Matthew 23

Christ exhorts his hearers to follow that which the Scribes and Pharisees teachh them out of Moses, but not their works,1. Describes their hypocrisie and ambition,5. and admonisheth his take heed thereof, and to study hunility,8. Denounceth the Woe eight time upon the Pharisees and Scribes, because of divers their wicked practises, as namely, because they shut Heaven against men, 13. eat up widows houses, 14. made ill proselites 15. taught perversly to swear by the Temple, Altar, and Heaven 16. tithed small matter, and omlited the weightiest things of the Law,23. made clean the outside and not the heart, 25. being like whited sepulchres,27. That they built up the Sepulchres of the old Prophets, and sought to kill the new, 29. He complains to the stiff – neckedness of the City Jerusalem, and foretells her destruction, 37.

1. Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and his Disciples,

2. Saying, the Scribes and the Pharisees are set in Moses chair. [That is, thay are called and ordained for thie end, to read and expound the Law of Moses to the people, Acts 15:15. and chap.15. 21.]

3. Therefore whatsoever they say unto you that ye shall observe, [Namely, out of the Law of Moses and the Prophets: for other wise that which they taught contrary to, or besides that, Christ calleth the leaven of the Pharisees, admonisheth his Disciples to beware of it, Matth. 16.ver. 6.12.] observe (that) and do (it;) but do not after their works: for they say, and do it not:

4. For they binde burdens [A similitude taken from bundles or packs of several things, which men blinde together, to lay upon ones shoulders to bear] which are heartlyand ill to be born, and lay them on mens shoulders, but they will not stir them with their singer.

5. And all their works they do to be seen of men. For they make broad their schedules of remembrance, [Gr. Phylactria, i.e. schedules of keeping, which were little scrowls or schedules of parchment, whereupon the Law of God, or some part of the same, was written, which they bound on their forehheads and arms, that they might seem to have the remembrance of the Law always before their eyes, and conceited that therein they followed that which God commands, Exod. 13. verse 9.16 Deuteronomy 6:8] and make ggreat the hems of their garments. [Thse were fringes, with blue strings on the course of the corner of the uppermost garments, which according to the Law, Numb 5. verse 38. Deut.22.12. they were to wear, thereby to remember thhe Heavenly doctrine of the Law.]

6. And they love the sitting in the foremost place at feasts, and the foremost seats in the synagogues.

7. Also greetings on the Markets, and to be called of men Rabbi, Rabbi. [That is an Hebrew word signifying one that is eminet in learning and dignity, and of more repute then othhers, i.e. Master, Master.]

8. But ye shall not be called Rabbi, [The use of this as also of the following title is not simply forbidden, for the same indeed are sometimes ascribed to the Prophets and Apostles, but the vain – glory and boring it, or mastership over the faith and consciences of other, which they sought therein, verse 11.] for one is your Master, (namely) Christ: [Gr. Fore – goer, Leadres, or Leading Master. For he alone is the onely Law – giver and our chief Prophet, who in things concerning faith, and Gods worship, is only to be heard and followed, Matth 17.5. and who doth not only shew way of salvation, but also himslef by his example perfectly goes before us, Heb.2.10. and 12.2] and ye all are brethren.

9. And ye shall call no man your Father upon earth; for one is your Father, [Forasmuch as from him alone we have origionally our being and preservation, both in body and soul, must expect all good fro him alone, and put out trust in him only] namely, he that is in the Heavens.

10. Neither shall ye be called Masters: for one is your Master, [That is, Leader, see verse 8.] (namely) Christ.

11. But the chiefest of you [Gr. chiefer or greater] shall be your servant.

12. And whoso shall exalt himself, (he) shall be brought low: and whoso shhall humble himself, (he) shall be exalted.

13. But woe to you ye Scribes and Pharisees, ye hypocrites, for ye sht the Kingdome of the Heavens before men; seeing ye enter not (there) in; neither suffer those to enter that should enter. [Or those that are entring; i.e. those that are no the way to embrace thhe doctrine of the Gospel, ye hinder as much as lies in you, that they do not go forward.]

14. Woe unto you ye Scrobes and Pharisees, ye hypocrites: For ye eat up windows houses, and (that) under the pretence (on colour) of praying long. [That is, under pretence of devotion, and praying for them, ye rob them their means. See also 2 Tim.3.6. Or under a pretence, or for cleak ye are long praying] Therefore shall receive the heavier judgemnet: [Gr. more abundant.]

15. Woe unto you ye Scribes and Pharisees, ye hypocrites: For ye travel about Sea and Land [Gr. the dry (land) Gen.1. verse 10.] to make one fellow – few: [Gr. Proselyton, i.e commer – over, namely, who from the Heathenish Religion betakes himself to the Jewish; like as was Nichola a commer – over of Anti och, Acts 6:5. See 1 Chron 2 verse 55. Ezek.14.7. Acts 2:11.] and when hhe become one, ye make him a child of Hell, [Gr. son, i.e worthy of the damnation of Hell, 2 Sam 12.5.] twosold more then ye (are)

16. Woe unto you blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall have sworn by the Temple, that is nothing: [That is, that is of no force, or is not bound to pay that which he hath promised with such an oath] but whosoever shall have sworn by the Temple, he is indebted. [that is, he is bound to perform his promise.]

17. Ye fools and blind: [Christ doth not hereby approve Oaths taken by the creatures, but shew only how preversly they judged thereof, and ill -informed the conscience of men] for which is greater, the gold, or the Temple which sanctifieth the gold?

18. And whosoever shall have sworn by the Altar, that is nothing: but whosoever shall have sworn by the gift [that is, offering. see Matth5.24.] that is thereon, he is indebted.

19. Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the gift or the altar which sanctifieth the gift.

20. Therefore whoso sweareth by the altar, be sweareth by the same, and by all that is thereon.

21. And whoso sweareth by the Temple, he sweareth by the same, and by him that dwealleth therein. [Gr. who inhabits the same. How God dwelth in the Temple. See 1 Kings verse 27.]

22. And whoso swears by the Heaven, he sweareth by the Throne of God, nd him that sitteth thereon.

23. Woe unto ye Scribes and Pharisees, ye hypocrites: for ye tithe [That is, give ye tenths, or teach that men must give tenths thereof] munt [The Greek word Hedyosmon hath its name from smelling sweet or well] and dill, and cummin, and ye omit the heartiest (things) of the Law, [that is, the weightiest parts] (namely) judgment, [that is, that which is just and equal] and mercy, [that is, the works of charity] and faith, [that is, faithfulness in all dealings with men] These things men ought to do, and leave the other undone.

24. Ye blind guides, which suck out the gnat, and swallow down the camel [Or, squeeze out a gnat, and drink down a camel. This is a common proveb against those which pry narrowly into small matter, but regard not great ones.]

25. Woe unto ye Scribe and Pharisees, ye hypocrites: for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of rapine and excess. [That is, full of meat and drink gotten by justice, and used with excess.]

26. Thou blind Pharisees, cleanse first that (which) is within in the cup and the platter, that the outside of the same may be clean also [i.e. Cease from injustice and excess, whereby your meat and drink was made unclean, so shall your platters and cups be clean also.]

27. Woe unto ye Scribes and Pharisees, ye hypocrites: For ye are like to white – plaistred Sepulchres; which indeed seem beautiful outwardly, but within are full of (dead mens) bones, and of all uncleanness

28. Even so, ye also outwardly indeed seem righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisie and uniquity.

29. Woe unto ye Scribes and Pharisees, ye hypocrites: For ye build up the sepulchres of the Prophets, and adorn the monuments of the rightious. [That is, the building which were erected upon the graves, above the carth; for the remembrance of the deceased, which are called Tombs]

30. And say, if we had been in the times [Gr. in the days] of our fathers, we would have had no fellowship with them in the blond of the Prophets. [That is, in the bloud – shedding, or killing.]

31. Thus wilness (against) your selves, that ye are children, [Gr. sons] of those that killed the Prophets.

32. (Therefore) ye also, fulfill ye the measure of your Fathers, [That is, go on thus freely, follow and finish your Fathers wickedness in killing the Prophets, until the deserved punishment shall come upon you.]

33. Ye serpents, [See Rom.3.13., etc] ye brood of Vipers, how should ye escape the Hellish damnation. [Gr. the judgment of Hell]

34. Therefore behold, i send unto you Prophets, and Wise – men, and Scribes, [This word is here taken for true Teachers, such a Scribes as Ezra was Ezra 7. ver.6 Matth. 13.52.] and of the same (some) ye shall kill and crucifie, and (some) of the same ye shall scourge in your synagogues, and shall persecute them from City to City.

35. That upon you may come all the righteous bloud [That is, the punishment for all the bloid – shedding of the righteous, as Matth 27.25. for the children which follow the evil example of their parents misdeeds, are made partakers of the sin and punishment of the same, Exod.20.5.] that is shed upon the earth, from the bloud of righteous Abel, even unto bloud of Zacharius the Son of Barachieas, [who is also called Jochannan, 1 Chr.6.9. and Jujada, 1 Chron.24.22. and here Barachias And this Zacharias was one of the last Prophets, whose death or murder is related by name in the Old Testament, and whosae bloud, like as also the bloud of Abel, cryed to God fro vengeance] whom ye shew between the Temple and the Altar.

36. Verily, i say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

37. Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets, and stonest them that are unto thee: How often would i have gathered by children together, [That is, thine inhabitants] like as the hen gathereth together her chickens under the wings, and ye would not. [that is, ye have always sought to hinder it, see verse 13, and yet Christ gathered all his out of her nilling willing. Isa.1.8 and Rom.9.29.]

38. Behold your house is left unto you waste. [That is, it shall be laid waste, and abide watse, which are about fourty years after was done by the Romans.]

39. For i say unto you, ye shall not see me from henceforth, until ye shall say, [Namely, at the last day, when he shall come in his glory to judgment, where then against their wills must acknowledge, that he is the blessed of the Lord, i.e. the true Messiah, Revelation 1:7. see also, Matth 26.64.] Blessed is (or he) he that cometh in the name of the Lord.