23 1Then Jesus spoke to the people and to his followers. He said, 2"The teachers of the law and the Phariseesa have the authority to tell you what the Law of Mosesb says. 3So you should obey them. Do everything they tell you to do. But their lives are not good examples for you to follow. They tell you to do things, but they don't do those things themselves. 4They make strict rules that are hard for people to obey. They try to force others to obey all their rules. But they themselves will not try to follow any of those rules.5"The only reason they do what they do is for other people to see them. They make the little Scripturec boxes they wear bigger and bigger. And they make the tasselse on their prayer clothes long enough for people to notice them. 6These men love to have the places of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagoguesf. 7They love for people to show respect to them in the marketplaces and to call them 'Teacher.' 8"But you must not be called 'Teacher.' You are all equal as brothers and sisters. You have only one Teacher. 9And don't call anyone on earth 'Father.' You have one Father. He is in heaven. 10And you should not be called 'Master.' You have only one Master, the Messiahg. 11Whoever serves you like a servant is the greatest among you. 12People who think they are better than others will be made humble. But people who humble themselves will be made great. 13"It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocritesh! You close the way for people to enter God's kingdomi. You yourselves don't enter, and you stop those who are trying to enter. 14j 15"It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites. You travel across the seas and across different countries to find one person who will follow your ways. When you find that person, you make him worse than you are. And you are so bad that you belong in hell! 16"It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You guide the people, but you are blind. You say, 'If anyone uses the name of the Templek to make a promise, that means nothing. But anyone who uses the gold that is in the Temple to make a promise must keep that promise.' 17You are blind fools! Can't you see that the Temple is greater than the gold on it? It's the Temple that makes the gold holyl! 18"And you say, 'If anyone uses the altarm to make a promise, that means nothing. But anyone who uses the gift on the altar to make a promise must keep that promise.' 19You are blind! Can't you see that the altar is greater than any gift on it? It's the altar that makes the gift holy! 20Whoever uses the altar to make a promise is really using the altar and everything on the altar. 21And anyone who uses the Temple to make a promise is really using the Temple and God, who lives in it. 22Whoever uses heaven to make a promise is using God's throne and the one who is seated on it. 23"It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, dill, and cumin.n But you don't obey the really important teachings of the law - being fair, showing mercy, and being faithful. These are the things you should do. And you should also continue to do those other things. 24You guide the people, but you are blind! Think about a man picking a little fly out of his drink and then swallowing a camel! You are like thato. 25"It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You wash clean the outside of your cups and dishes. But inside they are full of what you got by cheating others and pleasing yourselves. 26Pharisees, you are blind! First make the inside of the cup clean and good. Then the outside of the cup will also be clean. 27"It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like tombsp that are painted white. Outside they look fine, but inside they are full of dead people's bones and all kinds of filth. 28It is the same with you. People look at you and think you are godly. But on the inside you are full of hypocrisyq and evil. 29"It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophetsr. And you show honor to the graves of the godly people who were killed. 30And you say, 'If we had lived during the time of our ancestorss, we would not have helped them kill these prophets.' 31So you give proof that you are descendants of those who killed the prophets. 32And you will finish the sin that your ancestors started! 33"You are snakes! You are from a family of poisonous snakes! You will not escape God. You will all be judged guilty and go to hell! 34So I tell you this: I send to you prophets and teachers who are wise and know the Scriptures. You will kill some of them. You will hang some of them on crosses. You will beat some of them in your synagogues. You will chase them from town to town. 35"So you will be guilty for the death of all the good people who have been killed on earth. You will be guilty for the killing of that godly man Abel. And you will be guilty for the killing of Zechariaht son of Berachiah. He was killed between the Temple and the altar. You will be guilty for the killing of all the good people who lived between the time of Abel and the time of Zechariaht. 36Believe me when I say that all these things will happen to you people who are living now. aPharisee A person who belonged to a Jewish religious group that claimed to follow carefully all Jewish laws and customs. bMoses One of the most important leaders of the Israelites during the time of the Old Testament. God used him to give the people his law, which is often called “the Law of Moses.” cScripture Part of the Scriptures or “Holy Writings” - the Old Testament. d23:5 Scripture boxes Small leather boxes containing four important Scriptures. Some Jews tied these to the forehead and left arm to show their devotion to God and his word. Many Pharisees made these bigger to show that they were more religious than others. e23:5 tassels Decorations made from wool threads that hung down from the four corners of the clothing or prayer shawls worn by Jews. They were supposed to be reminders of God’s commands (see Num. 15:38-41). fsynagogue A place in many cities where Jews gathered for prayer, study of the Scriptures, and other public meetings. gMessiah A Hebrew word that has the same meaning as the Greek word Christ (see “Christ”). It was a title for the kings of God’s people in the Old Testament and for the special king God promised to send as a “savior” to defeat evil and establish the reign of God. Many prophets made it clear that this new kingdom would be eternal; that is, not only would the promised Messiah bring about a time of justice and right living among God’s people here on earth, but also his kingdom would extend beyond this world to life forever with God. However, most Jews of the first century expected the Messiah to be a political ruler here on earth who would defeat the other nations and return the nation of Israel to a position of great glory and power. But God intended his Messiah to establish a new “Israel,” an eternal kingdom that would bless all the nations. hhypocrite A person with wrong motives who pretends to be good. iGod’s kingdom The “reign” or “rule” of God over all people who submit to him by accepting Jesus as the Messiah (the appointed king), who represents God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus was the perfect example of submission to the will of God. When people give control of their lives to Jesus, they become part of God’s kingdom and begin to enjoy the blessings he has promised his people from the beginning. (Note that in Matthew this term also translates the Greek word “kingdom” by itself or the phrase, “the kingdom of the heavens,” which was used by Jews as a way to avoid saying the divine name.) j23:14 Some Greek copies add verse 14: “It will be bad for you, teachers of the law and you Pharisees. You are hypocrites. You cheat widows and take their homes. Then you make long prayers so that people can see you. So you will have a worse punishment.” See Mk. 12:40; Lk. 20:47. kTemple The permanent building in Jerusalem that replaced the portable “Holy Tent” that was used by the Israelites from the time of their wandering in the desert to the reign of King Solomon, when the first Temple was built. Like the Holy Tent, the Temple was the center of Israelite worship, although provision was made for it to be “a house of prayer for all nations” (Isa. 56:7). lholy When referring to people or things, holy means set apart or chosen for a special use; especially, belonging to God or used only for him. It can also mean pure or perfect, worthy of God and fit for his service. When God is called holy, in addition to the idea of pure and perfect, it often means he is completely separate or different from and above everything else that exists. In the New Testament God’s people are holy because they have been made perfect and pure through Christ and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, keep themselves away from sin and live only for God. maltar A raised area, pile of stones, or table where sacrifices were offered as gifts to God. An important altar was the one in front of the Temple in Jerusalem. See also “golden altar.” n23:23 You give … cumin Literally, “You tithe mint, dill, and cumin.” The Law of Moses required Israelites to share their food supply by dedicating a tenth of their field crops and livestock to God (see Lev. 27:30-32; Deut. 26:12). This did not include such small garden plants as those mentioned here. So these Pharisees were giving more than required to be sure they were not breaking the Law. o23:24 You are like that Meaning “You worry about the smallest mistakes but commit the biggest sin.” ptomb A grave dug in a wall of rock or a building where a dead body is buried. It can also be a small building made to show respect for important people who had died. qhypocrisy Pretending to be good while hiding wrong motives. rprophet A person who speaks a message from God. Many of the books in the Old Testament are messages spoken or written by “the prophets,” who were some of those God chose to speak for him. God often used dreams or visions to tell or show his prophets what they should say. sancestors Literally, “fathers,” meaning a person’s parents, grandparents, and all the other people that person is descended from. In the New Testament it usually refers to people who lived during Old Testament times. t23:35 Abel, Zechariah In the Hebrew Old Testament, these are the first and last persons murdered. u23:39 Quote from Ps. 118:26. |