Matthew 23
23
1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples: 2“The religious teachers and the Pharisees are responsible as interpreters of the law of Moses,#23:2. Literally, “sit in Moses' seat.” 3so obey them and do everything they tell you. But don't follow what they do, because they don't practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy burdens, and place them on people's shoulders, but they themselves don't lift a finger to help them. 5Everything they do is to make sure they get noticed. They make themselves large prayer boxes#23:5. Or “phylacteries.” These were leather boxes tied to the forehead and arms containing written texts: Exodus 13:1-6 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 11:13-21. to wear and long tassels on their clothes.#23:5. These tassels were to show their devotion to God. See Numbers 15:37-41. 6They love to have the places of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues. 7They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and for people to call them, ‘Rabbi.’#23:7 This is a Hebrew word meaning “my great one,” and was used as a term of respect for religious teachers.
8Don't let people call you ‘Rabbi.’ Only one is your Master Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9Don't call anyone by the title ‘Father’ here on earth. Only one is your Father, who is in heaven. 10Don't let people call you ‘Teacher.’ Only one is your Teacher, the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12Those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.
13But what a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You slam shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves don't go in, yet you don't let anyone in who is trying to enter. 14#23:14. Verse 14 is not in the most reliable early manuscripts. 15What a disaster is coming on you, religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you travel over land and sea to make a single convert, and when you do, you make him twice a son of Gehenna#23:15. “Gehenna” (see under 5:22). The emphasis here is on the destiny of the wicked. as you are yourselves. 16What a disaster is coming on those of you who say, ‘If you swear by the Temple that doesn't count, but if you swear by the gold of the Temple, then you have to keep your oath.’ What blind guides you are! 17What is greater—the gold, or the Temple that makes the gold holy? 18You say, ‘If you swear on the altar that doesn't count, but if you swear on the sacrifice that's on the altar, then you have to keep your oath.’ 19How foolish and blind you are! What is greater—the sacrifice, or the altar that makes the sacrifice holy? 20If you swear by the altar, you swear by it and by everything that's on it. 21If you swear by the Temple you swear by it and by the one who lives there. 22If you swear by heaven you swear by the throne of God and the one who sits there.
23What a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay a tithe of mint, aniseed, and cumin, but you neglect the vital aspects of the law—doing good, showing mercy, exercising trust. Yes, you should pay your tithe, but don't forget these other things. 24You blind guides—you strain what you drink to keep out a fly but then you swallow a camel!
25What a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you're full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blind Pharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, so that the outside will also be clean.
27What a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, looking good on the outside, but on the inside full of skeletons and all kinds of rottenness.#23:27. Literally, “uncleanness.” 28You're just the same. On the outside you look like good people to others, but on the inside you're full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29What a disaster is coming on you religious teachers and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs as memorials to the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the good, 30and you say, ‘If we had lived in the times of our ancestors we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31But by saying this you testify against yourselves, proving that you belong to those who murdered the prophets! 32So get on with it—finish it all off using your forefathers' methods! 33You snakes, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?#23:33. “Gehenna” (see under 5:22). Referring to the end-time judgment.
34That's why I'm sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers. Some of them you will kill, some of them you will crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, hunting them from town to town. 35As a result, you will be held accountable for the blood of all the good people that has been poured out on the land—from the blood of Abel, who did what was right, to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the Temple and the altar.
36I'm telling you, the consequences of all this will fall on this generation. 37Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! So often I wanted to gather your children as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings—but you wouldn't let me. 38Now look—your house#23:38. The word house may refer to the Temple. is left abandoned, totally empty. 39I tell you this: you won't see me from now on until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”#23:39. Quoting Psalms 118:26.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Matthew 23
23
Jesus Condemns the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law of Moses
(Mark 12.38-40; Luke 11.37-52; 20.45-47)
1Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses. 3So obey everything they teach you, but don't do as they do. After all, they say one thing and do something else.
4They pile heavy burdens on people's shoulders and won't lift a finger to help. 5#Mt 6.1; Dt 6.8; Nu 15.38. Everything they do is just to show off in front of others. They even make a big show of wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms, and they wear big tassels#23.5 wearing Scripture verses on their foreheads and arms … tassels: As a sign of their love for God and his teachings, the Jewish people often wore Scripture verses in small leather boxes. But the Pharisees tried to show off by making the boxes bigger than necessary. The Jewish people were also taught to wear tassels on the four corners of their robes to show their love for God. for everyone to see. 6They love the best seats at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues. 7And when they are in the market, they like to have people greet them as their teachers.
8But none of you should be called a teacher. You have only one teacher, and all of you are like brothers and sisters. 9Don't call anyone on earth your father. All of you have the same Father in heaven. 10None of you should be called the leader. The Messiah is your only leader. 11#Mt 20.26,27; Mk 9.35; 10.43,44; Lk 22.26. Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. 12#Lk 14.11; 18.14. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.
13-14You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. You won't go in yourselves, and you keep others from going in.#23.13,14 from going in: Some manuscripts add, “You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! And you're nothing but show-offs! You cheat widows out of their homes and then pray long prayers just to show off. So you will be punished most of all.”
15You Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You travel over land and sea to win one follower. And when you have done so, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are.
16You are in for trouble! You are supposed to lead others, but you are blind. You teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the temple. But you say it does matter if someone swears by the gold in the temple. 17You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18You also teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the altar. But you say it does matter if someone swears by the gift on the altar. 19Are you blind? Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Anyone who swears by the altar also swears by everything on it. 21And anyone who swears by the temple also swears by God, who lives there. 22#Is 66.1; Mt 5.34. To swear by heaven is the same as swearing by God's throne and by the one who sits on that throne.
23 #
Lv 27.30. You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You give God a tenth of the spices from your garden, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Yet you neglect the more important matters of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the important things you should have done, though you should not have left the others undone either. 24You blind leaders! You strain out a small fly but swallow a camel.
25You Pharisees and teachers are show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You wash the outside of your cups and dishes, while inside there is nothing but greed and selfishness. 26You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of a cup, and then the outside will also be clean.
27 #
Ac 23.3. You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You're like tombs that have been whitewashed.#23.27 whitewashed: Tombs were whitewashed to keep anyone from accidentally touching them. A person who touched a dead body or a tomb was considered unclean and could not worship with the rest of the Jewish people. On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they are full of bones and filth. 28That's what you are like. Outside you look good, but inside you are evil and only pretend to be good.
29You Pharisees and teachers are nothing but show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You build monuments for the prophets and decorate the tombs of good people. 30And you claim you would not have taken part with your ancestors in killing the prophets. 31But you prove you really are the relatives of the ones who killed the prophets. 32So keep on doing everything they did. 33#Mt 3.7; 12.34; Lk 3.7. You are nothing but snakes and the children of snakes! How can you escape going to hell?
34I will send to you prophets and wise people and experts in the Law of Moses. You will kill them or nail them to a cross or beat them in your synagogues or chase them from town to town. 35#Gn 4.8; 2 Ch 24.20-22. That's why you will be held guilty for the murder of every good person, beginning with the good man Abel. This also includes Barachiah's son Zechariah,#23.35 Zechariah: Genesis is the first book in the Jewish Scriptures, and it tells that Abel was the first person to be murdered. Second Chronicles is the last book in the Jewish Scriptures, and the last murder that it tells about is that of Zechariah. the man you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I can promise that you people living today will be punished for all these things!
Jesus Loves Jerusalem
(Luke 13.34,35)
37Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed the prophets and have stoned the messengers who were sent to you. I have often wanted to gather your people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn't let me. 38#Jr 22.5. And now your temple will be deserted. 39#Ps 118.26. You won't see me again until you say,
“Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord.”
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
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