The Gospel of Matthew Study Help (Matthew 23:16-24)

The End of Jesus’ Public ministry

Questions to be answered in this study

1. In the first Woe of Matthew chapter 23, what did Jesus condemn the Pharisees of doing?
2. What was the true purpose of the Law in the Old Testament?
3. Why did Jesus pronounce the second Woe against the Pharisees?
4. What was the purpose of the third Woe against the Pharisees?
5. If you are called to be a witness in the court of law, what is the alternative you can use instead of swearing on the Bible?
6. What was the major problem with the Pharisees in the time of Jesus and others throughout history?
7. Today, some teach that God wants believers to be wealthy; where in the Bible is that taught?
8. How does the tithe today differ from the tithes taught in the law of the Old Testament?
9. Is tithing taught in the New Testament?
10. Why give a tithe in the first place if it isn’t taught in the New Testament?
11. What does Matthew 23:38 mean in context? Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” 

Introduction

          We have been talking about the seven woes that Jesus pronounced against the false religious teachers of Israel, in Matthew chapter 23, and for their part in causing Israel to deny their Messiah. In human terms, Jesus offered Israel the kingdom but wound up on the cross instead. We have seen some of the methods the Pharisees used to mislead their followers, and some of those methods are still being used by false teachers today. This chapter is a lesson for us on recognizing false teachers when we see them.

           So far, we have studied the first two woes. In the first Woe, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for denying the kingdom, which bared themselves and their followers from it. Their false teaching was that God would accept them into the kingdom because they were Abraham’s children and because of their diligent law-keeping. They ignored the Bible’s teaching that men lived by faith, not by the law. The law was never given to save man; it was a mirror to show man his sinfulness.

          The second Woe was pronounced against them because they promoted their false religious system rather than recognizing God’s word and His Messiah. Instead of seeking converts to the Messiah, they used religion to enhance their wealth and power. They could have been a powerful ministry for bringing lost souls to the Lord, but instead, they were a hindrance keeping others from knowing the Messiah and therefore being damned to hell.

          The same two false teachings are present today as they have been in every age. False teachers are unbelievers who use religion to benefit their own needs. They encourage others to send their offerings rather than give them to the church. They promote books and videos, which mislead; they appear to be religious but are only interested in serving themselves at the expense of those who follow them.

          Today, we take up with the third Woe that Jesus pronounced upon Israel’s false religious leaders:

          23:16-22, “Woe 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.”

          The third Woe is about how oaths were sworn and enforced concerning a particular behavior taught by the Pharisees. A sworn oath is a promise to a higher authority to do a certain thing or things and be responsible to the authority if you fail to keep it. In a court of law setting, witnesses are asked to swear an oath to tell the truth saying, “so help me God.” Therefore, they are placing themselves under the authority of God and His judgment if the truth is not forthcoming. Jesus tells us in Matthew not to make oaths. I have been asked, as a witness, to swear an oath in court, for which I refused based on that command of Jesus. Instead, I used “I affirm to tell the truth,” which is acceptable by the court.

          We need to be very careful when making vows or promises. Never vow to do anything until you are sure you can fulfill the vow, and then never fail to do what you say. We don’t know what the future holds and therefore have no assurance that we can act in a certain way. Be careful before foolishly placing yourself under God’s judgment. There are, under God, no exceptions for not keeping your word. However, the Pharisees did make exceptions based on how the vow was made. If a person swore a vow by the temple or the altar, they were not held to it because it was counted invalid since swearing a vow near the temple or altar was equivalent to taking God’s name in vain. Therefore, it could be broken. 

          The Pharisees made their rules for their advantage to excuse those that were dishonest for a fee. If a person did not include the authority of God in their vow, it was a reason for it not to be kept. Also, they could not swear on the name of God less they broke the third commandment not to take God’s word in vain. Therefore, those dishonest would swear by the temple or altar, so if needed, they were not bound to keep their vow. All that was necessary was for these to break their vow was to go to a Pharisee, a judge of the law, and for a fee were excused from keeping their vow. The Pharisees always had loopholes available to forgive those who could pay them.

          Therefore, Jesus condemned these men for their perversion of justice and truth for money. 

In vs.19-22, Jesus reveals the truth that the distinctions in keeping vows that the Pharisees were making were not fooling God or anyone else. In verse 29, Jesus shows that the rules of the Pharisees made no sense. In verses 20 through 22, Jesus says that swearing by the temple is the same as swearing to God.

          The Pharisees were not interested in honoring God through the keeping of vows, and they were interested in finding a way to go around a vow to make money for themselves. Theirs gave an appearance of committing without being bound to it if the needs called for something different. 

           The problem with the Pharisees in the time of Jesus and throughout history is a love for money and a willingness to use religion and corrupt practices to get it. The Apostle Peter describes these false teachers as being like the evil prophet Balaam: “Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: a heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;” 2 Peter 2:14-15 (KJV). 

          Today, there are sadly many false teachers that are following the way of Balaam. They use religion to support their lavish lifestyle, living in mansions and driving expensive cars. I read of one televangelist who paid $10,000 per night for a luxury hotel. They teach and preach that God wants His followers to be wealthy when nowhere does the Scripture teach that. The Bible does teach that the love of money is the root of all evil.

          The Pharisees had such an influence on Israel that they rejected Jesus as their Messiah and, as a result, were shut off from the kingdom. Their disbelief was equivalent to the unpardonable sin, which doomed them to an eternity separated from God. There are false teachers today who are doing the same by teaching false doctrine passed down from one false prophet in the past. They stunt the potential spiritual growth of their followers sometimes dooming them to an eternal hell.

          The following verses take us to the fourth Woe that Jesus pronounces on the false religious leaders: 

           Matthew 23:23-24, “Woe 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.”

          Once again, Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees, calling them hypocrites who said one thing and did another. They did give a tithe, for which Jesus acknowledged. The law required the Jews to give a tithe in three ways. Today, if we offer a tithe of 10% in one way, we think we are doing great. However, the Jews during the time of Jesus tithed around 20-30% in three different ways under the law, which we are not under today. Even though the New Testament does not teach tithing per say, I believe that a tithe is the least we should give unless it is impossible because of the family’s actual needs. Loving and providing for the family is only second to loving God. I don’t mean if a family is wasting money, spending it on frivolous things, it excuses them from giving a tithe. Every believer should strive to give the tithe. Why give a tithe in the first place if it isn’t taught in the New Testament? Ask yourself: Should I give less under grace than the Old Testament believers gave under law? I don’t think so!

          The problem with the religious leaders was their restrictions, which were extreme while they overlooked the weightier matters like judgment, mercy, and faith. Jesus said they were blind guides who strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel. They put on a front of scrupulously keeping the law but only for the attention. Their concern was not helping their followers; they used them for their own personal gain. In their personal lives, they were hypocritical, failing to do what they commanded of others. According to what Jesus was saying, the Pharisees used their power to pervert the law, and instead they enforced their rules on others.

          The Pharisees only abided by those parts of God’s word that suited their selfish needs, usually the minor, while avoiding the weightier provisions as Jesus said, in a figure of speech, in verse 24. He said they strained at a gnat while swallowing a camel. The objective of the fourth Woe is selective obedience to God’s word, which the Pharisees committed through manipulation and hypocrisy.

          All of God’s word applies to each of us, not what we maintain is helpful to us for whatever reason. Christianity is not a matter of playing a game; it is committing our all to Christ to serve Him using the spiritual gifts He has given us.

          Today, false teachers take certain verses out of context to promote something the Bible does not teach. For instance, the teaching that it is baptism that saves based on a couple of places in Scripture that seem to indicate that: 1 Peter 3:21 is one of those verses: “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” There is more than just water baptism. For example, in 1 Corinthians 12:27 (KJV), we read, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”  The baptism of 1 Corinthians is waterless. The 1 Peter 3:21 reference above is pointing to what baptism pictures, which is described in the last words of the verse: “…. by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:” Burying a person in water represents the grave, but when they are raised from the water it pictures the resurrection of Jesus, as well as our resurrection to the newness of life. The resurrection is the capstone of the gospel, not water baptism.

          The above is how false teachers use the pattern of selective obedience to promote what they consider to be a Bible doctrine while ignoring what the Bible teaches about salvation in such passage as Ephesians 2:8-22 (KJV), “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” There is no mention of baptism in that crucial verse on salvation. Some even claim that salvation includes works while ignoring what the verse above teaches, which plainly says it is not by works lest any man should boast. The verse ends with the importance of works, which are ordained by the Lord, and that we should walk in them, not to be saved but because we are saved.

          Another example of false teaching is commonly used by some televangelists who teach their followers to send their money to them (They claim that it is giving their money to God, but it is actually sent to them.), which is an investment that will result in a far greater return. Their favorite Scripture to support this is Luke 6:38 (KJV), “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

          Their methods are somewhat like a pyramid scheme, in which by investing a little, you can expect much more in return. While their teaching may be appealing, they contradict the context of what the Bible teaches. In the case above. They assume that the “It” concerns money and isolate it from its context just two verses earlier, which shows it differently: Luke 6:36-38 King James Version (KJV) “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” The context of these verses is mercy and judgment; It is about forgiving others; therefore, you also shall receive the same treatment from others toward you and in abundance. God blesses us in many ways that are more valuable than money, His forgiveness for our sins and His mercy being far more precious.

          It is a misinterpretation to use these verses as a motivation to give more money with the expectation to receive more in return. In the first place, our motive for giving should be driven by love, not greed. When we use these verses in the view of money, it takes away from their true intention of how we are to treat others and God’s mercy and forgiveness toward us, which are far more important than money. I can understand why some unscrupulous TV preachers would use these verses to compel their followers to send their last dime to them with the promise the givers will receive a lot more in return; it means more money in the false teacher’s pockets. That would be the same as the Pharisees who would take a widow’s last dime, even their homes, if it meant more money for them. This thing leaves people thinking they can’t trust the Bible when it is the false teachers, they cannot trust who use them to make themselves wealthy.

          The primary focus of the believer is not to seek wealth to begin with; it should be to seek to obey our Lord and receive His heavenly rewards where neither moth nor rust does corrupt. Consider what the Bible says about wealth: Matthew 6:24 (KJV), “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” And again in 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (KJV), “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

          We do not receive contentment from money. Our contentment is in the Lord. Paul, who experienced both having plenty and also having little, said he learned to be content in whatever state he was in Philippians 4:11 (KJV), “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, in addition to that to be content.” Notice, Paul learned to be content; it was not automatic. We should pray that God will help us be content with whatever we have. God may bless us with much, but even then, we are not to become dependent on it because Jesus said that wealth is not the essence of one’s life, meaning that our devotion to Him is far more crucial and also builds our rewards in heaven.

          In our next study, we will complete Jesus’ teaching on the seven Woes and then enter what is considered the most crucial chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24.