Mat. 23:1-12
by: Joe Mack Cherry
I. Preface to the 8 Woes Christ pronounced and explained toPharisees and the Sadducees.
A. Jesus and the Pharisees
1. We have learned through time and study that Jesus was never harsh on the struggling sinner.
a. Jo 4 – The lady at the well from Samaria
b. Jo 8 – The lady caught in the act of adultery.
2. In the later, this seems to have been set up. Where was the man? He was supposed to be stoned also.
3. Jesus wrote on the ground and each from oldest to youngest dropped his stone a left.
4. They set out to kill the Son of God and did.
B. Jesus talks to the disciples and the multitude of followers.
1. Not far fetched to think that there were Pharisees and Sadducees in the group. They always followed Him to try and catch Him in lie.
2. Jesus had a way of drawing others to the truth.
3. He used reasoning that resonated with those who truly sought Him. That resonation was pure love and compassion!
4. These verses preceding the 8 woes are Jesus’ way of pointing out the faults of the Pharisees and Sadducees and as instruction to those of whom He was speaking to not to have their heart.
5. Jesus was warning them about the Pharisees attitude and corruption of the Old Testament law.
C. Sitting in the place of Moses. Vs 2
1. Moses and his associates sat in the seat of judgment by divine appointment.
2. These people sat in these places due to divine permission.
3. Moses was called to teach the Children of Israel what God put in his mouth and the mouth of Aaron His brother. Nothing more/nothing less.
a. This was the intent for the Pharisees and Sadducees but they continued to build fences around the 10 Commandments.
b. They took 10 laws and turned them into 613.
D. Sitting in Moses’ seat did not place them above the real law they were to teach.
1. Vs 3 Jesus admonishes people to what they say but don’t do as they do.
2. One notable Pharisees came to Jesus: Nicodemus.
3. This is prevalent and relevant in our country right now, today.
a. I.e we are terrible if we leave a small carbon footprint on the way to church and back, while leaders feel entitled, without remorse, to fly private jets anywhere of their choosing, even as we speak!
b. The old Cliché, “Do as I say and not as I do” is not based in scripture.
c. Teachers are not exempt from “doing” the will of God just because they teach it.
4. Should we expect others to do more righteously than we do? Why? Because we are all sinners.
a. I.e. Preachers and teachers are examples who are held to a higher standard (Jas. 3:1) but they are also human and will make mistakes.
b. Neither the Pharisees nor us today have the authority to lay heavy burdens on others and dismiss the same “rules” for ourselves.
c. From Deuteronomy and Revelation, we read:
• Deut. 4:7 – “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish ought from it…”
• Rev 22:18-19 – Read.
d. We must speak and live the Gospel Truth! We must walk the walk and talk the talk as Christ has commanded remembering Eph 4:15 which says, “We must speak the truth in love!”
5. The Pharisees made it impossible to follow “their” laws, God didn’t.
6. Jas. 1:25 - Christ gave us the perfect law of liberty which sets us free from our sins.
E. They do all their works to be seen of man. Vs 5
1. Phylactery-combination of (4) leather boxes each containing specific passages.
2. Garment hems were sacred to the Jews.
3. You ever know anyone who did that.
4. Why is this so wrong?
5. I Cor. 10:31 – do all things unto the glory of God.
6. Do people like this get rewarded? Yes, but not like they could.
a. Matt. 6:3 – when you give to the needy don’t let your left hand know what your right is doing. A little further down it says to give in secret and you will be openly rewarded.
b. Those who do it to be seen of men, have their reward that comes from the adoration of others.
c. No one can reward you like God can!
F. They want to sit in the prominent seats at banquets, synagogues and marketplaces.
1. Their focus was to draw recognition to themselves wherever they were.
2. The term used today is “thirsty”. When people post pictures of themselves fishing for likes on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formally known as Twitter).
3. They valued their association with people in high places.
4. Luke 14: 8 – if you go to a wedding banquet to not take the best seats, they may belong to someone more important. Among other things it eliminates the embarrassment of being asked to move back.
G. They wanted to be called names of which they were unworthy.
1. These people thought themselves to be masters and protectors of the law even though they twisted it.
2. Father, Rabbi, Teacher- these titles implicated that they had the authority to bind, loose, and change law at any time.
3. God, Christ, and the Apostles are the only Ones deserving of that respect and honor.
II. Closing
A. The Antithesis of a Christian
1. It is often said that Christ’s harshest remarks were saved for the religious leaders of his day.
2. Vs. 11 and 12 give us the reason for the justification of such rebuke.
B. Vs 11-He who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
1. Mk 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
2. These people were full of pride.
a. Coffman says their pride was outwardly expressed by all the jockeying for recognition and eminence by and of the Jews of the day.
b. The Pharisees believed and acted like everything was about them.
3. They were not who they thought they were at all.
a. Rom.12:3 – a man should not think more highly of himself than he ought.
b. They weren’t ambassadors for God.
c. Paul spoke about his zealousness to deter the Church from growing prior to his conversion.
d. They were what we call “Church Nazi’s.”
e. I believe the church needs to guard against this spirit at all costs.
• Discuss how this happens:
• My sins aren’t as bad as yours.
• What’s right for me may not be right for you.
• That doesn’t apply to me.
• Church of Christ people boast of speaking where the Bible speaks and being silent where the bible is silent. Question is, “are we rightly dividing the scripture or are we wielding them out of context to prove a point?”
4. Scriptures
a. Prov. 16:5 – “a proud heart is an abomination to the Lord…”
b. Prov. 16:18 – “pride goeth before destruction…”
C. Vs 12
1. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
2. I Pet. 5:6-7 – if we humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand He will exalt us in due time.
a. I see this as a parallel to Jas. 1:2 Situations do not always go our way and when they don’t we should remain humble, realizing that all come under trials at various times.
b. I believe the Pharisees viewed humility as a weakness.
c. Humility is NOT a weakness but some mistake our humility for weakness.
3. Jas. 4:6 – “God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.”
III. Closing
1. We see why Jesus had such a godly distain for these people. They were polar opposites of Him.
2. They were everything that he stood against.
3. At your leisure sometime read the remainder of Matt. 23.
4. These same woes are applicable to us if we choose to live our life as Pharisees.
5. As we mentioned earlier in the lesson, sometimes in God’s eyes, we are not who we think that we are.
6. This is scary and all the more reason to examine ourselves daily.
7. We can drift off into this mindset unconsciously and wake up lost.
8. Ask yourself where in this setting would you be sitting.
a. In the seat of a disciple
b. In the crowd of followers truly seeking Jesus
c. In the group of Pharisees
