Introductory remarks:
Chapter twenty three gives a record of the Christ pronouncing woes on the religious leaders in very stern language, warning their followers of the deceitful ways, and to beware of their unscriptural teachings [doctrines].
The Denouncing of the Scribes and Pharisees
(Mark 12:38-40; Luke 11:37-52; 20:45-47)
Verse 1, "Then spake Jesus to the multitudes, and to his disciples,"
LGT "Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and His disciples,"
The word 'then' is that He is continuing His message from the last chapter, and now He is addressing both the crowds and His disciples.
Verse 2, "Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat."
LGT "saying, On the seat of Moses the scribes and Pharisees have sat down."
These religious rulers took upon themselves the authority to sit where Moses sat, that is, occupied the leadership of the Jews; the problem is, that Moses was chosen by God, and these leaders were appointed by men. The scribes and Pharisees, and also the Sadducees, put themselves in the 'seat of Moses' in that they were taking his place in interpreting the Law of Moses.
McGee notes:
"These religious rulers were in the place of authority, and they controlled the Old Testament Scriptures. They usurped that which they had no right to usurp. They occupied very much the same position that the church leaders occupy today. People looked to them for the interpretation of the truth."
Verse 3, "All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not."
LGT "All things therefore whatever they may tell you, do and keep, but after their works do not: for they say and do not."
As far as the OT Scriptures are taught by these religious rulers the people are urged to follow; as teachers of the truth they should be listened to, however, they are warned by the Lord not to be mislead by their works; for they are teachers that do not as they teach.
Verse 4, "For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."
LGT "For they bind heavy burdens [and hard to bear], and lay [them] on the shoulders of men, but with their own finger they will not move them."
The Pharisees were not requiring the people to do that which was contrary to Scripture, for Christ would not be supporting of that, but they were requiring exactness of the law, but were unwilling to lift a finger to assist. Peter said that the ceremonies of the Law of Moses neither they nor their fathers were able to bear, Acts 15:10. The requirements of the law were many and very laborious; the purpose of the Law, remember, was to bring them to a dependence on the lord, A schoolmaster to bring them to Christ Gal. 3:24. You see, the Pharisees were not to be little dictators of the Law, but they were to point them to Christ, and in that way they would be of help, but they were not willing to assist them, probably because they were deliberately ignorant of this truth.
"The Pharisees imposed obligations that put heavy loads on people's shoulders. While the Pharisees were ready to impose obligations on their people, they themselves were unwilling to lift a finger to enable their followers to bear the burdens that had been imposed" (Pentecost).
Verse 5, "But in all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,"
LGT "And all their works they do to be seen by men: for they make wide phylacteries and enlarge the borders."
"But in all their works they do for to be seen of men:"
In verse two Christ says these Pharisees loved to be recognized for their authority and titles of representatives of Moses. Here in this verse they desire to have their holy religious works recognized. In the next phrase their religious garb is mentioned:
They make broad their phylacteries, and the borders of their garments,"
The context here shows that the Pharisees wore these phylacteries, or Hebrew, Tephillin, as part of their religious service; however, they would wear them out in the public square to be seen of men, much like the Roman Catholic priest and nuns of our day.
Edersheim explains about the Phylacteries:
"With this charge of unreality and want of love, those of externalism, vanity, and self seeking are closely connected. Here we can only make selection from the abundant evidence in support of it. By merely external interpretation of Exod. 13:9, 16, and Deut. 6:8; 11:18, practice of wearing Phylacteries, or, as they are called, Tephillin, 'prayer fillets,' was introduced. These, as will be remembered, were square capsules, covered with leather, containing on small scrolls of parchment, these four sections of the law: Exod. 13:1-10; Deut. 6:4-9; 11:13-21. The Phylacteries were fastened by long leather straps to the forehead, and round the left arm, near the heart. Most superstitious reverence was attached to them, and in later times they were even used as amulets [charms]. Nevertheless, the Talmud itself gives confirmation that the practice of constantly wearing Phylacteries - or, it might be, making them broad, and enlarging the borders of the garments, was intended for to be seen of men. Thus we are told of a certain man who had done so, in order to cover his dishonest practices in appropriating what had been entrusted to his keeping. Nay, the Rabbis had in so many words to lay it down as a principle, that the Phylacteries were not to be worn for show (Menach. 37b)."
Verse 6, "And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,"
LGT "And love the first reclining place in the suppers, and the first seats in the synagogues,"
"And love the uppermost rooms at feasts,"
The Greek word for 'uppermost' is protoklisian from proto = first, and klisian = a place for reclining, so we have the first place for reclining at the supper.
Robertson writes:
"This phrase is literally, the first reclining place on the divan at the meal. The Persians, Greeks, Romans, Jews differed in their customs, but all cared for the post of honor at formal functions as is true of us today. Hostesses often solve the point by putting the name of each guest at the table. At the last meal the apostles had an ugly snarl over this very point of precedence (Luke 22; 24; John 13:2-11), just two days after this exposure of the Pharisees in the presence of the apostles."
"And the chief seats in the synagogues,"
Robertson continues:
"An insatiable hunger for prominence (Bruce). These chief seats were on the platform looking to the audience and with the back to the chest in which were kept the rolls of Scripture. The Essenes [an ascetic cult of the first century] had a different arrangement. People today pay high prices for front seats at the theatre, but at church prefer the rear seats out of a curious mock-humility. In the time of Jesus the hypocrites boldly sat in front. Now, if they come to church at all, they take the rear seats."
Verse 7, "And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi."
LGT "And the salutations in the market places, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi."
Men loved to be noticed, and these religious rulers were fond of being noticed in the 'markets', where everybody congregated, and being singled out as 'teacher', which is Rabbi.
Verse 8, "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ: and all ye are brethren."
LGT "But you, do not be called, Rabbi: for one is your Teacher, and you all are brothers."
The term 'Rabbi' means my great one. And the Lord says no man deserves this title except God.
I really don't know how much more to the point it can be said; and our Lord Jesus Christ says it. We should not reverence any man, save our Lord Jesus Christ. McGee says 'the pastor should receive respect by his position, but should not be reverenced; I disagree with this position, because no man should receive respect for anything other than the fact that he gives respect, and not because he is a pastor. As you probably have guessed by now, I don't believe any man is a pastor; he is simply another brother who has studied doctrine and is sharing with his family.
Verse 9, "And call no man father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven."
LGT "And do not call your father [any one] upon the earth, for One is your Father, the heavenly One."
"This verse is aimed at those who coveted the name abba father; compare the Latin papa pope" (Vincent).
Robertson adds:
"Jesus meant the full sense of this noble word for our heavenly Father. 'Abba was not commonly a mode of address to a living person, but a title of honor for Rabbis and great men of the past' (McNeile). In Gethsemane Jesus said: Abba Father (Mark 14:36). Certainly the ascription of father to pope and priest seems out of harmony with what Jesus here says. He should not be understood to be condemning the title to one's real father. Jesus often leaves the exceptions to be supplied."
Verse 10, "Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even Christ."
LGT "Neither should you be called leaders [teacher], because your Leader [teacher] is One, the Christ."
The Greek word for 'master' is kathagatai and is literally, a leader; in this context it has reference to the Pharisees setting themselves up as the spiritual leaders; even today, when a man sets himself up, or others set him up, it is wrong for him to assume the teacher position; one can teach, without being called the teacher in the spiritual sense; to be a teacher, and to assume the high office of a teacher are worlds apart. In Christ we are all equal, let no one tell you otherwise.
Verse 11, "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant."
LGT "But the greater of you will be your servant."
It seems here that Jesus is directing their attention toward the kingdom of the heavens, the thousand years of His personal physical reign here on earth. Jesus is teaching the disciples that instead of the attitude of the Pharisees that they are the chosen spiritual leaders, they would be servants.
Verse 12, "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall be exalted."
LGT "And whoever will exalt himself, will be humbled, and whoever will humble himself, will be exalted."
If a person wants to be a true leader, he will be the humble one, for we can only lead through humility. To take the pride of being a leader at the expensive of lording it over the family, will only lead to a loss of reward; a spiritual leader is one who serves the family, not expecting the family to serve him.
Woes Pronounced Against the
Scribes and Pharisees
McGee introduces this section thus:
"Here we have the gentle Jesus using the harshest language that is in the Word of God. No prophet of the Old Testament denounced sin as the Lord Jesus denounces it.
Here in Southern California this section was called to the attention of a liberal preacher. He didn't even know it was in the Bible - he had never read the Bible! In our day there is a misunderstanding of who the Lord Jesus really is. Liberalism gives the impression that all He ever talked about was love. One of the banners that was carried about in a protest march in Berkley [the University of California at Berkley] a number of years ago bore the slogan 'Jesus Yes, Church No.' A senator from Oregon made a great deal of that, maintaining that the church is giving the wrong impression, that this generation wants Jesus, but that they don't want the church as it is. Well, I agree that the church in general is giving the wrong impression, but the main problem is that they have really misunderstood who Jesus is. He is not the 'love-child' that the liberal thinks He is. Certainly it is true that He loves sinners and died for sinners, but also He is going to judge sinners. We need to have a correct perspective of Him. Therefore, He is the One who is misunderstood in our day.
The average conception of the Lord Jesus is not even Biblical. For example, I asked a liberal preacher this: 'Was the Jesus in whom you believe virgin born?'
He said 'No.'
'Did he die on the cross for the sins of the world?'
'No.'
Did he rise bodily from the grave?'
'No.'
'Well, I'd like to know where that Jesus ever originated. There are no documents, which give any information about that Jesus living in the first century. The only documents we have tell of One who was virgin born, who performed miracles, who died for the sins of the world, who rose from the dead, who ascended into heaven, and who is returning to this earth as the Judge.'
My friend, this Jesus is not generally known today, and yet He is the only Jesus Christ who has ever lived. The other one is a figment of the imagination.
Listen to Him as He pronounces woes upon the Scribes and Pharisees. This is strong language."
(I agree with McGee in this introduction, however, I would add that the liberal in our generation is not so well defined as the ones he describes; some of the liberals today do not deny the 'virgin birth' or Christ's 'death on the Cross;' no, they are more insidious, they are being led by that big goof Rick Warren who is leading them out to bring about 'world-peace.' Warren is not denying the basics of our Christian Faith; he is however, not teaching the true doctrines of the Word of God; he is out making a name for himself, and his little band of puppets, getting rich on God's people. The shame of it all is that he is setting the scene for the one world religion, and the take over of the Antichrist. Just yesterday I read in the Orange County Register that Warren has invited that Democratic presidential hopeful and bleeding heart liberal, who votes for the legalization of abortion, Barak Obama, to speak in his church, in his AIDS Conference. Barak believes we should make condoms more available, not abstinence; this morning I read the results from the conference at Saddleback Church on Friday, and Barak received a standing ovation, which proves that Rick Warren has created a congregation of spiritual-moron puppets that have no idea what doctrine is all about. Warren says, 'we can overlook our differences' as long as we can agree on AIDS. What a spiritual moron this Rick Warren is; we are not to join hands with the world, no matter what the cause; by the way, I am against the fight against AIDS in the first place, although I think we should help innocent victims. Stamping out AIDS is not on my agenda, but helping the poor widows and orphans is).
Verse 13, "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."
LGT "But oooieee to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the entrance into the kingdom of the heavens before men: for you do not enter, neither do you allow the ones entering to enter."
"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"
The Greek for 'woe' is ouie and is an expression, as I pointed out in John, by the Lord of pitiless condemnation.
The Greek word for 'hypocrite' is hupokritai meaning to separate gradually. It also means, when used in the middle voice, an actor on a stage. So in this context, Christ calls these scribes and Pharisees, by this strong rebuke, hypocrites, because they were, by their overt displays, pretending religion, rather than living the truth.
"For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."
This does not mean that these false teachers were actually preventing men from entering the kingdom of heaven, just that their teachings are false, and they lead to perdition; no man can literally prevent any other man from entering the kingdom; it is not the false teachers that prevent entrance, it is the false doctrine. The 'woe' Christ pronounces is against perversion of His Word.
Christ is saying they are teaching false doctrines, that if they are believed, will prevent others from entering, and if they believe these words they teach themselves, they surely cannot enter. Christ offered Himself as the 'Door' and these scribes and Pharisees rejected Him, and were teaching false doctrines that shut the door to others entrance.
Verse 14, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."
(The best manuscripts omit this verse as a gloss from Mark and Luke, so I won't count it here but will cover it when I do my exposition on the other gospel accounts)
Verse 15, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."
LGT "Ooiee to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you go about the sea and the dry [land] to make one proselyte, and when he has become [so], you make him a son of Gehenna, twofold more than yourselves."
"For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte,"
"It is a convert to Pharisaism rather than Judaism that is meant by 'one proselyte' (hena proseluton), newcomers, aliens. There were two kinds of proselytes: of the gate (not actual Jews, but God-fearers and well-wishers of Judaism, like Cornelius), of righteousness who received circumcision and became actual Jews. But a very small percent of the latter became Pharisees. There was a Hellenistic Jewish literature (Philo, Sibylline Oracles, etc.) designed to attract Gentiles to Judaism. But the Pharisaic missionary zeal (compass, periagete, go around) was a comparative failure" (A. T. Robertson).
"And when he is made, ye make him twofold more than a child of hell than yourselves."
The more the proselyte was brain-washed by the Pharisees, the more he was converted to Pharisaism, and the Lord says that he became twice as bad, that is, twice the child of hell. McGee says, "They were great at witnessing, but they were not bringing anyone to the God."
Barnes notes:
"To be a child of hell was a Hebrew phrase, signifying to be deserving of hell, to be awfully wicked. The Jewish writers themselves say that the proselytes were 'scabs of Israel,' and 'hindered the coming of the Messiah' by their great wickedness. The Pharisees gained them either to swell their own numbers, or to make gain by extorting their money under various pretences; and when they had accomplished that, they took no pains to instruct them or to restrain them. They had renounced their superstition which had before somewhat restrained them, but the Pharisees had given them no religion in its place to restrain them, and they were consequently left to the full indulgence of their vices."
Verse 16, "Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!"
LGT "Ooiee to you, blind leaders, who are saying, whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing: but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, is morally obligated."
"Woe unto you, ye blind guides,"
Christ uses the term 'blind guides' (gr. hodegoi tuphloi), blind leaders. Jesus doesn't use the terms Pharisees and Scribes in this woe, but calls them 'blind leaders' because the split theological heirs by making the Scriptures mean other than what He intended.
"Which say, Whosoever swear by the temple, it is nothing;"
The laws respecting oaths is found in Lev. 19:12, and Deut. 23:23, so they were forbidden to perjure themselves. "An oath is a solemn affirmation or declaration, made with an appeal to God for truth of what is affirmed, and imprecating His vengeance, and renouncing his favor if what is affirmed is false. A false oath is called perjury, or, as in this place, forswearing" (Barnes). In Matt. 5:34 Jesus says, "But I say unto you, Swear not at all: neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:" The temple was God's abode on earth, and they were forbidden to swear by it. The scribes and Pharisees were saying that to swear by the temple was nothing, which is, it amounts to nothing.
"But whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor."
"The gold of the temple means either the golden vessels in the temple - the candlestick, &c.; or the gold with which the doors and other parts of the temple were covered; or the gold in the treasury. This, it seems, they considered far more sacred than any other part of the temple, but it is not known why" (Barnes). One can only speculate why they reverenced the glittering objects in the temple more than the true significance of the temple; but it is easy if you see that is all they were about, that is, they were all showy and glitzy.
The Greek word for 'debtor' is ophelei, and it means to morally obligated or responsible. So what they are saying is that a man has no responsibility to the temple, only the things that have material worth; these blind leaders were stressing the physical rather than the spiritual in the temple. The bottom line is that they were saying that to swear by the gold obligated the one to his oath.
Verse 17, "Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?"
LGT "Fools and blind, for what is greater, the gold, or the temple which sanctifies the gold?"
The gold could be seen, but the significance of the temple was spiritual; these blind leaders drew attention to the outward display of the gold in the temple, rather than the true meaning of the temple's spiritual meaning; the temple sanctified (set apart) the gold and gave it meaning, but like themselves, they were only concerned with the outward appearance. The gold pointed to the temple, which sanctified it; otherwise, in any other place the gold would be common.
Verse 18, "And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty."
LGT "And, whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing: but whoever shall swear by the gift that [is] upon it, is morally obligated."
This continues the false teaching of these blind guides not being able to discern from the altar and the gift.
Verse 19, "Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?"
LGT "Blind, for what is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifies the gift?"
The altar should receive the greater recognition for it is that which was spiritual represented by the altar; the altar sanctified the gift of the animal sacrifice that was brought. The blind leaders were splitting hairs saying that the oath would only be binding by the material gift.
Verse 20, "Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon."
LGT "Therefore, the one who swears by the altar swears by it, and all those things upon it."
The altar represented Christ, and whatever was sacrificed on the altar was representative of all of the works Christ performed on the cross, so if they swore by the altar would be the same as swearing by the gifts that were offered on the altar.
Verse 21, "And, whosoever shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein."
LGT "And the one who swears by the temple, swears by it, and the One who dwells in it."
The One who dwells in the temple was God; His dwelling place was behind the veil in the Holy of Holies; the temple was God's house in Solomon's Temple, between the Cherubim and Seraphim, above the Mercy Seat. So when a person would swear by the temple they were swearing by God who dwelt in the temple.
Verse 22, "And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon."
LGT "And the one who swears by the heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by the One who sits upon it."
The same principle applies to heaven, as did the temple and the altar.
Barnes notes:
"Heaven is his throne, Matt. 5:34. It is so called as being the place where he sits in glory. Jesus says, here, that all who swear at all do, in fact, swear by God, or the oath is good for nothing. To swear by an altar, a gift, or a temple is of no force unless it be meant to appeal to God himself. The essential thing in an oath is calling God to witness our sincerity. If a real oath is taken, therefore, God is appealed to. If not it is foolish and wicked to swear by anything else."
Verse 23, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
LGT "Oouiee to you, Scribes and Pharisees, because you pay tithes of mint and anise the cumin, and you have left aside the important [matters] of the law, judgment and the mercy and the faith: [but] these [matters] it is necessary to do, and those not leaving aside."
"For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin,"
These hypocrites were very meticulous about paying tithe of these small spices that, by the way, was not required by the Law of Moses, completely ignoring the importance of the law.
Barnes writes:
"The tithe was a tenth part. The law required the Jews to devote a tenth part of all their property to the support of the Levites, Num. 18:20-24. Another tenth part they paid for the service of the sanctuary, commonly in cattle or grain, but where they lived far from the place of worship they changed it to money, Deut. 14:22-24. Besides these, there was to be every third year a tenth part given to the poor, to be eaten at their own dwellings (Deut. 14:28, 29); so that nearly one third of the property of the Jews was devoted to religious services by law. This was besides the voluntary offerings, which they made. How much more mild and gentle are the laws of Christianity under which we live! (Actually, under Christianity, there is no law except as Christ said, 'The law of love', that was contained in His two commands, to love God, and to love your fellow believer). Mint, a garden herb, in the original so called from its agreeable flavor. It was used to sprinkle the floors of their houses and synagogues to produce a pleasant fragrance. Anise, Known commonly among us as dill. It has a fine aromatic smell, and is used by confectioners and perfumers. Cumin, a plant of the same genus, like fennel, and used for similar purposes. These were all herbs of little value. The Law of Moses said that they should pay tithes of the fruits of the earth, Deut. 14:22. It said nothing, however, about herbs. It was a question whether these should be tithed. The Pharisees maintained, in their extraordinary strictness, that they ought. Our Savior says that they were precise in doing the small matters which the law had not expressly commanded, while they omitted the greater things which it had enjoined."
"And have omitted the weightier matters of the law,"
The Greek word for 'weightier' is barutera meaning the important matters.
"Judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
Barnes continues:
"Judgment, justice to others, as magistrates, neighbors, citizens. Giving to all their just dues. Mercy, compassion and kindness to the poor and miserable. Faith, piety toward God; confidence in him. Faith in God here means that we are to give to him what is his due; as mercy and justice mean to do to men, in all circumstances, what is right toward them. Attention to even the smallest points of the law of God is proper, but it should not interfere with the higher and more important parts of the law."
Verse 24, "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."
LGT "Blind guides, who filter out the gnat, but drink down the camel."
This verse in the Greek is literally filter out the gnat, not as the KJV has it, strain at a gnat. "Strain at is an old misprint perpetuated. Hence the Revised Version correctly translates strain or filter out. Insects were ceremonially unclean (Lev. 11:20, 23, 41, 42), so that the Jews strained their wine in order not to swallow any unclean animal. Moreover, there were certain insects, which bred in wine. Aristotle uses the word gnat (konopa) of a worm or larva found in the sediment of sour wine" (Vincent).
Both the insect and the camel were unclean; the point is that the Pharisees were very meticulous about little matters, but drank down with out caution the camel, representing their ignorance of the important points of the law; "these Jews take great pains to avoid offence in very small matters, superstitiously observing the smallest points of the law, like a man carefully straining out the gnat from what he drinks, while you are at no pains to avoid great sins - hypocrisy, deceit, oppression, and lust - like a man who should swallow a camel" (Calmet's Dictionary).
Verse 25, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess."
LGT "Oouiee to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup, and of the dish, but within they are full of robbery and overindulgence."
These hypocrites made a holier than thou attitude with their tithing practices, but inside, they were full robbery and overindulgence. Everything they did was for show, but they were filthy on the inside.
McGee wrote:
"The fifth woe pictures the Pharisees with their emphasis on the externals. This is a picture of the average church [organization] today that is so busy making the outside of the cup and platter clean. They go through all the ceremonies. They want to have the best equipment. They talk so nice and piously on the outside, but inside they do not deal with sin. In most cases, they do not even like the word sin. But all of the external ceremonies cannot clean up their inner corruption. The Pharisees substituted ritual for reality, formality for faith, and liturgy for God."
Verse 26, "Thou blind Pharisees, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also."
LGT "Blind Pharisees, First clean the inside of the cup, in order that the outside of them may become clean."
The Lord is saying that if these Pharisees would start the cleansing from the inside, they would become clean outside by natural process.
Verse 27, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."
LGT "Oouiee to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are like whitened sepulchers, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of [the] dead and all uncleanness."
"For ye are like unto whited sepulchers,"
"Whitened with powdered lime dust, the sepulchers of the poor in the fields or the roadside. Not the rock-hewn tombs of the well-to-do. These were whitewashed a month before the Passover that travelers might see them and so avoid being defiled by touching them (Num. 19:16). In Acts 23:3 Paul called the high priest a whited wall. When Jesus spoke the sepulchers had been freshly whitewashed. We today speak of whitewashing moral evil" (A. T. Robertson).
"Which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and all uncleanness."
This picture Christ presents is of these hypocrites that show off religious beauty, but are dead as a doornail inside. Men claim to be Christian, attend church every Sunday, but are only going through the motions; they deny Christ as the Pharisees did, and are spiritually dead.
Verse 28, "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
LGT "Thus also you appear righteous to men outwardly, but within are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
The Greek word for 'iniquity' is anomies which is 'lawlessness.' The unbeliever commits lawlessness as a way of life. There was nothing spiritual about these Pharisees; they were rank through and through.
Verse 29, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,"
LGT "Oouiee to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the sepulchers of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous,"
About the tombs of the prophets Vincent wrote:
"By this name are called monuments at the base of the Mount of Olives, in the valley of Jehoshaphat; called at present the tombs of Zechariah, Absalom, Jehoshaphat, and St. James. Two of them are monoliths cut out of solid rock; the others are merely excavations, with ornamental portals 'They appear,' says Dr. Thompson, 'to be quite extensive, consisting of winding or semicircular galleries, passing under the mountain more than a hundred feet from east to west, and terminating in a rotunda about eighty-feet from the entrance. There is no authority for the name which they commonly bear.' Possibly they were in sight of our Lord when he spoke, and were pointed out by him. The reference would be more telling, if, as has been conjectured, the Pharisees were engaged in constructing the tombs of Zechariah and Absalom at the time that the Lord addressed them, and that the chambered sepulchers of James and Jehoshaphat, lying between those two, were the sepulchers which they were garnishing at their entrance."
Verse 30, "And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets."
LGT "And you say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets."
These hypocrites say that if they had been around when the prophets were preaching their messages, they would not have done the same as their fathers had done, and killed the prophets; for now, as we have just read, they adorn the tombs of the prophets, similar to the way in which the Church in Rome deifies the past saints.
Verse 31, "Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets."
LGT "So that you bear witness to yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets."
It was not from the tombs of the prophets that they bore witness against themselves, it was in their own consciences; they knew full well within themselves they were hypocrites.
Verse 32, "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers."
LGT "And you, fill you up the measure of your fathers."
These hypocrites were about to prove who they really were by putting Christ to death; this will prove them for the lying hypocrites they were.
Barnes notes:
"This is a prediction of what they were about to do. He would have them act out their true spirit, and show what they were, and evince to all they had the spirit of their fathers. This was done by putting him to death, and persecuting the apostles. The measure. The full amount, so as to make it complete. By your slaying me, fill up what is lacking of the iniquity of your fathers till the measure is full; till the national iniquity is complete; till as much has been committed as God can possibly bear, and then shall come upon you all this blood, and you shall be destroyed, vs. 34, 35."
Verse 33, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"
LGT "Serpents, offspring of vipers, how shall you escape from the judgment of Gehenna?"
For those who teach that Jesus was all about love, and that He did not condone harsh judgment need to read this verse; Christ not only judges these hypocrites, He curses them by calling them snakes; Christ says that can not escape the fires of hell if they persist in their wicked ways of deceiving the people.
Pentecost writes:
"Christ condemned them finally by likening them to snakes. Eve was deceived by Satan, who came in the form of a snake (Gen. 3:1). Without doubt the snake that approached Eve was beautiful to look upon externally; nevertheless, it was the vehicle through which Eve was deceived. Christ appropriately called the Pharisees snakes, for while their externalism may have been attractive to people, the system that they proclaimed deceived people and kept them from Christ."
Verse 34, "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye kill and crucify; and some of them ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city."
LGT "Because of this, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise [men], and scribes: of them you will kill, and crucify, and of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and will persecute from city to city:"
"Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes:"
By the force of the future tense in the next phrase, this statement also has the force of the future, that is, I will send. These names, prophets, and wise men, and scribes, are designations to men who would come with the message of Christ.
"And some of them ye kill and crucify; and some of them ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city."
The Jews could not use crucifixion as means of killing the apostles, but the could trump up false charges and deliver them up to the Roman government for crucifixion; all the apostles met with these types of persecution in one form or the other, and they were warned by Christ that this would be their fate.
Verse 35, "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar."
LGT "So that should come upon you all [the] righteous blood poured out upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous, unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar."
Abel was the first to be murdered in the Old Testament (Gen. 4:8), and Zechariah, the minor prophet, was the last to be slain in the Old Testament (2 Chron. 24:21). Christ says that the righteous blood of all the prophets that were slain by Israel will be upon their heads, and they will be judged accordingly.
Verse 36, "Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation."
LGT "Verily I say to you, All these things shall come upon this generation."
The Lord is now predicting the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the scattering of the Jewish race; forty years after Christ spoke these words, these things came to be.
The Lament over Jerusalem
(Luke 13:34-35)
Verse 37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
LGT "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who killed the prophets and stoned the ones who have been sent to her, how often would I have gathered together your children, in the way a hen gathers her brood under [her] wings, and you would not!"
That is, you would have no part of Me. Jesus denounces Jerusalem because upon His entry they rejected Him; He could not accept them because they rejected Him. Jesus made several trips to Jerusalem, made plain in the Gospel of John, but they would not have this Man reign over them. The illustration is made from every day life; anyone that has been on a farm, or out in the country and observed a mother hen how she scurries about when her brood is in danger; she spreads her wings and gathers her chicks under her wings for protection.
H.A. Ironside notes:
"Jerusalem, the city of the great King, knew not the time of her visitation. He who would have saved and brought in the promised kingdom blessing was in their midst and they knew Him not. Had they only turned to Him in repentance, He would have sheltered them from judgment as a hen protects her chickens from the hawk seeking to destroy them. But they would not receive Him. They were responsible, therefore, for their own condemnation."
Verse 38, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."
LGT "Behold, is left to you your house, desolate."
Christ refers to their house, meaning their temple that is their place of spiritual worship; the temple will be completely destroyed in AD 70.
Verse 39, "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
LGT "For I say to you, You shall in no way see Me, from now until you shall say, Blessed is the One who comes in [the] name of the Lord."
The Gospel of Grace has been given over into the hands of the Church; the Jews are scattered today, unto the uttermost parts of the earth; it will not be until the end of the tribulation that the Jews will turn to Christ, individually and nationally; then they will be gathered together to Him to enter His Kingdom. This revelation surprises His disciples and in the next chapter they will come to Him to have their questions answered.
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