The Gospel of Matthew Study Help (Matthew 23:1-12)

The End of Jesus’ Public ministry

Questions to be answered in this study

1. What was Israel’s unforgivable sin?
2. Why did Jesus withdraw His offer of the kingdom from Israel?
3. What was Jesus’ ultimate purpose for coming to earth?
4. What is Jesus’ final hours on earth called?
5. Why did Israel reject Jesus as their Messiah?
6. Why did the Pharisees deceive their own people?
7. What is the Jewish Mishna?
8. What was the purpose of the Law of Moses?
9. Why did the Pharisees broaden their phylacteries, and what were phylacteries?
10. Why did the Pharisees lengthen the tassels on their garments?
11. In what four areas did the Pharisees seek to get honor?
12. What is the direct source of Knowledge?
13. Why is it important to keep our eyes on God and not people?

Introduction

Beginning with Chapter 23 of Matthew’s Gospel, we come to the end of Jesus’ public ministry. Just three years earlier, at the time of another Passover, Jesus began his public ministry, which was headlined by the baptism of Jesus in the Jordon River. Over the period of three years, Jesus has fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. He called out His disciples who would continue the ministry and continue the establishment of the church. His healing ministry included performing miracles, raising the dead, healing the sick, restoring hearing and sight, and casting out demons. His ministry encompassed Judea as He and His disciples walked its length and breadth. He preached the gospel of repentance and the coming kingdom. Through all of this, Israel still rejected Jesus as their Messiah.

Just six months before today’s events, Israel committed the unforgivable sin by openly rejecting Jesus and declaring Him a servant of Satan, who worked miracles by Satan’s power. Why the crowds accepted that falsehood over all they had witnessed with their own eyes is unexplainable. After this, Jesus withdrew His offer of the kingdom to Israel, and consequentially, they are still in their disbelief until this very day. After this, Jesus spent a good deal of His time preparing His disciples for the kingdom work that lay ahead after His crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension into heaven.

In today’s study, it is barely 48 hours until Jesus’ death, and He issues His final public statement declaring woe upon the present generation of Israel and their religious leaders. It is now at the end of a long day at the temple in which Jesus has repeatedly refuted the religious leaders and given proof of their errors. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians have challenged Jesus four times, and each time Jesus has proven Himself to be the Messiah beyond doubt, the spotless lamb of God. This final public discourse finishes His public ministry. In 24 hours, He will be arrested by the Romans and taken before Pilot, and in 36 hours, He will be nailed to the cross, fulfilling His ultimate purpose for coming to earth.

Jesus final hours on earth is referred to as His private ministry in which He speaks privately to His disciples during the Olivet discourse and the Last Supper. These events will be our study for the next few weeks.

Now, as we take up Jesus’ last confrontation with Israel’s religious teachers, we see the part they have in bringing Israel to these final hours of Jesus’ life on earth.

Matthew 23:1-7, “Then 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. 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. 8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.”

Chapter 23 begins with Jesus teaching the multitude and His disciples, but His message was focused directly on the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of Israel. Jesus describes them as wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus pronounces judgment on these false teachers and exposes their motives and methods of proposing that others do the things they refused to do. Israel had a long history of being led astray by corrupt leaders. Today many are being led astray by false, corrupt preachers and teachers for their personal gain. They collect their money from the poor while they live in luxury. 

Shortly before Israel was conquered by Babylon, God rebuked Israel’s leaders who had failed to shepherd the people as we read in Ezekiel 34:1-6: “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,2Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 4The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. 5And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. 6My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the, and none did search or seek after them.”

In the form of a metaphor, God said that these leaders slaughtered the sheep they were supposed to guard and feed while clothed with wool garments and were well fed. They did the opposite of a good shepherd who sacrificed themselves for the sheep and instead sacrificed the sheep to meet their own needs and desires. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were continuing that same tradition during the time of Jesus. They were taking advantage of the people to enrich themselves and teaching them to carry heavy burdens that they themselves would not bear. They were responsible for Israel rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. They did not want to lose their authority over the people, which would result in loss of status and their means of wealth and comfort.

Jesus In v.2 begins to describe the corrupt ways of Israel’s religious leaders; He says they seat themselves in the seat of Moses and say one thing but do another. There was an actual chair of Moses found in each synagogue in Jewish towns during those days. A judge sat in that chair and judged violations of the law of Moses. The Pharisees appointed themselves to be the judges who judged the law on Moses. They judged others but did not do as they said others should do.

The Pharisees had the reputation of doing what best served them. However, they did prescribe elaborate daily rituals for fasting, washing, praying, studying, clothing, hair, etc., which they invented. Their way of life was one of misery completely controlled by rules. They appeared to be pious, devoted servants, but Jesus exposed them for what they were and not what they appeared to be before others. They strived to impress the crowds, but it all was only an act. They were hypocrites who did not bother to do the things they told others to do.

The Pharisee’s purpose for the deception was their way of gaining wealth from the people while exercising power over them. Jesus exposed them, which was a threat to them, which motivated them to kill Jesus ultimately.

In v.4, Jesus says, “For 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.” A merchant preparing to take his merchandise to market would bundle it and load it on the back of a donkey, which carried the weight of the load while the merchant walked alongside; this was a metaphor of how the Pharisees placed heavy burdens on others while they were unfettered.  

The Pharisees, as the example indicated in Ezekiel 34:4, ignored the weightier things and cruelly ruled over the people: “The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.

The Pharisees incorporated their rules into the Mishna, the Jewish rule book of religious practices, which had no reference to the word of God, but were only man-made rules of behavior. However, their laws were for others to bear, like the merchant who placed the burden on the back of a donkey. Ironically, the Jews tried to follow these rules because the Pharisees said they were God’s commands. Keeping the regulations denote righteousness but failed God’s standard of perfect righteousness that only Jesus demonstrated. 

Paul made it clear in Romans that keeping the law fell short of true righteousness. The law proves that we are sinful because we fail to keep it. Nevertheless, the Pharisees ignored the teaching of Jesus and were determined to continue to follow their rule-keeping, but with limits. They could not keep their own rules perfectly even though they confessed to doing so, making themselves to be hypocrites. 

Jesus describes their actions in verse four, saying they would not even lift their smallest finger to do what they commanded others to do, not willing even to keep the smallest of their rules while the people struggled under the heavy burden to which the Pharisees subjected them. Their way was the way of legalism, which substitutes man’s ways for the grace of God. 

Jesus In v.5 says that the Pharisees only pretended to abide by their rules to gain the praise and attention of others and not by the heavenly Father. Jesus used two examples to describe the Pharisees; They broadened their phylacteries and lengthened the tassels on their garments to attract attention. The phylacteries were small boxes in which the Pharisees placed bits of paper with three verses of Scripture from the law. They tied these tiny boxes to their hair or their left arms so others could see them. These practices were of their own making and a misinterpretation of Deuteronomy 6:7-8, which said that law was to be taught to sons and bound to their hands. They were to practice doing as the word instructs along wherever they may be or wherever they went. The law was to be placed on their forehead, meaning it was to be kept in their mind, not attached in a small box.

In verse 5, Jesus said that these men broadened their phylacteries, making them larger to attract more attention. Attaching large boxes to your hair would surely attract attention. Jesus notes that the purpose was to gain the notice of men. They also made the tassels on their garments longer to show themselves to be more holy than others. Deuteronomy 22:12 did instructs tassels were to be sewn to the hem of their garments in four places. The Pharisees’ purpose in This was to try and convince others that they were above the average in keeping the law.

The Pharisees used their religious power to their advantage to gain political power and enhance themselves financially. They sold their products by creating a need for them in the people’s minds. They pretended to be the only source of cure for the diseases that plagued the people and their help in keeping the multitude of rules they invented. They centered on the needs of others to provide their gain. They pretended to help others to receive something in return. We call that “quid pro quo,” which is very common in our society today, particularly in politics.

In verses 6-7, Jesus lists four areas that the Pharisees sought honor: 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.

• First, they loved to be seated in the most prominent seats at feasts. Seats were granted according to status; the most desired seat was next to the host. This seat was where the Pharisees expected to sit since they were considered the most honorable.
• Second, they expected to be seated in the front of the room closest to the sacred Tora scrolls in the synagogues since they were considered the highest religious authority.
• Third, they expected to be greeted respectfully in the marketplaces and receive financial favors and discounts.
• Fourth, The Pharisees are expected to be addressed as Rabbis or teachers. Disciples were to respect the Rabbi more than anyone else. They were considered the highest authority instead of God. 

In verse 8, Jesus corrects the Pharisees, “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.” 

Jesus warns His disciples against following in these men’s example:

Matt. 23:8-12, “But 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.”

Jesus instructs His disciples not to seek titles and honor but to become servants of the Lord. Understandably, specific titles are needed in the church. Jesus gave His disciple the title of Apostles to distinguish them with a particular place of service. The New Testament recognizes Pastors and deacons for a particular service. Therefore, a title is not necessarily wrong; it is the purpose for seeking a title. If it is for personal prestige or for taking advantage of the flock, then it is wrong. Pride in a minister’s heart leads to the same kind of corruption as the Pharisees.

A teacher is not the source of knowledge; he is only the instrument; knowledge; The Holy Spirit transfers knowledge to the student. The teacher is not to be glorified; all glory belongs to God. We are not to call men Father; there is only one Father, and He is our Heavenly Father from which all knowledge and blessings flow. Men are not in charge of dispersing spiritual worship; only God has that authority. Pastors, deacons, and teachers have their place of service and should receive our respect, but they are only fallible struggling with the same issues as the rest of us. It is God who accomplishes His purpose through them. The bottom line is to keep your eyes on God and not on people. As we all have experienced, people will sometimes let you down and sometimes even abuse you, but you can always depend on God and His goodness to love you and care for you.