A friend of mine challenged me to write about Matthew 23:1-15 as she thought I might have a uniquely Jewish perspective on the subject. As I began to research the passage, it became apparent that she had found one of those never ending spirals, and this was going to be a lot of fun for me. In the end, a fine blue thread unraveled the mystery. Read on and you will see what I mean.
In case you don’t quite grasp the never ending spiral reference, let me give you another picture. Imagine a cereal box with a picture of a boy sitting at the breakfast table, and next to his cereal bowl in the picture, is the cereal box with the picture of the boy eating cereal, and of course next to the bowl on the table in that picture is the cereal box with the picture of the boy eating cereal…you get the picture…it just goes on and on.
It has always been customary for Jewish scholars to debate the meaning of the scriptures ad nauseum; I guess it is in the DNA of the Jewish people to debate. What Jesus has to say in these verses is debated among the Messianic scholars today, revealing the same polar opposite conclusions that Jesus was pointing out to those who gathered before Him on that day. So, the only way I can approach this is to begin with some sweeping generalities, and then to dissect the passage line by line. Even I am not certain what conclusion I will come to as I begin, but THAT is the reason we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we seek.Three groups dominated the Jewish culture of the time.
1. Pharisees: A religious party of scribes and rabbis. A progressive group among the Jews in that they adopted many teachings not clearly found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Sticklers for enforcement of the law as they interpreted it.
2. Sadducees: A religious party of the priesthood and certain wealthy Jews. Not such sticklers as the Pharisees for the details of law enforcement.
3. Essenes: A true religious sect originating during the Maccabean revolt. In some respects, more legalistic than the Pharisees. They had adopted some Persian beliefs and practices, lived communally, as a brotherhood in monasteries, refrained from marriage, and specialized in teaching about angels.
Jesus, in a nutshell, is saying, ‘don’t be like the Pharisees’, as they were the most visible and vocal, but the underlying message to all of the leaders is that if you are prideful about your position, and consider your knowledge of God superior to any other man, you simply do not know God at all. In all their years of scholarly study, they never developed a relationship with God, nor did they teach of His love. Jesus came that we might truly understand that first and foremost God loves us.
Now, let’s tear this passage apart!
1-2 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.”
The particular place in the synagogue where the leaders used to sit was known metaphorically as the ‘seat of Moses’ or ‘throne of Torah’. Common people could not read and write, only the scholars, and so the law was taught to the people orally as the Pharisees interpreted it, usually quite literally. If I close my eyes, these words of Jesus bring to mind a picture of a prideful man sitting on an ornate chair of some sort, fancying himself more powerful than he truly is, and speaking with authority he does not have.
3 “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.”
Jesus acknowledges that the Pharisees are indeed charged with studying the scripture and teaching the law, but warns His followers to observe (as in observing the feasts of the Lord) and do as they are taught, but not to emulate the actions of the Pharisees because they do not ‘practice what they preach’.
4 “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”
This verse speaks to hypocrisy. The Pharisees were notorious for adding minute details and requirements to the law that made it impossible for the average person to keep the law. They offered the people no practical advice in working the law out in their lives or in building a relationship with the heavenly Father. (Life Application New Testament Commentary)
5 “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.”
There is an interesting twist in the translation of verse 5. What are spoken of here are Tefillin, small leather boxes that contain parchment scrolls with specific scriptures on them. They are attached to leather straps that are wound around the forearm to the bicep, and around the head of observant Jews placing the boxes in specific positions. Their purpose is to literally obey the commandment in Deuteronomy 6:8, “You shall bind them for a sign upon your hand and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.” A scripture that says to me, ‘Remember the law I have given you, and teach it to your children by deed and example, let it be reflected in everything you do, that God will be revealed to others through you.’, was taken literally to mean ‘wrap theses things around your body’. The Pharisees made a show of everything they did, so their Tefillin were bigger and bader than everyone else’s, and in their pride, many carried themselves as if they were more righteous because of it. That is why I found it interesting that tefillin was translated to English ‘phylacteries’ from the Greek ‘phulakterion’ which means safeguard, amulet, or charm, and does not even come close to the meaning of tefillin.
In the Aramaic to English New Testament (AENT) verse 5 reads, “And they do all their deeds that they might be seen by the sons of men. For they widen their Tefillin and lengthen the Tekhelet of their robes.”
Tekhelet was a very rare and difficult to produce blue dye, made from a snail so rare it was worth its weight in gold. This precious dye colored the robes of the kings and princes of Media, Babylon, Egypt, Greece and Rome. To wear them was to be identified with royalty.
What we are about to uncover speaks to verse 4 as well, so to avoid any assumptions about what was a biblical command and what was a scholarly interpretation, we must look at Numbers 15:37-39 (NKJV) “Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.”
The scripture calls for a single blue thread which would require very little of this dye, and there is no requirement for special knots. The Talmud (scholarly and rabbinic commentary on the Torah), however, details a bit more intricately made tassel. This is how the Pharisees adorned the corners of their garments in a manner the common people simply could not afford or accomplish.
I do not mean to belabor this point, but if you really read this excerpt from Wikipedia, you will fully understand my point.
The tassel (tzitzit) on each corner is made of four strands, which when threaded and
hang down appear to be eight (known as kaful shemoneh). The four strands are passed through a hole (or according to some: two holes) 1-2 inches (25 to 50 mm) away from the corner of the cloth. There are numerous customs as to how to tie the tassels. The Talmud explains that the Bible requires an upper knot (kesher elyon) and one wrapping of three winds (hulya). The Talmud enjoined that between 7 to 13 hulyot be tied, and that “one must start and end with the color of the garment.” As for the making of knots in between the hulyot, the Talmud is inconclusive, and as such poskim (“decisors of Jewish law”) have interpreted this requirement in various ways.[1] The Talmud described tying assuming the use of tekhelet dye, however, following the loss of the source of the dye, various customs of tying were introduced to compensate for the lack of this primary element. Though many methods exist, the one that gained the widest acceptance can be described as follows:
The four strands of the tzitzit are passed through holes near the four corners of the garment (Shulchan AruchOrach Chaim 11:9-11,15) that are farthest apart (10:1). Four tzitzyot are passed through each hole (11:12-13), and the two groups of four ends are double-knotted to each other at the edge of the garment near the hole (11:14,15). One of the four tzitzit is made longer than the others (11:4); the long end of that one is wound around the other seven ends and double-knotted; this is done repeatedly so as to make a total of five double knots separated by four sections of winding, with a total length of at least four inches, leaving free-hanging ends that are twice that long (11:14).[2] Before tying begins, a Hebrew blessing is said (it’s more of a “declaration of intent”): L’Shem Mitzvat Tzitzit (“for the sake of the commandment of tzitzit”).
For the sake of the commandment??? Where did all of this come from? Can you feel Jesus’s frustration a little better now?
Back to Matthew 23
6 – 7 “They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ “
Well that is pretty straight forward. Prideful social climbers relishing in being glorified by men.
8 – 10 “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.”
I believe that here Jesus refers to the most sacred prayer of Judaism, the Shema.
Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” Jesus is saying that God alone is our father and God alone is our teacher, the example we are to follow.
11 -12 “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Jesus has now told them about how it really works when God is in charge. He speaks of servant leadership, ultimately demonstrated when he washes the feet of the disciples.
13-15 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
Jesus sums it all up with a warning to those who take on the responsibility of leadership among God’s children. Leaders are responsible for the eternal souls of those they lead, and will be held accountable for leading God’s children astray. Leaders are held to a higher standard.
The revelation that God has given me as I wrap up this study is that although, we may only hear Jesus admonishing the Pharisees while summarily warning the Sadducees and the Essenes by proxy, there is an underlying lesson in grace. Jesus is saying to this crowd of commoners that they are loved by God, so much so that He will be their Teacher and their Guide. It foreshadows the gift of a new mediator that will present those who love Him and follow Him blameless before the God of all creation.
Blessings & Adventure,
Lynn “lynnibug” Rios
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Wow! Lynn I have to say that you nailed the challenge down! Thank you as this taught me a thing or two. I loved the way you..taught it line by line precept upon precept so to speak..it gave me a better understanding of what the scripture meant.
This was an interesting lesson in Sunday School. Our teacher Eric is also wonderful at dissecting one verse at a time; and then having us participate in the discussion. Certain parts of it were still somewhat puzzling to me. I knew Lynn would have the right perspective; the research and the talent to put it all together. She didn’t disappoint me.
I am glad I was able to offer a different perspective on this Linda.
This is a interesting perspective on the subject material. You did an excellent job of researching and presenting it.