led astray by false teachers. They assume he is right and never take the time to examine what he is actually saying.

Don’t put people on pedestals.

Verse ten has the same message: do not exalt yourself because of your title. I once disagreed with someone over how a certain Bible verse was being interpreted. When I expressed my disagreement, he immediately informed me that he had been teaching a weekly Bible study for ten years. He didn’t want to discuss the merits of my disagreement. Instead, he wanted to shut me down by exalting himself and his credentials as a Bible instructor. That’s pride.

If he interprets a Bible passage incorrectly, and no one ever points out his error, he will likely continue to interpret it that way indefinitely. It doesn’t matter that he’s been teaching Bible studies for ten years. He may have been teaching them wrong for ten years.

Don’t think of yourself as a know-it-all just because you’re the one teaching the Bible study, and don’t get offended when someone wants to disagree with your interpretation. Be humble and carefully consider what they say.

When leading a Bible study, always seek God’s help, even if you’ve been doing it for ten years.

Verse 11

The greatest among you shall be your servant.

Commentary

This is the application of Jesus’s teaching. In every position you hold, and in every responsibility you’re given, think about who you are serving.

If you own a business, your job is to serve your customers. You also serve your employees in the sense that it’s your responsibility to teach them how to serve your customers. If you’re placed in charge of anything at church, your job is to serve the congregation in those roles and tasks. If you’re elected to an office of government, your job is to serve your constituents. If you are writing a New Testament Bible commentary, your job is to serve those who will read it.

But if in any pursuit, the work you’re doing serves only to exalt yourself, elevate yourself above others, show off, feed your pride, or enrich yourself; you’re doing it wrong!

Verse 12

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Commentary

Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you. (1 Peter 5:5b-6)

Verse 13

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.

Commentary

The Scribes and Pharisees were supposed to serve the people of Israel and lead them into the knowledge and understanding of God. They should have been feeding the hungry, caring for widows and orphans, and tending to the needs of the people. Instead, they became prideful in their important roles; even to the point of shutting the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. The pursuit of God became their exclusive club, and they didn’t want the “riff raff” to join them.

Jesus is telling them that they themselves will not enter the kingdom of heaven, and they attempt to block others from entering as well.

Verse 14

The oldest manuscripts do not contain verse 14, so I am not including it here. However, it is included in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, and I will comment on it in those sections.

Verse 15

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Commentary

On the occasions when the Pharisees did attempt to convert someone, what they brought that person into was a religion of dead works, pride, and self-righteousness; which did not lead to salvation.

Verse 16-33

Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred? So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the One who sits on it.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers. You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?

Commentary

“Woe to you, blind guides!” We are in the midst of Jesus listing seven woes against the Pharisees.

1. You will not let in those who are seeking the kingdom of heaven.
2. Your converts become sons of hell.
3. You’re blind and can’t see the errors of your own ways.
4. You disregard the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
5. Your righteousness is only for show; you don’t bother to cleanse your heart.
6. You are whitewashed tombs.
7. You are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

This is quite a list of accusations. It’s no wonder they didn’t like Jesus. Yet all of these charges were true. Remember, these were the religious leaders of His time. The same danger can exist today. Watch out. Be ever seeing and ever perceiving.

By saying, “If we had lived in the days of our fathers,” the Pharisees were admitting that they were the sons of those who murdered the prophets.

Jesus said, “Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers.” The Pharisees were about to crucify the Messiah. Of all the prophets who were ever killed, these Pharisees speaking to Jesus were about to do worse than all of their ancestors combined. This is truly the highest example of dead religion.

All religions that are devoid of the Holy Spirit make decisions and perform actions based entirely on a heart that is absent of God. This can happen within the Christian religion as well; There are some Christian denominations, churches, pastors, elders, and laypeople who do not have the Holy Spirit.

For example, when a pastor retires and the board of elders is tasked with hiring a new pastor, if those elders do not have the Holy Spirit, by what standard will they make their selection? They will choose their next pastor based on the standard of their own sinful hearts.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a man…(Matthew 15:19-20a)

Be ever seeing and ever perceiving. Don’t just trust people blindly.

Verse 34

Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.

Commentary

Throughout the ages, God sent prophets and wise men, but like the Bible study teacher I mentioned earlier, pride blinded the religious leaders of Israel. The scribes and Pharisees were unwilling to be corrected.

Verse 35-36

And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Commentary

It’s interesting to note the last words of Zechariah as he was being murdered.

Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest (Berechiah was likely his grandfather or great-grandfather), who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’”

But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD. Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.” (2 Chronicles 24:20–22)

Some translations say ‘May the Lord see and avenge.’ That is exactly what is about to happen. Jesus said, ‘All these things will come upon this generation’; and just 33 years after this moment, the first Jewish-Roman War would begin.”

Israel had been ruled by Rome in a way that allowed it to retain much of its independence and way of life. However, within a few years of Jesus’s crucifixion, and the events of the book of Acts and the letters of Paul, Israel came under the direct rule of Rome, and was severely oppressed, its religious freedoms were taken away.

But I want to consider another possible way of viewing these two verses. Jesus says, “Upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth.” What makes a person righteous in God’s eyes? It is the blood of Jesus Christ. That blood would soon be shed, and it would be these very religious leaders who would be responsible for handing Him over to be crucified.

On the cross, Jesus took all our sins upon Himself. His blood paid for our sins. In that sense, the statement is true: “upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth.” Jesus bore our sins, yet these Pharisees were the very ones who would be held responsible for delivering the Son of God to death.

Verses 37-39

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Commentary

Jesus says “how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings”. Jesus is God; and long before he was born through Mary into the physical world, he had, from heaven, longed to gather Israel’s children together.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:13)

Jesus is God.

He continues, “but you were unwilling.” Salvation is not forced upon anyone. The very fact that salvation is by faith means that a person must be willing to be saved. Antagonists often ask, “How can an all-loving God send anyone to hell?” The answer, of course, is that God doesn’t send people to hell; rather, it is these people who are unwilling to go to heaven. In reality, their arguments are rarely presented so simplistically, yet at the core, it always comes down to this: whether or not a person is willing to love God and place their faith in Him. If they are not, they are choosing to forfeit salvation.

Jesus concludes His statement by saying, “For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’” This is a prophecy concerning the end times. The next time Jesus sets foot in Jerusalem will be at His second coming. The battle of Armageddon will look as though it will bring an end to the Jewish people. At that time, Jesus will come to their rescue, and they will shout, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” (See Revelation 1:7 and Revelation 19:11-16 and Revelation 20)