Daily Bible Reading (Wednesday, Feb. 1st)

7

Matthew 23 (ESV)

Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being 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 call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, 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.’”

7 Comments

The greatest among you shall be your servant (verse 11). This is the problem for self righteous religious people like the Pharisees. They want to be exalted and respected. They want to lay heavy burdens on others but not lift a finger to help. Jesus came to serve. I need to constantly guard my own heart not to look down on others but to be always willing to serve and be like my Lord.

This chapter got me to wonder if Nicodemus was among those whom Jesus warned. Jesus tells them to first clean the inside of the cup and plate so that the outside could be clean; perhaps there was one whom Jesus addressed that received his warning and rebuke and believed. It's God who opens our eyes, and it's He who saves.

I'm continually struck by God's hatred of our prideful hearts. Jesus said "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." It applied to the Pharisees of Jesus' day and it applies to me today.

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness."

Thought it was interesting that Jesus considers these things as weightier matters. Makes me think "How much do these things really define me?". I know I am just like these hypocrites a lot of the time. Thinking to much about my appearance before men, rather than where my heart is before God. Praying that we would would not neglect these weightier matters and turn from our own hypocrisy.

vv. 37-39 reminds me to pray that the Lord would open the eyes of the Jews to the reality of who Jesus Christ really is. "For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

As I read the chapter, I began to think things like, "They were really hypocritical!" But on the 2nd reading, my heart began to say, "Is any of this true about me?" OUCH. Heart searching going on over here.

Amazing to see Christ's compassion for Israel in this chapter. In v.37 you can see Him grieve "How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" The Pharisees and scribes were only the latest installment of a people that did not get it & even stoned those who God sent them to turn them back the right way. Amazing that the God who sent those prophets is now standing before Israel as a man rebuking them and mourning over their impenitence face to face. Even more sad is that their response was still the same with the Son, as it says in the parable in Ch.21 "This is the heir, come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance!"

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