Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees
Matthew 23:1-36
No one served God like Jesus; He is the greatest. Hypocrites work for themselves to be seen and praised by man. Their desire misleads them.
#praise
#hypocrites
#service
Published January 1st, 2017
Main point summary
Arc
Notes
notes
Main point summary
Jesus reveals the truth about the scribes and Pharisees. He shows how their lives and teaching is under condemnation because they are hypocritical, blind, foolish, and evil. Jesus is the greatest among them and showed that in His humble service to God.
Arc
editing
NT
Matthew 23:1-36
nkjv
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: * “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
Therefore whatever they tell you to observe,
that observe and do,
conditional
but do not do according to their works;
for * they say, and do not do.
ground
concessive
* 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.
But all their works they do
to * be seen by men.
actionpurpose
They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
factinterpretation
* They love the best places at feasts,
the best seats in the synagogues,
greetings in the marketplaces,
and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’
series
* But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’;
for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.
Do not call anyone on earth your father;
* for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
And do not be called teachers;
for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
ideaexplanation
inference
But * he who is greatest among you
shall be your servant.
* And whoever exalts himself
will be humbled,
and he who humbles himself
will be exalted.
alternative
“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.
bothand
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.
“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.
comparison
temporal
progression
“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. ’
Fools and blind!
For which is greater, the gold * or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
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. ’
Fools and blind!
For which is greater, the gift * or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
Therefore he who swears by the altar,
swears by it and by all things on it.
He who swears by the temple,
swears by it and by * Him who dwells in it.
And he who swears by heaven,
swears by * the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.
“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.
Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
“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.
Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish,
that the outside of them may be clean also.
“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.
Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men,
but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
* “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
Because you build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the monuments of the righteous,
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.’
“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves
that * you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
* Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.
Serpents, * brood of vipers!
How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
* 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,
actionresult
* 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.
Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
bilateral
Pharisees and scribes: Introduction Say and do not do Bind heavy burdens on men's shoulders and don't touch them themselves The motive of all their doing is to be seen by men They want to be greatest and exalt themselves Descriptions of the scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites Blind guides Fools and blind Serpents, brood of vipers Woes to the scribes and Pharisees They shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. They devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. They make men into sons of hell. Twice as much as themselves. They teach error. They neglect important matters of the law They are full of extortion and self-indulgence but display themselves clean on the outside. Same as 6. Their inside is full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Though they appear outwardly as righteous to men.
Is there a link between theses? How does devour widows' houses link to long prayers?
What leads them to come up with such a twisted teaching? Their teaching shows a lack of understanding. I suppose that they came up with their teaching on the bases of their own value system. They valued gold more than the temple and came up with that strange doctrine. Same with the gift. They valued the gift more than the alter. This is sadly a reality of the evil heart of men. It comes up with doctrines which suit there own desires. What really matters though is the truth of the word of God.
It is the Lord who is the greatest among them. He laid down His life in service for them.
discourse
Notes
Pharisees and scribes: Introduction Say and do not do Bind heavy burdens on men's shoulders and don't touch them themselves The motive of all their doing is to be seen by men They want to be greatest and exalt themselves Descriptions of the scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites Blind guides Fools and blind Serpents, brood of vipers Woes to the scribes and Pharisees They shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. They devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. They make men into sons of hell. Twice as much as themselves. They teach error. They neglect important matters of the law They are full of extortion and self-indulgence but display themselves clean on the outside. Same as 6. Their inside is full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Though they appear outwardly as righteous to men. False Doctrine: What leads the scribes and Pharisees to come up with such twisted teaching? Their teaching shows a lack of understanding. I suppose that they came up with their teaching on the bases of their own value system. They valued gold more than the temple and came up with that strange doctrine. Same with the gift. They valued the gift more than the alter. This is sadly a reality of the evil heart of men. It comes up with doctrines which suit there own desires. What really matters though is the truth of the word of God. Who is the greatest? The scribes and Pharisees desired to be great in making difficult laws, and displaying a good person of themselves, wanting to be called Rabbi, Teacher and Father. They wanted to be feared and treated as gods. Contrary to the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus showed in His humble service to God what true greatness is. Jesus stands up for the fallen and bowed down and raises them up. He risked His life by saying theses things against the well respected and powerful scribes and Pharisees. What mattered to Him was His service to God. He laid down His life for helpless sinners. How are you living your life? Is it a life in devotion and service to God? Or do you want the praise of men? God made you to be a like Jesus who served humbly in devotion to God.
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