The Gospel of Matthew Study Help (Matthew 23:11-15)

The End of Jesus’ Public ministry

Questions to be answered in this study

1. What were the two primary damages of the form of worship The Pharisees had constructed?
2. What was the big deception of Pharisaical religion? 
3. How did the Pharisees use poor people to get money from them?
4. According to the Apostle Paul, what is true worship?
5. How can trials become a positive influence in our lives?
6. What does woe mean and in what compacity did Jesus pronounce them on the Pharisees?
7. What was the first woe that Jesus pronounced on the Pharisees?
8. According to the Apostle Paul, what is the clear difference between true righteousness and self-righteousness?
9. Speaking to Thomas, one of His disciples, Jesus gave the only way of salvation. What is that one way, and what does it not include?
10. What was the reason for the second woe that Jeus pronounced on the Pharisees?
11. What is the commission that Jesus gave to the church?

Introduction

          In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus is giving His last public address just 36 hours before His crucifixion. He is in the temple, and it is on the day before His arrest. He is surrounded by the crowds, as He addresses the religious leaders condemning them for misleading Israel, as well as confusing, and abusing them. Jesus said they were hypocrites responsible for Israel not accepting Him as their Messiah.

          For their gross corruption, Jesus pronounces woes on them. These religious leaders had been teaching their false doctrine for ages, and they are still around today, although, they are not named as such as when Jesus spoke to them on this occasion. Jesus’ description of His contemporary false teachers is a lesson in how we can recognize them today. In that time and today, false teachers used their followers to turn their so-called ministry into their own personal wealth.

          The Pharisees had constructed a form of worship that deprived the people of the truth of God’s word and robbed them of the true joy and peace of worshiping God. They lived in fear of judgment from God because they failed to keep the unkeepable law that the Pharisees imposed on them through their Mishna. The big deception was that while the Pharisees insisted that the people keep the rules, they ignored them in private when it suited them. When in public, the Pharisees parlayed a religious perfection, which showed them to be religious experts in the eyes of the people, and when the people did turn to them for guidance, they leveraged it to enrich themselves. They used people in business and the wealthy, when they asked for advice, to forward them a favor and required a fee before granting divorces are rendering favorable judgments in matters concerning the law. They convinced those who were poor and desperate that their offerings to them were necessary for obedience toward God. Theirs was a scam to turn worship into wealth, which financed their luxurious lifestyle. 

          Mark 12 describes the exact moment that we are studying in Matthew Chapter 23: 

          Mark 12:38-44, “And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, 39And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: 40Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.”

          Peter reveals the evil intent of these so-called religious leaders who would even take widow’s houses, their last possession, to satisfy their greed. False greedy teachers have always been around, and according to the Bible, there are some in the Church. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not,” 2 Peter 2:1-3 (KJV). According to Peter, we need to be aware of those who profess to be teachers from God who are unbelievers who will misguide people and use religion for personal gain. Those who follow them will also face God’s judgment.

          The Pharisees show no remorse for those they mislead and for the lives they destroyed with their lies and false deeds. Jesus warns His disciples of them and tells them to avoid them and their methods of deception.

          That is where we take up again in Chapter 23:

           Matthew 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.”

          It is incredible how one well-known religion ignores the commandment of Jesus not to call any man father on earth and they insists on their religious leaders being called Father. Jesus said there is only one Father who is in heaven. That same group exalts leaders with lofty titles. Jesus said whosoever exalts himself shall be abased. Titles are sometimes needed for distinguishing a person for service but are never to be sought for selfish means or to bring honor to the person. In God’s sight, we are to serve others, not to be served. The Pharisees were proud and desired to be honored, served, and recognized by their titles and how they dressed. They wanted to control the lives of others and use them to enhance their own wealth.

          Jesus says in v.11 that he that is the greatest among you shall be your servant, and in verse 12, Jesus says humility is the basis for our reward in the future Kingdom. God will honor those who are humble in His sight. Ministers are to be respected for the service they render but are never to be praised; our praise is reserved for our Lord alone. A faithful servant of the Lord does not want special attention and recognition as someone of importance. If that is the case, they will be humbled before almighty God one day. It is by exalting others that God exalts His servants in the Kingdom. As Jesus said earlier, “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.”

          The Apostle Paul said in Romans 12 that true worship is to make our lives a living sacrifice in serving the needs of others. We don’t go to Church to get but to give. The church is not a rock and roll concert designed to entertain and attract people; it is a place to grow spiritually through the preaching of God’s word and a place of lifting our praise together as the body of Christ to God. It is not merely meeting in a building thinking we have fulfilled our obligation to God for the day. 

          Life is not easy and often presents us with challenges concerning loss of health, finances, etc. We must remember that everything that comes to us as believers goes through God first, and he knows in advance our needs and what our future holds. If we only think about solving each issue, we may miss the opportunity to take advantage of a present challenge to gain more insight into what God is working out in our lives. Trials can become personal learning sessions, preparing us for a greater purpose in God’s Kingdom. 

          It was not the intention of the Pharisees when they spoke of the Kingdom to advance it; it was related to the world for what they could get from it. Because of their greed, Israel was left desolate without hope. So, Jesus pronounces woe on them. The Greek word for woe is “ouai,” pronounced “ooway.” It means grief or condemnation. However, as Jesus uses it here, it also includes eternal damnation. Altogether, Jesus pronounces seven woes; seven in the Bible means completion. Each woe represents an area of the sins committed by the Pharisees. While these were sins of the Pharisees’ they are not only sins committed by them; they represent the millions of sins committed by religious imposters every day. Sadly, these sins can also cause believers to stumble and fail in their service to God.

          We begin the study of the first woe in the Pharisees’ Hall of Fame in verse 13:

          Matthew 23:13, “But 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.”

          The first woe against the religious leaders, and the worst, is their rejection of the eternal life as offered by their Messiah. Their leadership caused others who followed them to miss the kingdom. Although the Pharisees taught the Kingdom of heaven, their practices kept their followers from entering it. They trusted the keeping of their laws and works, their self-righteousness, as the way to the Kingdom. They believed their works equaled righteousness, but it did not equal God’s perfect righteousness, which is a requirement to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

          In Romans 3:20-23 (KJV), Paul makes clear the difference between true righteousness and self-righteousness: “Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;22Even the righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Paul says further in Titus 3:5 (KJV), “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” 

          God’s standard of entering heaven is perfect righteousness, and all of us fall short of it. Then how are we to go to heaven? We go to heaven because God has washed us, regenerated us, and renewed us by His Holy Spirit, which lives within each believer, and He imputed the perfect righteousness of Christ to our account.

          The Pharisees taught the opposite. They claimed that their system of keeping their rules and working hard to abide by the Mishna was the way to heaven. Jesus condemned them, saying that they were cut off from the Kingdom for they trusted in their works instead of the work God would perform through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Their teaching also barred others from the Kingdom.

          Today, some claim that there is more than one way to heaven in defense of those religions that do not include Jesus in their doctrines. Jesus taught that there is only one way to heaven. Speaking to Thomas, one of His disciples, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” John 14:6-11 (KJV). Notice that Jesus did not include keeping the law, living well, or being baptized.

          Jesus said earlier, “if we want to be exalted in the Kingdom, we must be willing to be humbled.” How true that is in God’s plan of salvation. We don’t go to God with a proud heart declaring our worthiness; we go to Him in humility, asking for His forgiveness for our sins.

          Luke gives an example of humility in Luke 18:10-14 (KJV): “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

          There was a great contrast between the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisee exults himself, claiming his righteousness and worthiness of the praise of God, while the publican next to him declares his unworthiness and asks God’s forgiveness for his sins. He is the one who went away justified in God’s sight, not the self-righteous Pharisee. True salvation is coming to Jesus recognizing God’s grace; there is no other way to heaven.

          The first woe is to alert us of false teachers spreading a false Gospel of works, which cannot save. Now let us consider the second part of the first woe:

          Matthew 23:14, “Woe 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.”

          It is believed that copyists added this verse to Matthew from Mark’s Gospel to align the two accounts of the first woe. Since we have already studied the first woe in verse 15, we will take up the second woe in the following verse:

          Matthew 23:15, “Woe 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 the second woe, Matthew says the Pharisees would go the lengths of the earth to proselyte one person only to make them twice the child of Hell than themselves. It was their false religion that they promoted and the Mishna rather than the gospel of Christ and the word of God. Their approach was so enticing that their converts thought joining with them was a privilege. The Pharisees promoted works as the way to heaven, which made their followers feel that they were worthy of heaven. Still, it was not easy for the Pharisees to recruit new followers, so they had to travel far and wide to find them.

          Some religions are known by focusing on one particular doctrine that they promote above everything else, including the gospel; it may be a religious ceremony, healing, meeting on a specific day of the week, baptism, works, etc. Therefore, the gospel is overshadowed and replaced by something else. That was the issue Jesus pointed out about the Pharisees who promoted a system of religion rather than the gospel of God’s word. Therefore, the first woe was against their false religious system, and the second woe was against preaching a false gospel. Their greatest sin was leading people in the wrong direction, which doomed their eternal soul to Hell.

          The lesson to us today is to be careful not to be misled by false and destructive beliefs that distract from the gospel, whether it be entertainment instead of worship, modern fads, or a movement away from the traditional truth of the Bible. Find a church where the worship is pure and directed to God and where the Bible is preached rather than a service that is more of a rock and roll concert with smoke pots and flashing lights, and the preaching is on themes rather than the Scripture.

           The commission Jesus gave the Church is quite simple: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen,” Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV).

          We are the bride of Christ, and our mission on earth is to show others how to go to heaven and then teach the word of God in the same manner Jesus taught when He was on earth. How we go about it matters; we are never to distract people from the truth by emphasizing other issues.