Matthew 23

Jesus Warns About the Teachers of the Law and Pharisees

1 “Then Jesus turned to the crowd and His disciples.”

2 “He said, ‘The teachers of the law and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat, acting like they are in charge.’”

3 “‘So listen to what they tell you and do it, but do not copy how they act, because they do not practice what they preach.’”

4 “‘They load people up with heavy rules and expectations but will not lift a finger to help.’”

5 “‘Everything they do is for show, they make their prayer boxes extra flashy and their tassels super long so people notice.’”

6 “‘They love sitting at the VIP tables at banquets and getting the best seats in the synagogue.’”

7 “‘They eat up the attention when people greet them in public and call them “Rabbi.”’”

Jesus Teaches Humility

8 “‘But do not let people call you “Rabbi,” because you only got one Teacher, and you all are equals as brothers and sisters.’”

9 “‘Do not call anyone on earth “Father,” because you only got one Father, and He is in heaven.’”

10 “‘And do not let anyone call you “Instructor,” because the Messiah is your only Instructor.’”

11 “‘The real G in God’s kingdom is the one who serves everybody else.’”

12 “‘If you try to flex and make yourself look big, God is going to humble you. But if you stay humble, He will lift you up.’”

Seven Woes to the Pharisees

13 “‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you are hypocrites! You slam the door to God’s kingdom in people’s faces. You do not go in yourselves, and you block others from going in too.’”

14 “‘Woe to you, Pharisees, you are fake! You take advantage of widows, pretending to be holy with long prayers, but God has got a harsh judgment waiting for you.’”

15 “‘Woe to you, Pharisees, you travel the world to make one convert, and when you do, you turn them into twice the child of hell you are.’”

16 “‘Woe to you, blind guides! You say, “If someone swears by the temple, it does not count, but if they swear by the gold in the temple, they are bound to it.”’”

17 “‘You all are fools and blind! What is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy,’”

18 “‘And you say, “If someone swears by the altar, it does not count, but if they swear by the gift on the altar, they are bound to it.”’”

19 “‘You are blind! What is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy,’”

20 “‘If you swear by the altar, you swear by it and everything on it.’”

21 “‘If you swear by the temple, you swear by it and the God who lives there.’”

22 “‘And if you swear by heaven, you are swearing by God’s throne and the One sitting on it.’”

Neglecting the Important Stuff

23 “‘Woe to you, Pharisees, you are hypocrites! You are careful to give a tenth of your spices, mint, dill, and cumin, but you forget the heavy stuff like justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have done both without neglecting the big stuff.’”

24 “‘You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.’”

Cleaning the Outside, Ignoring the Inside

25 “‘Woe to you, Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and filth.’”

26 “‘Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside, and then the outside will be clean too.’”

27 “‘Woe to you, Pharisees, you are like whitewashed tombs. You look good on the outside, but inside you are full of bones and filth.’”

28 “‘You look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sin.’”

Killing the Prophets

29 “‘Woe to you, Pharisees, you build fancy tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.’”

30 “‘And you say, “If we had been around back then, we would not have killed the prophets like our ancestors did.”’”

31 “‘But by saying that, you admit you are related to the people who murdered the prophets.’”

32 “‘So go ahead and finish what they started!’”

33 “‘You snakes! You brood of vipers! How are you going to escape being sentenced to hell,’”

34 “‘I am sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers. Some you will kill, some you will flog in synagogues, and some you will chase from town to town.’”

35 “‘So you are guilty of all the righteous blood spilled on earth, from Abel to Zechariah, who you killed between the temple and the altar.’”

36 “‘I am telling you, all this judgment is coming down on this generation.’”

Jesus Mourns Over Jerusalem

37 “‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone God’s messengers. How many times I wanted to gather you like a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not let Me.’”

38 “‘Now your house is left abandoned.’”

39 “‘You will not see Me again until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”’