The Strand Study Bible

MATTHEW

MATTHEW

1543

34-46). Something for which they would later seek retribution. 23:3 True leadership leads by example ( Exo 17:9 and Rom 2:17-24), not edict ( f or they say, and do not ). 23:5 A “phylactery” was a small metal cylinder encased within a square leather box, which contained Scripture (Deut 6:8-9). 23:8 “ Rabbi ” means teacher, master, or instructor. Our Lord made it plain that he alone is the Master (the one to be imitated). No man has the right to draw away disciples (imitators of the instructor) after himself (Acts 20:28-30 and Lk 5:33). Not even John the Baptist cared to corral the men who tried to imitate him (Jn 3:26-30). 23:11 Sounds like success has nothing to do with what you lead … and everything to do with what leads you ; what leads you to lead . According to Jesus, real leadership leads by serving ( shall be your servant ). 23:15 a Followers always become more fanatical and radical ( twofold more ) than the founder leader they idolize. 23:15 b This word ( hell ) is the Greek word JH ‘ HQQK9 ( gehennas ). Gehennas refers to a hell that is “eternal” in its punishment ( Psa 9:17 and Lk 16:23,24,26 ), not temporal, like hades . 23:17,19 Have you ever thought about what it takes to be called “a fool” by God? God says you’re a fool: 1. When you make flippant promises (oath) (Mt 23:17,19 and Eccl 5: 1- 5 ) It’s bad enough that a man’s word can’t be trusted “apart from an oath” ( Mt 5: 33- 34 ), but when you teach people that there are distinctions in the binding force of various oaths, you’ve become a fool what it takes to be called “a fool” by God. Our Lord showed the absurdity of such reasoning by pointing out that the greater (temple, altar, God) includes the smaller (gold, gift, heaven). 2. When you make the external more important than the internal (Lk 11:37-40 and Mk 7:14-23) Jesus reminds us that it’s not what goes “into” a person or “onto” that person that corrupts him, but what comes “out of” that person. It’s not the external that determine a person’s spirituality; it’s the internal ( Mt 15: 10- 11 ). 3. When you focus on the temporal more than the eternal ( Lk 12: 13- 20a and II Cor 4: 17- 18 ) Jesus said that we are fools whenever we focus our attention on that (the temporal) which is not going to last. 4. When you fail to take the promises of God to heart (Lk 24:13-25 and Psa 138:2 ) If God doesn’t have enough character to keep His word, He shouldn’t be God. But He DOES have the character to keep His word and He IS God, so we who say we know Him should take His promises to heart. 5. When you think you can lose your salvation ( Gal 3:1-3 , Exo 17:6 and Num 20:11 -12) Anyone who thinks they can lose what they didn’t purchase is a fool ( Isa 55:1a,b ). 23:23 a Mint and anise and cummin were herbs used for seasoning foods, or for medicine. Based on their interpretation of Leviticus 27:30, the Scribes and Pharisees tithed on these various garden plants (Lk 11:42 & 18:11-12). 23:23 b Our LORD certainly supported tithing ( these ought ye to have done ). So did the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 9:1-14. However, what our Lord did not advocate was their misinterpretation and misapplication of the Law. It is one thing to obey the Law for your own selfish purposes, quite another for the purposes of others (judgment, mercy, and faith). The primary purpose of the Law (moral, civil, ceremonial, personal, and separation) was not to benefit you, but to benefit others (Mt 22:34-40). According to Joshua 1:8, those who searched daily for truths to obey caused others to become successful, thus becoming successful themselves. The emphasis of the Law is for the sake and success of others, not self. 23:24 This word ( strain ) is the Greek word GLXOL]οQτH9 ( diulizontes ) and means, “ to filter out .” The Scribes and the Pharisees were willing to “ strain out ” the smallest unclean insect from their cup before drinking (most careful to keep the law in the littlest of matters) while completely overlooking the weightier matters of the law (judgment, mercy, and faith). Thus, they were accused by God of unknowingly swallowing the largest unclean animal in Palestine –the camel (Lev 11:4). Because of their misinterpretation of the primary purpose of the Law, our Lord used this proverbial saying to condemn them.