Matthew 23:1-22

Jesus spoke to His followers about the Pharisees and scribes. He said their teachings on the law of Moses were basically correct and should be followed, but the things that they added to the law and the way they carried it out in practice were not to be copied. They gave out rules to be followed that they themselves didn't follow. Everything was turned into a big show with them. Everything they did was bigger and better than everyone else. They liked having the seat of honor at dinners and in the synagogues. They enjoyed the titles of respect they were called by others.

Jesus condemned all of that saying not to obsess over titles and positions. Christ is our teacher and leader; God is our Father. We should be pointing others to God, not seeking the attention for ourselves. We are to seek to serve others, not to seek others to serve us. This is the message Christ tried to get across so many times: To truly follow Christ, we must follow His example of servitude and show our love to others by actively meeting their needs rather than constantly looking for someone to meet our wants.


Jesus went on to give a point-by-point description of where the Pharisees and scribes had gotten off track. First, by teaching false doctrines about the Messiah, they had not only kept themselves from entering heaven, but effectively blocked the way for many who followed them. Anyone who presents themselves as a teacher of God's word is responsible for those they teach. It is a great responsibility and should not be taken lightly.

They stole the property of widows under the guise of holiness, using long prayers to convince people that this was the right thing to do. God had made laws to protect widows, who were vulnerable after losing a husband. Instead of protecting them, the Pharisees used their positions to take advantage of their situation. The most vulnerable in our society deserve our help and compassion.

They went to great lengths to gain converts, but since they were teaching wrongly, the new converts were no better off than they were before, though they may have thought they were on the right path. To compound the false teachings, they were also actively seeking converts to teach. It is bad enough to lead astray those who willingly come to you for guidance, but quite another to actively seek to lead others when you are not on the right path yourself.

They taught people to honor the wrong things - the gold of the temple more than the temple, the sacrifice on the altar more than the altar. It can become easier to focus on the little things than on the big things because they take less understanding, but when we do that, we miss the big picture. God wants to open our eyes to everything that He is so that we can experience all He has to offer.