Blinded to God’s Truth

Topic: Cleanliness

Passage: Matthew 23:13–26

February 19, 2020

Commentary

Jesus had great sorrow for the Pharisees because they were blinded to God’s truth and their sins. In this passage & the next, we see eight woes that we might contrast to the eight beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. The beatitudes described true righteousness and here Jesus describes false righteousness.

They not only kept themselves out of the kingdom but stood in the way of others by their man-made traditions instead of God’s truth (v. 13) (Luke 11:52). Eight times in this chapter Jesus pronounced “woes” upon those He called “hypocrites” and “fools” and “blind” and “serpents.” When love speaks harshly, it does so because no other language has a chance of breaking through. The Pharisees were making long prayers to impress people while taking from the widows whom they should help (v. 14). The woe describes how the Pharisees traveled over land and sea to win others to their legalistic system yet could not introduce people to the true and living God (v. 15). How tragic!!

They said that it was binding to swear by the gold in the temple, but not by the temple itself (v. 16). Jesus called them blind fools and asked them which was greater, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold (v. 17). The people said that an oath taken by the altar could be broken but to swear by the gifts on the altar was binding (vv. 18-20). When you swear by the temple you are swearing by it and the God who lives in it (v. 21). When you swear by heaven, you are swearing by the throne and God who sits on the throne (v. 22). Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites who tithed but left off the important things (v. 23). Jesus told these teachers of the law how terrible it would be for them because they were careful to clean the outside but were filthy on the inside (vv. 24-26).

Application

Have I given too much attention to minor details while neglecting the essential and more important ones in my Christian life? Am I giving too much thought to the outward while neglecting giving the needed cleansing to my inward heart (Prov. 4:23)?

Matthew 23:13– 26 (NET)

¹³ “But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.

¹⁵ “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves!

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ ¹⁷ Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ ¹⁹ You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

²³ “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. ²⁴ Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too!