Matthew 23:1-12

 ¹ Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, ² saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 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. 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. ⁵ But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. ⁶ They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ ⁸ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Commentary

Vs. 1-4 ¹ Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, ² saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 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. 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.

With the silencing of the Pharisees and their departure, the Lord Jesus Christ now turns to the multitudes and His disciples to instruct them, because the Lord Jesus Christ in having exposed the Pharisees lack of understanding of Him and His Word does not want to undermine the Word of God in the people’s hearts and minds, rather He wants to bring clarity of it to them. For even when men misinterpret it, as the Pharisees had done in the case of their misunderstanding of the Messiah as being David’s son, the Word of God still has Authority, and so those who are appointed to deliver it are still to be regarded and obeyed when they deliver its ordinances and decrees. For as the Lord Jesus says of the scribes and Pharisees, because they sit in Moses seat (as administers of the Law of God to the people) whatever they tell you to observe that observe because in doing so you are obeying God. However, as Jesus warns of their persons, do not do according to their works, for as the Lord Jesus says of them they say but they do not do. Thus, though they themselves were teaching the Word of God to the people they themselves were not practicing it. Indeed, as Jesus says of them in verse four they themselves only bind heavy burdens on people, burdens hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders yet they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. And so, whether these are religious burdens that they themselves create and impose on people, or any other sort, the point is that they themselves do not lift their fingers to ease the burdens of no one. In contrast to them is the Lord Jesus Christ whose yoke is easy and burden is light (see Matt. 11:28-30) WHO CARRIES ALL OF OUR BURDENS and who is our Perpetual and Personal Intercessor before God the Father (see 1 John 2:1; Heb.4:14-16). Something no Pharisee would ever do, nor care about doing and intercede for sinners, even to the point of suffering death on a Cross for us has Jesus done for us all (consider Isaiah 53, vs. 12).

Vs. 5-10 ⁵ But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. ⁶ They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ ⁸ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

Here the Lord Jesus exposes the heart of Pharisee and that is self-aggrandizement, saying that all their works they do to be seen by men. And so, whether it is their “praying” or their “service” or their “sacrificial” giving everything they do must be seen by and acknowledged by men. Now in this the Lord Jesus Christ says that they make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments (vs. 5). Now phylacteries were small leather boxes with straps attached that were secured on the hand or the forehead. Inside of them were pieces of parchment with Scriptural excerpts written on them. The origins of the Pharisees doing so is found in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 vs. 8 where Moses commanded the Israelites to do this so that the Word of God would be both in their thoughts and in their actions. However, as the Lord Jesus Christ points out the Pharisees had taken this statute to remind them and turned it into a religious display whereby they put their “piety on grand display before one and all. And so along with enlarging their phylacteries they would also enlarge the border of their garments, that is their robes so as to make themselves appear even more pious. For in the Law there was a statute to wear blue tassels on the corners of their garments to remind them to do all the commandments of the Lord God, and thus to live holy lives and not follow the harlotry of their own hearts (Num.15:37-41). However, they had taken that which was to remind them to be holy people and turned it into a religious display by which they would parade their own piety before one and all. Whereas a truly pious person would need to do neither, and would never seek to draw attention to themselves through such things, whether it is by their religious garb or anything else. Thus, the Pharisees (and those like them) love to make a public display of their religious service and their own place and standing within it.

Vs. 5-10 cont. The Lord Jesus continues on with His rebuke of Pharisees saying, “They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues…” (vs. 6) Thus, being driven by their self-serving and self-important nature they love and always seek for the seats of honor where the privileged sit and are seated. “greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ (vs. 7) And so not just grand displays of their persons, but also public acknowledgement of their persons “importance” is what they love and seek. For in loving to be called Rabbi by men means that they love to be referred to as their “superior,” something which the Lord Jesus Christ says must not be so amongst us. That we never treat or refer to anyone amongst us as our Rabbi, teacher, or father. For as He says, “…for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.” ^{vs. 8-10} Therefore, if in the Lord Jesus Christ’s Word here you hear a rebuke of the practices of ecclesiastical Christianity you are not alone. For we who believe have only One Lord, Master, Teacher, and Father and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. No else then will be acknowledged as such by us who believe in Him.

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Having exposed the Pharisees (and all who love and hold to ecclesiastical religion and its man-made hierarchy and privileges) for what they are, the Lord Jesus now says to us who are His disciples not to be like them. And so rather than seeking to honored and served, we are to be people of service who love and serve those around us just as He does. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ says, “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Something which Jesus reiterates time and again that greatness in the Kingdom of heaven is not found in being served but in serving (consider Matt. 20:25-28). Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ says that in His Kingdom, “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” That is whoever exalts himself above his brethren will be humbled by Him, but whoever humbles himself in the service of his brethren will be exalted by Him. For that is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ came to do, not to be served but serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Scripture Quotations: 

The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.