Matthew 23 - Superficial Spirituality versus Genuine Humility

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Enduring Word Commentary

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. 8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

The tension between the Pharisees and Jesus has been mounting for some time now. They have been trying to trap Jesus in His words, and he has been putting them in their place at every turn. There are two issues Jesus has with the Pharisees and teachers of the law.  First, they tell others what to do and don't do it themselves. They go by the motto, "Do what I say not what I do!" Second, they love to be noticed and admired and use their religiosity to gain respect. They want to be called by their titles and love the seats of honor. They think more highly of themselves than they ought to. 

They crave the seats of highest honor at banquets and in their meeting places. 7And how they love to be admired by men with their titles of respect, aspiring to be recognized in public and have others call them ‘Reverend.’ (TPT)

In contrast to them, Jesus call his disciples to be servants. As servants of Christ, they are not to be concerned with titles. Jesus defines true greatness as not looking to be served but serving others. Of course, this is something Jesus was more than willing to do and will be exemplified when he dies on the cross for the sins of the world. In the kingdom, those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 

Remember this: If you have a lofty opinion of yourself and seek to be honored, you will be humbled. But if you have a modest opinion of yourself and choose to humble yourself, you will be honored.” (TPT)

Importantly servanthood is something you choose, just as Jesus chose to humble himself by coming to heaven to earth. Therefore, God exalted Jesus to the highest place and gave him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father, (From Philippians 2:1-5)

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [14] [b] 15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. 16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. 23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

Jesus then gives a scathing rebuke to the Pharisees replete with seven different woes. The worst part about them is that they teach and act in such a way to actually obstruct people from entering God's kingdom. 

Great sorrow awaits  you religious scholars and you Pharisees—such frauds and pretenders! You do all you can to keep people from experiencing the reality of heaven’s kingdom realm. (TPT)

They do certain things as required by the Mosaic law, like tithing, but they don't practice mercy and justice. Though they look squeaky clean on the outside, on the inside one they are stained by lust, greed and arrogance. 

Great sorrow awaits you religious scholars and Pharisees—frauds and imposters! You are like one who will only wipe clean the outside of a cup or bowl, leaving the inside filthy. You are foolish to ignore the greed and self-indulgence that live like germs within you. 26You are blind to your evil. Shouldn’t the one who cleans the outside also be concerned with cleaning the inside? You need to have more than clean dishes; you need clean hearts! (TPT)

Though it is easy to judge the Pharisees, maybe there is a little bit of Pharisee in each of us. There are times we try to look at certain way at church, when if people knew what was really going on in our hearts and lives that would see we struggle to be a true Christ-follower. And all of us can be prone to doing things to be seen by others. Whether it is our practices of reading the bible or prayer, or sharing out faith with others, or serving in a minstry, there is a part of all of us that wants to be noticed and recognized for all of the good things we are doing for Jesus! 

We can all strive to have our insides match our outsides and be true and humble servants not needing to be recognized by others, but content knowing our Father knows and is pleased. 

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. 37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’[c]” 

Jesus finishes his tirade against the Pharisees by calling them "snakes" and a "brood of vipers". You know this wasn't going to go well with the religious leaders. It was the beginning for Jesus with them. 

Jesus in the end though shows his true heart when he tells them that he longs to gather them as children, like a hen gathers their chicks. Jesus did everything he could to show his love to them, but they were unwilling to accept him. Jesus could not make them accept him, just like he can't do this today. 

Though he is condemning them to hell, he also says that the next time they see him they will say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." This seems odd. Presumably this is when Jesus returns, so why would they give him this response?

You shall see Me no more till you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” Jesus here revealed something of the conditions surrounding His Second Coming. When Jesus comes again, the Jewish people will welcome Him as the Messiah saying, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” It will take a great deal to bring Israel to that point, but God will do it. It is promised that Israel will welcome Jesus back, even as the Apostle Paul said in Romans 11:26: And so all Israel will be saved. (Guzik)

Where are the areas of your life where you need to be more aligned with the way Jesus lived his life? How can this help your witness to others, as they see you "walk the talk"? How can you practice doing acts of service in secret knowing your true reward will be in heaven someday?