Matthew 23

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+23/

Jesus extends a warning to the people. He tells them to listem to the Pharisees because they teach Moses' Teachings true, but the people should not follow the Pharisees' examples because the Pharisees do not practice what they preach. They teach all of these things that cause a burden for the people, but they refuse to lift a finger to help. When they go to the markets, they love to make people call them Rabbi, but you should not make others glorify you. We have only one who should be honored, and He is in Heaven. Whoever will be great must be a servant and whoever honors himself will be humbled.

Jesus turns on the Pharisees and Scribes. He says at the beginning of each thought, "How horrible it will be for you, Scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites!"First He tells them how wrong it is that they lock people out of the Kingdom of Heaven. First, they don't enter themselves, and they block entrance for those who try to honestly seek. He's referring to Himself. Jesus is the entrance to Heaven. The Pharisees reject Him, so they lose entrance to Heaven. Then, they threaten anyone who does try to come to Him with persecution, punishment, imprisonment, and even death. He tells them how horrible it is that they go great lengths to find followers and make them even more fit for Hell than the Pharisees are. Then He condemns them for their lost motives. They teach that an oath sworn by the temple means nothing, only oaths sworn by the gold in the temple must be kept. Which is more holy? The temple or the gold that would be nothing without the temple. They say an oath sworn upon the altar means nothing, but an oath sworn upon the gift on the altar means everything. Jesus calls them blind. He tells them that the altar is holy and makes everything on it holy. To swear an oath by the temple is to swear by the one who resides there. To swear an oath by Heaven means to swear an oath by the throne of God. He tells them that yes they tithe, but they missed mercy, justice, and faithfulness. These Heavenly values are far more important than Earthly riches. Jesus compares it to straining gnats out of wine but still swallowing camels. The Pharisees allow themselves to get bogged down by such meaningless things that they miss the big issues of their hypocrisy. He tells them that it makes no sense to clean the outside if they do not clean what's inside. He tells them in dishes they must clean the inside so that the outside may follow. You must clean your desires and then your life and actions will follow. You cannot cover up the tomb full of dead just by whitewashing the stone. It is still full of dead bones, and God can see them. If you are dead inside, God can see it, even if you try to cover it up with a good appearance. Jesus tells them that they build great tombs and monuments for the prophets and say that they wish they could have been there when the prophets were because they would have not killed them, yet they plot to kill the Son of God. He tells them that for this action, they will suffer the consequences for all of those who God sent who were murdered. He tells them to go on and finish what their ancestors started. He tells them they will not see Him until they say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!" This may have a connection to the Great Commission, which we will look at later in Matthew. This section was intriguing, and I really enjoyed it.