Why did Jesus have such a hard time with the Pharisees?

Today's Bible Study:

Why did Jesus have such a hard time with the Pharisees?

Throughout Matthew 23, the words Jesus uses to characterize the Pharisees exposes their true nature. To say they “sit in Moses’ seat” (v. 2) is an expression equivalent to a university’s “chair of philosophy.” It meant they had the highest authority to instruct people in the law. The expression here may be translated,“[they] have seated themselves in Moses’ seat”—stressing the fact that this was an imaginary authority they claimed for themselves. There was a legitimate sense in which the priests and Levites had authority to decide matters of the law (Deut. 7:9), but the scribes and Pharisees had gone beyond any legitimate authority and were adding human tradition to the Word of God (Matt. 15:3–9). For that Jesus condemned them (vv. 8–36).

As regards the Pharisees, Jesus tells the multitude to “observe and do” (v. 3) only what accords with the Word of God. The Pharisees were prone to bind “heavy burdens” (v. 4) of extra-biblical traditions and put them on others’ shoulders. Jesus explicitly condemned that sort of legalism. The Pharisees would even widen their “phylacteries” and lengthen their “tassels” to make it appear that they were especially spiritual.

Jesus warns against using the titles of “Rabbi…father…teachers” (vv. 8–10). Here Jesus condemns pride and pretense, not titles per se. Paul repeatedly speaks of “teachers” in the church, and even refers to himself as the Corinthians’ “father” (1 Cor. 4:15). Obviously, this does not forbid the showing of respect either (see 1 Thess. 5:11, 12; 1 Tim.5:1). Christ is merely forbidding the use of such names as spiritual titles, or in an ostentatious sense that accords undue spiritual authority to a human being, as if he were the source of truth rather than God.

©BY PASTOR JUDAH OLATUNDE

Reading for Today:

Exodus 21:1–22:31

Psalm 18:46-50

Proverbs 6:26-29

Matthew 23:1-22

Notes:

Exodus 22:22 widow or fatherless child. God reserved His special attention for widows and orphans who often had no one to care for them. He also reserved a special reaction, His wrath, for those abusing and exploiting them. This wrath would work out in military invasions as the sword reduced the abusers’ families to the same status of being without spouse or parents.

Exodus 22:25 interest. One way in which the people showed their concern for the poor and needy was to take no business advantage of them. Charging interest was allowable (Lev. 25:35–37; Deut. 23:19, 20), but not when it was exorbitant or worsened the plight of the borrower. The psalmist identified a righteous man as one who lends money without interest (Ps. 15:5).

Proverbs 6:26 crust of bread. Here the smallest piece of bread demonstrates how the prostitute reduces the life of a man to insignificance, including the loss of his wealth, freedom, family, purity, dignity, and even his soul (v. 32).

Matthew 23:5 phylacteries. Leather boxes containing a parchment on which is written in 4 columns (Ex. 13:1–10, 11–16; Deut. 6:4–9; 11:13–21). These are worn by men during prayer—one on the middle of the forehead and one on the left arm just above the elbow. The use of phylacteries was based on an overly literal interpretation of passages like Exodus 13:9, 10. Evidently the Pharisees would broaden the leather straps by which the phylacteries were bound to their arms and foreheads, in order to make the phylacteries more prominent. the borders of their garments. I.e., the tassels. Jesus Himself wore them, so it was not the tassels themselves that He condemned, only the mentality that would lengthen the tassels to make it appear that one was especially spiritual.