1Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Jesus now begins to address His disciples and the crowds of people around Him. His subject is the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. The word translated “sit” in verse 2 is in the past tense: the scribes and Pharisees “have sat down” in Moses’s seat. Jesus’ saying it this way seems to imply that the scribes and Pharisees took this position for themselves. They had made themselves the voice of authority in interpreting and applying God’s Law in Israel. Yet, even though they were self-appointed authorities, Jesus said that the people should listen to them because they were teaching the Law. But, He told the people not to do as the scribes and Pharisees did, “for,” He said, “they say, and do not.” This is the first mark of hypocrisy – to say but not to do.
Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees were placing heavy loads on other peoples’ shoulders but didn’t want to lift a finger themselves to carry those loads. The heavy loads that Jesus spoke of probably were the additional rules that these religious leaders had added to the Law itself. For example, in Matthew 15:1-2, the scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus’ disciples for failing to do certain ritual washings. They said, “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.” At that time Jesus explained to His disciples that “...to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man” (15:20).
Jesus’ words about the burdens forced on people by the scribes and Pharisees stand in contrast to His words in Matthew 11:28-30 about His burden for people. He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus’ burden for us is light because He Himself perfectly fulfilled the Law, He took all of our sins on Himself, and He opened the way for us to be given the Holy Spirit to change our hearts and behavior.
5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
The second mark of hypocrisy is found in verse 5. Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees did all their works “to be seen of men.” They did what they did to get attention, recognition, and praise from other people. “Phylacteries” were small boxes containing Scripture verses. These small boxes were worn on the forehead and arm, probably at times of prayer. The basis for the wearing of phylacteries was the command of Deuteronomy 6:6,8 : “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart... And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes”. This command may have been intended figuratively, but Jesus did not criticize the wearing of phylacteries; He only criticized the religious leaders’ making their phylacteries broad so as to be noticed by other people.
In Numbers 15:32-41, the people of Israel were commanded to make a fringe around the edge of their outer garment as a visible reminder of God’s commandments. Jesus Himself wore such a fringe on His garment (see Matthew 9:20; 14:36). His criticism of the scribes and Pharisees was that they made the fringe on their garments longer than the fringes that other people wore just to draw attention to themselves. Similarly, they loved being given priority seats at special dinners and in the synagogues and being recognized when they went to the market places. They liked being called “Rabbi” (that is, “esteemed teacher”). Jesus did not criticize the scribes’ and Pharisees’ attention to the Law; He criticized their pride.
8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
The issue in Jesus’ words in these verses is religious titles. A person may be an esteemed teacher of God’s Word, a spiritual father to others, and a leader in the church, but that person is not to be given a religious title. We should not be called and should not call any other person “Esteemed Teacher” or “Guide” because all of us have the same Esteemed Teacher and Guide, who is Christ Himself. Believers have different abilities, gifts, and roles in the church, but all of us are just brothers and sisters.
In I Corinthians 4:14-16, Paul said,
“I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.”
Paul claimed a special place and role in the lives of the believers in Corinth because he was the person who had shared the Gospel with them. Paul said that he was the spiritual father of the church in Corinth, but Paul never asked or accepted that the church give him a title like “our father.” In Isaiah 63:16, we read these words: “Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.” There is only One to whom the nation of Israel or believers today should say “our Father” in the sense of a spiritual title; that One is God. No person on earth today can claim to be a source of knowledge or guidance in themselves or to be the possessor of a church. All of us should have a ministry, but we are only servants under our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said that His disciples should not be like the scribes and Pharisees. If we aspire to be great in His kingdom, the way is by serving our brothers and sisters. Those who seek attention, recognition, priority positions, and titles now will be brought lower in His kingdom. Those who seek to serve others and to exalt Christ will be lifted higher in His kingdom.
13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. 14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
In verses 1-12 Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples about the scribes and Pharisees. Now He begins to speak to these religious leaders. Eight times He will say, “Woe unto you!” Seven times He will call them hypocrites. Four times He will say that they are blind. Twice He will call them fools. He will also call them serpents and a brood of vipers. It is an awful thing for a person who does not know God to become a religious leader. That person brings great harm to others and great judgment on themselves.
In verse 13, Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees, who ought to have been showing people the way into the kingdom of heaven, were trying to shut people out of it. They themselves had rejected the preaching of John the Baptist (21:25), had rejected Jesus, and were seeking to dissuade others from believing in Him (see, for example, John 7:45-49; 9:24-34).
In verse 14, Jesus said that these religious leaders were both stealing from widows and putting on a show with long prayers. We don’t know exactly what they were doing to steal from widows, but Jesus knew. And He used the present tense, which means that they were doing it then. He said that they would be held accountable when they are judged.
In verse 15, Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees traveled extensively to make one new proselyte to Judaism but that they then made that person twice as bad as they themselves were. Jesus did not mean that just one person is not worth going for. We know that God sent Philip out into the desert to witness to just one man, a eunuch from Ethiopia (Acts 8:26-40). But the scribes and Pharisees, who were willing to travel to some distant place to win a proselyte, would have nothing to do with their own neighbors in Samaria (see John 4:9). These religious leaders did not themselves know God, so their own lives had not been changed. When they made a proselyte to Judaism, they could not bring that person to know God either. As a result, the people they influenced only added the bad ways of the scribes and Pharisees to the sins they already had. Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees, “sons of hell.”
16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
What does it mean to swear by something?
In Matthew 5:34-36 Jesus said, “But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.”
It seems that a person who swore by something was declaring that if they failed to keep their word, they would be held accountable by or for the thing they swore by.
When Jesus spoke to the scribes and Pharisees, He called them blind guides. In both of the examples He cited, He emphasized greatness and holiness. The scribes and Pharisees were implying that it was the gold of the temple that made the temple great and the value of the things offered on the altar that made the altar great. Jesus said that greatness is measured by holiness. The gold of the temple was great because the temple was holy and thus made the gold holy. The things offered on the altar were great because the altar was holy and thus made the offerings holy.
Jesus then told the scribes and Pharisees the real depth of the oaths they talked about. To swear by the altar included swearing by the thing offered there. To swear by the temple included swearing by God who had chosen it to be His dwelling place. To swear by heaven included swearing by God’s throne and by God Himself. If a person failed to keep their oath, they would be liable not just for the gold or offering they’d sworn by, but accountable to God Himself, whose measuring rod is holiness. A person who swears by that which is holy is calling on God to judge them if they fail.
To swear by something is pride and irreverence. After all, everything belongs to God. In Matthew 5:37 Jesus said, “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”
23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
The scribes and Pharisees gave attention to minute applications of the Law, ritual washings (Mark 7:4), and external appearances, but they neglected the heart issues of the Law and the need for inner righteousness and spiritual life. Jesus called them hypocrites. He did not criticize them for straining out gnats, cleaning the outside of dishes, or having a good appearance. Those things are not wrong. He criticized them for swallowing camels, failing to clean the inside of the dishes, and being full of hidden corruption. These religious leaders meticulously tithed the produce of garden herbs but gave no attention to justice, mercy, and faith. They kept up with religious rituals but routinely took advantage of other people. They looked uncompromised on the outside but were as corrupt as a corpse on the inside.
29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
The scribes and Pharisees recognized that their ancestors were guilty of the blood of the prophets and of righteous people unjustly killed in Israel’s past. But they self-righteously declared that they wouldn’t have done those things if they had lived back then. Jesus knew their hearts. He called them offspring of vipers, just as John the Baptist had done when the Pharisees and Sadducees came to his baptism (Matthew 3:7). Jesus earlier called them sons of hell (verse 15) and now says, “how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” He said that He would send other prophets, wise men, and scribes to them, which would force them to show what they were really like.
In Matthew 10, Jesus sent out His twelve disciples on a journey to preach in Israel. He warned them that they would be “as sheep in the midst of wolves.” He said, “...they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues...” (10:16-17). But His words to them at that time looked beyond that journey to a time prior to His own second coming. He said, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come” (10:22-23).
Jesus used similar words in speaking to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. He said, “...some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city....” Thus, it is likely that these words also looked beyond those days to the time just prior to His second coming.
The identity of Zacharias the son of Barachias is not certain. More than one possibility has been cited by students of this passage. It seems significant that Jesus said, “whom ye slew.” He did not accuse them of having slain Abel, so the accusation does not seem to be one of guilt only by identity with the murderers of the past. It may be that the Jewish religious leaders themselves had in those days killed a person named Zacharias. Jesus said in verse 14 that they were stealing from widows; He knew their secrets. It may even be that this Zecharias was the father of John the Baptist.
Jesus said that He Himself, in accord with the wisdom of God (Luke 11:49), would send them prophets and wise men and scribes. It is God who sends prophets. Jesus’ words are a clear claim to Deity.
He said in verse 36, “Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.” What did Jesus mean by “this generation” ? As we noted, His reference to their persecuting from city to city those sent to them is like His words to His disciples in Matthew 10. Those words looked forward to a time just prior to His second coming. Also, we know that God judged Jerusalem in 70 A.D., But that was almost 40 years later. By that time, many of the scribes and Pharisees He was speaking to would probably have already died, and a different generation would be present. Thus, when Jesus said, “this generation,” it seems likely that He meant the Jewish people who rejected Him at His first coming. “This generation” would encompass the time from His crucifixion to the time of His second coming. We know that some of these Jews were called a “synagogue of Satan” in Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 because of their persecution of the churches in the first century. The full judgment of unbelieving Israel as a nation will come during the latter half of the future seven year Tribulation period (Daniel 12:7).
37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Now Jesus speaks, probably while alone, to the city of Jerusalem as a whole. He speaks to them as He did to the scribes and Pharisees in that He says that the people as a whole have killed the prophets and continue to stone those whom God sends to them. Yet, His words contain a tenderness of longing and a grief of soul for the failure of the city to respond to His love for them. He says that the consequences of their rejecting Him are already in process: the house of Israel will be made desolate. This word surely looked toward the razing of the city by the Roman army in 70 A.D. and the subsequent scattering of the nation into countries all over the earth. He said that the opportunity He had offered them would not be theirs again until they say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
The words, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” are found in Psalm 118:26 and speak of a specific person who would come to bring deliverance to Israel. Many of the Jews had cried these words when Jesus entered the city riding on a donkey (21:7-9). Yet, their cry was fickle and without understanding. The same Psalm also says, The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner (Psalm 118:22). This psalm foretold the rejection of the Savior by Israel’s religious leaders.
Jesus’ words also contain a wonderful word of hope; He said, “Ye shall not see me henceforth, till....” That word "until” anticipated a day when Israel will see Jesus again. Zechariah 12:10 says, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” This verse from Zechariah also tells us how the salvation of Israel will come. God will change their hearts. They will recognize Jesus as the Savior who comes in the name of the LORD.
Jesus said that He wanted to gather the people of Jerusalem as a hen gathers her own chicks under her wings. They would have been protected and provided for by Him. But then He stated the grievous response of Jerusalem: “and ye would not!” This is not the case for Israel only. It is the case for all the descendants of Adam. God has desired to protect and provide for His creation, but the people of planet earth have wanted their sinful independence instead. No one rightly recognizes Jesus as the Savior until God intervenes to change his or her heart.
In John 5:43, Jesus said, “I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” God sent His eternal Son to be the Savior of Israel and of the world. Hebrews 10 says that the Father prepared a body for His Son. The Son came to do His Father’s will (Hebrews 10:5-7). Jesus came in His Father’s name, but Israel rejected Him. In the future, a false Messiah will come in his own name, and Israel will be deceived by him. But, by the grace of God, a remnant of Israel will one day recognize Jesus, the One who has come in the name of the LORD, as the true Savior and will rightly worship Him.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.