Matthew 23:14   These men were practitioners of religious extortion. They pretended to know so much of the law, and justified themselves to such an extent, that there was little they would not do. The encouraged the poor to trust them. But, they abused their privileges. Beyond this, they pretended the greatest piety in spite of…

Matthew 23:13   Being the teachers of the Jews these men were very much responsible for the failure of the people as a whole to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Had the leaders of the Jews had a different attitude towards Christ the response among the mass of the people would have been more favorable. Indeed,…

Matthew 23:12   This is a key verse in this passage because this sums up Jesus’ words about titles. Humility rather than pride should rule the day. Those who want to be called by some special title have themselves in mind. Those who have service as their focus are in the right. Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 8:1-11:27…

Matthew 23:11   This has been always true among Christians. Although there have been those who tried to be great leaders without also being servants to their fellows, these have been the more easily forgotten or marginalized. The truly great ones among the body of Christ have been the truly servant-hearted ones. Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 4:1-7:29…

Matthew 23:10   The best way to understand what Jesus wants here would be Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 11:1. He tells the Corinthians to follow him, but as he followed Christ. So, we should not follow another upon their own merits, but only as they follow Jesus. He is the measure of authority. He is…

Matthew 23:9   It is important to understand the situation in Jesus’ day, which continues in orthodox Judaism until today. The Torah is the biblical law given to Moses. There was then the Mishna, which is the ‘oral law’ that is not found in the scriptures. And then there is the Talmud, which is a commentary…

Matthew 23:8   Please take note here that Christ is attacking primarily the pride and comparison and respect of the few problems. It is not necessarily his intent to say that we may not use titles. His point is that, under Christ, we are all equal. If a Christian is, for example, a judge, it would…

Matthew 23:7   They wanted everyone to know who they were. Even today, many have titles by which they like very much to be called. Because of our propensity for pride, the usefulness of titles are often outweighed by the problems they cause. Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 22:1-24:22 Scripture Memory: James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the…

Matthew 23:6   The religious leaders of the Jews were not for their care for the fatherless and widows. Instead, they were known for their pompous piety. Their supposed holiness took up a lot of space, to say the least. They did not hesitate to make themselves very obvious to others. Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 19:1-21:15 Scripture…

Matthew 23:5   The phylacteries and borders of the garments were both meant to symbolize the observance of the law. However, it is obvious from Jesus’ words here that these items had become more of a show than anything else. False religion will always have its trinkets, and Judaism is no exception. Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 17:1-18:30…