Chapter 23
Verses 1- 12 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus said, “The Pharisees are the teachers of the scriptures (Bible). Obey what they teach but do not follow the way they live.”
The Pharisees did not live what they taught to others. They made extra laws and rules that are not in the Bible and they made it hard to serve God. The rules that they made up were heavy burdens.
To show they were holy men they wore extra wide boxes that held scriptures on their arms and foreheads. They wore extra long tassels on their clothes.
Jesus said, “They do things for show. They love to have people honor them and give them special attention.”
Jesus told the disciples, “Don’t let anyone call you Rabbi (Teacher). You have only one teacher–the Son of God–Jesus.”
“Don’t call anyone here on earth “Father”. You have one father–He is in heaven–your heavenly Father.”
“Don’t let anyone here on earth call you “Master” because you have only one master–Jesus the Messiah.”
“If you want to be great you must be willing to be a servant.”
When Jesus told the disciples to not let people call them “Teacher” or “Master”, he did that because he did not want the leaders of spiritual things to become proud and become like the Pharisees.
Teachers are to give people knowledge and understanding and to guide them. They are not to be a “boss” and rule over people.
The disciples were not to allow people to call them Master because they were not to try to control people. The Pharisees wanted to control people.
We are not to call anyone here on earth Father—meaning the one who gives us life, and protects us and provides for us–only our heavenly Father has that place in our hearts.
We have earthly fathers and we call them father. But Jesus is talking about giving a person here on earth such respect and honor and obedience that we allow them to control us and even control our spiritual life.
In some ways our earthly father does that when we are children, but when we become grown-ups we are not to have such great respect for some one that we allow them to control our minds and our spirit.
There are many stories in history about church leaders who have made people obey them and they controlled every part of their lives–even telling them to kill themselves by drinking poison or dying in a building.
No spiritual leader is to control our thinking and our choices and spirit in such a way. Only our heavenly Father is to have that kind of devotion (great love and obedience). Be careful of religious leaders who demand that kind of obedience.
Jesus told the disciples that if they wanted to be great, then they needed to be a servant. Those that lift themselves up will be brought down and made humble. Those who are humble (not proud) will be lifted up and honored.
Verses 13- 15 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus told the Pharisees that they pretended to love God. They really loved themselves.
Jesus said that they kept men from coming into the kingdom of heaven. The Pharisees would not believe that Jesus was the Messiah come from God, and they did not want anyone else to believe it either.
He said that the Pharisees cheated the widows (women whose husbands had died) out of their property and houses. Then to cover up what selfish, mean people they were, they would stand where people could see them and pray long prayers.
Jesus said they would be punished for that.
He said that the Pharisees will go to far places and try to get people to believe in the true God of heaven, but then after the people believe –when they start to follow the ways of the Pharisees–they would become as selfish and proud and evil as the Pharisees were.
Verses 16-22 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus told them that they were blind leaders trying to lead people.
They were not blind with their eyes, but they were blind in their spirits.
Jesus told about their foolish laws and how they twisted rules to get what they wanted. They said if a person promises something and says he will be as true as the altar of the temple or the temple—it does not mean anything.
But if he promised to be as true as the gift on the altar or the gold in the temple then it means something.
Jesus said that is so foolish. It is God’s temple that makes the gold holy and it is God’s altar that makes the gift on the altar holy.
Verse 23-24 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus said you “strain at a gnat (tiny bug) and swallow a camel”.
Jesus told them that they are so very careful about some things but then they ignored very important things like justice, mercy and faith.
Verse 25-26 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus said that the Pharisees were so careful about the washing of a dish. This was not washing it just to make it clean, but is was a special ceremony of washing to show they were holy and obeyed the law, but inside their hearts they were dirty and bad. They were full of selfishness.
Jesus said , “Wash yourselves inside first, then the outside will be clean, too.” If your thoughts are right then your actions will be right.
Verses 27- 31 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus said, “You Pharisees are like a white tomb–beautiful white on the outside–but the inside is death and bones.”
The Pharisees wore beautiful robes and looked so holy but on the inside their hearts were ugly, mean, selfish, and they cheated people.
Jesus said, “You Pharisees put flowers and wreaths on the graves of the prophets who were killed by their own people because the people did not want to hear about their sins. You Pharisees say that if you have lived then, you would not have killed the prophets.”
“By saying that– you show you are of the people who did kill the prophets. In the future, you will kill the prophets. You will whip some, and you will crucify some.”
“Judgment will come to this very generation for your killing the prophets from the beginning of time until now.”
Verses 32- 38 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus speaks over Jerusalem and says, “You are the city of people who killed the prophets and men God sent to speak to you.”
“How often I have wanted to gather you to me as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings–but you would not come to me.”
“But now your city has no protection, because God is not going to protect Jerusalem.”
(In 70 AD Jesus’ words came true–Titus, a Roman, destroyed the temple and the city and killed thousands of Jews.)
Verse 39 Read the Bible verse.
Jesus said to Jerusalem, “You will never see me again until you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”.
Jesus was talking about when he comes to earth again the second time. At that time, he will save Jerusalem from many armies of soldiers who plan to destroy it. He will destroy the armies and the Jewish people will see and believe that Jesus was and is the Messiah. Finally, they will accept him as Lord.