Bible Study series: Matthew 23:1-12. Don’t obsess over titles. “The one who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
A warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together. I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 23:1-12
1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples, 2 saying, “The teachers of the law and Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses. 3 Do and keep everything they may tell you, but do not do according to their actions, for they preach but do not practice. 4 They bind and place on people’s shoulders heavy burdens which are difficult to carry, but they are unwilling to lift their finger to move them. 5 All of their works they do in order to be seen by people, for they widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels; 6 they love the first place at dinners and the first seats in the synagogues, 7 and the greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people. 8 But you should not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, and all of you are brothers and sisters. 9 And you should not be called your ‘father’ on earth, for one is your Father in heaven. 10 Neither should you be called ‘tutor’ because your tutor is one, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you is your servant. 12 The one who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matt. 23:1-12)
Comments:
This entire hard-hitting chapter has a purpose. It may be difficult for a modern, tolerant, sleepy audience to see an entire class of people coming under God’s judgment in real time (so to speak), but God through his Son does not hold back. Be brave in reading this chapter, as you have from Matt. 21 (Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem), and all the way through Matt. 24 (he predicts the temple’s destruction). You are about to witness the prophetic Messiah taking down an entire, obsolete religious system.
Did Jesus Forbid the Title of ‘Teacher’?
1:
Jesus lived in an honor and shame society. And he is about to denounce the teachers of the law and Pharisees in public, so the crowds of people and his disciples can move on past the Old Order of the Old Temple and its caretakers. The old regime was about to collapse and be left behind.
2:
The teachers of the law and Pharisees were seemingly righteous. Do you remember what Paul said in Phil. 3:4-6? He was zealous for the law; he said he was blameless in law keeping. Preachers today say that it’s impossible to keep the law. Perhaps. But Paul said he was blameless. Paul also said he had persecuted the church. That was very righteous, from his limited point of view. So how does true righteousness go beyond the external righteousness of those two devout groups?
Righteousness has to be internal. The teachers of the law and Pharisees were going in the wrong direction. They put on outward shows. They were oppressive. Jesus finally denounces them, saying they were confused about sacred things and loved the gold of the temple (23:16-17); they kept the letter of the law, but neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness (or justice) (23:23). They were full of greed and self-indulgence, like cups washed on the outside, but not in the inside (23:25-26). They were like whitewashed tombs, looking good on the outside, but full of death on the inside; application: they look good to people, but they are full of hypocrisy and wickedness (23:27-28). Behind the façade, they did awful things. Their ancestors killed God’s prophets, and the Pharisees and teachers claim they never would, but they were wrong. “Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!” (v. 32). They were about to push for the death of the Messiah. He is going to send them prophets and sages and teachers, but they will kill them too (23:33-36).
Therefore kingdom righteousness has to be planted in the soul when someone first acknowledges his bankruptcy, enters the kingdom, receives mercy, and operates through kingdom strength to work out what God is working in. A new covenant is coming. The King of heaven is launching it through the Messiah King. Righteousness has to flow from it, from the inside out.
8 Righteousness of the Kingdom
Now let’s do a quick review of the Pharisees and teachers of the law:
“Pharisees”:
“teachers of the law”: They can also be called scribes.
You can learn more about both groups here:
Quick Reference to Jewish Groups in Gospels and Acts
Both groups were the Watchdogs of Theology and Behavior (David E. Garland, Luke: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Zondervan, 2011], p. 243). The problem which Jesus had with them can be summed up in Eccl. 7:16: “Be not overly righteous.” He did not quote that verse, but to him they were much too enamored with the finer points of the law, while neglecting its spirit (Luke 11:37-52; Matt. 23:1-36). Instead, he quoted this verse from Hos. 6:6 (ESV): “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice” … (see Matt. 9:13; 12:7). Overdoing righteousness, believe it or not, can damage one’s relationship with God and others.
They may sit in the seat of Moses, and God may have had a plan for them, but they failed to live up to his purposes. The proof is that they cannot see the Messiah standing right in front of them. Two commentators say that this announcement of their seat of authority is ironical, because the next verses tell them how far off they are. In other words, God did not send them or set up this system of legalism (France and Carson).
Osborne, in agreement with France and Carson, says that the two best interpretations is first Jesus is using sarcasm or irony. The second interpretation is to read 3a in light of 3b—the teachers talk the talk (3a), so approval (only in principle) but do not walk the walk (3b) …. (comment 23:3).
4-7:
Now Jesus lists the inconsistencies of the teachers of the law and Pharisees, which boil down to their saying one thing and doing another. Two quick points before we return to the bigger picture. Phylacteries were tiny leather boxes that they bound on their arms and forehead with leather straps, particularly during prayer, which the Torah commanded them to do (Deut. 6:8; 11:18). They contained texts of Scripture. They could be made more conspicuous by enlarging the boxes. The tassels were on the corner of the Jewish cloaks and required by the law (Num. 15:38-39; Deut. 22:12). They were worn on top of the outer garment, as Jesus did (Matt. 9:20; 14:36), so he was not condemning the fibers of cloth, but the fake attitude behind them. (Only in later Judaism did they wear fringed shawls especially for prayer.) The fringes or tassels were intended for a visual aid (Num. 15:39). Lengthening them was a way to show off (France pp. 861-62).
The rest of the verses exposes ostentatious displays and love of people’s favor. They lost track that one is supposed honor and fear God, not seek people’s approval and respect. God’s favor over people’s applause.
8-12:
I have now moved my commentary to this post:
Did Jesus Forbid the Title of ‘Teacher’?
GrowApp for Matt. 23:1-12
1. Jesus says no to inconsistent (hypocritical) living. How is your life in Christ? Inconsistent or steady? Be honest.
2. When you exalt yourself, God will humble you. But when you humble yourself, God will exalt you. Have you ever experienced this?
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1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES AND MORE
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom. You will also find a “Summary and Conclusion” for discipleship.
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