Author: drthomasclothier

¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.” (Matthew 23:13–14 (ESV)

The Old Testament Prophet was a herald of God’s oral and written revelation. The prophet’s God given message was an oracle. An oracle contained a vision, a forewarning, a foreshadowing, and a declaration of truth. The prophet was not to be audience driven in telling the people what they wanted to hear from God (Jeremiah 6:13-15). Rather, he was to be obedience driven to faithfully herald what the people needed to hear from God (Jeremiah 6:16-30).  

The prophet of God had a two-fold message from God to the people. First, there was the oracle of weal. This was an oracle containing a blessing from God. The oracle of weal was always preceded by the word “blessed” (Psalm 1:1; Matthew 5:1-12). However, there was also a second type of oracle; the oracle of woe. It was an oracle containing judgment from God. The oracle of woe was always preceded by the word “woe.”

“The term woe has gone the way of other worn out exclamations like alas or alack or forsooth. The only language that has kept the expression in current usage is Yiddish. Modern Jews still declare their frustrations by exclaiming “Oy vay!” which is the shortened version of the full expression Oy Vay Is Mer. Ov Vay is Yiddish for “Oh woe,” an abbreviation for the full expression, “Oh woe is me,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

In the context of Matthew 23:13-36, Jesus heralded seven woes against the scribes and Pharisees. Luke 11:37-54 records an earlier lamentation of six woes. Rather than an oracle from a prophet of God, these woes are an oracle from the God of the prophets.

“This series of seven woes is a prophetic pronouncement, for it brings God’s lawsuit against His people and announces the imminent realization of the covenant curses (Isaiah 5:8-23; Hab. 2:6-20), especially against Israel’s unfaithful shepherds (Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ezekiel 34),” states Dr. Sproul. “Leaders of the covenant community are judged more strictly because their words and example influence so many others, for good or ill (James 3:1).”

“Here begin The Seven Woes. Why did Jesus utter them? Probably because his soul was deeply stirred by the impenitence of so many of the scribes and Pharisees, and this in spite of all the evidences he had furnished of the fulfilment of Messianic prophecy in himself. Also, because he knew that they had so many followers among the people. His heart and mind were filled with sorrow when he thought of this. He knew that exposing his opponents was in the interest of the people. Add one more fact: this was going to be Christ’s final public address, hence his last opportunity personally to warn the people against these enemies of the truth. So he must make the best use of it,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.

May we who have ears to hear, let us hear what the Holy Spirit says in His Word. Have a blessed and God honoring day.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁸ “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. ¹¹ The greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:8–12 (ESV)

Jesus announced to His disciples how they were to serve Him, in contrast to the behavior of the scribes and the Pharisees. The main takeaway from today’s text is disciples of Jesus are to be humble. This remains applicable for church leaders and disciples.

Jesus said, “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.” The word Rabbi (Ῥαββί; rabbi) means teacher. Father (πατὴρ; pater) refers to a family patriarch or begetter.

Jesus was not meaning no believer in Christ should be void of titles. We all have them, whether they be dad, mom, son, daughter, brother, sister, boss, pastor, professor, etc. What He was warning against was having a prideful spirit about your title. Ultimately, God is our Father and Teacher and we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

Regarding one’s title through education, it’s wise, as a pastor for example, to get your education, your degree and even your doctorate and then get over it. When asked what I would prefer people call me as I serve as an elder at my church, I reply, “Tom, works.”

“In contesting the pride many Pharisees take in their titles and honors, Jesus cannot mean that titles are wholly inappropriate or that there are no distinctions between Christians (Matt. 23:6–10). After all, titles like “apostle” and “teacher” are later given to some believers (Gal. 1:1; Eph. 4:11). Matthew 23:6–10 only means that because Christians have Jesus as their final teacher, no believer is inherently superior to another. We should not call attention to our titles and achievements, nor should we inordinately belittle them and so be guilty of false humility. Titles must never be used to demand unquestioned obedience to oneself,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul

John Calvin writes that Christ’s “authority must remain entire, and that no mortal man ought to claim the smallest portion of it. Thus, he is the only Pastor.”

“Jesus condemns pride and pretense, not titles per se. Paul repeatedly speaks of “instructors” 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 (cf. 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,” concludes Dr. John MacArthur.

Individuals who exalt themselves above others create an uncomfortable atmosphere; especially in a local church. A spirit of godly humility is required of godly leaders (Micah 6:8; I Peter 5:1-7).

Soli deo Gloria!

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, ⁶ and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.” (Matthew 23:1–7 (ESV)

In the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ discussion with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, He spoke to the crowds and His disciples. The masses may refer to unbelievers. Disciples refers not to only the twelve, but perhaps also to others who followed Him (Acts 1:12-15; I Cor. 15:1-7).

The Lord continued to confront the hypocritical Pharisees after dismantling their understanding of Psalm 110 (Matt. 22:41–45). Seeing that the people are intensely listening to Him (v. 46), Jesus began warning them, including His disciples, of Pharisaic hypocrisy. He set for the following principles as perpetual warnings for true believers against false teachers.

First, be observant of false teacher’s religious hypocrisy. Second, false teachers love to enslave people to their legalism. They establish rules and regulations beyond Scripture to determine and evaluate spirituality. Third, false teachers love the limelight. They love attention and honor. Their goal is self-exaltation and their opium is pride. Following Jesus’ initial condemnation of the Pharisees, He continued to diagnose their spiritual condition (vs. 5-7).

First, whatever they do is so people will see them and applaud their religiosity.  ^“They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long” (vs. 5).

“Phylacteries were leather boxes containing a parchment on which is written in four 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 Ex. 13:9–10 and Deut. 6:8. 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,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

“Jesus himself wore them (Matt. 9:20), 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.”

Second, they love places of honor and public recognition. “…and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues” (vs. 6).

“Vanity and ostentatious display go hand in hand. Jesus issued a warning against this very sin of seeking the best seat at a banquet or dinner (Luke 14:8). James condemned the sin of assigning the best seat in the meeting-place to the rich, while telling the poor man to stand or else to sit on the floor near someone’s footstool (2:2, 3),” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

“The best seats in the synagogue were those in front of the raised platform, on which stood the prayer leader and the reader of the Scriptures. Thus seated, a person had the double advantage of being near the person reading or leading in prayer, and of facing the congregation and thus being able to see everybody. Besides, being ushered to such a seat was regarded as a mark of honor.”

Third, they love being seen in the marketplace among the people. “And they love… greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.”

“In contesting the pride many Pharisees take in their titles and honors, Jesus cannot mean that titles are wholly inappropriate or that there are no distinctions between Christians (Matt. 23:6–10). After all, titles like “apostle” and “teacher” are later given to some believers (Gal. 1:1; Eph. 4:11). Matthew 23:6–10 only means that because Christians have Jesus as their final teacher, no believer is inherently superior to another,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“We should not call attention to our titles and achievements, nor should we inordinately belittle them and so be guilty of false humility. Titles must never be used to demand unquestioned obedience to oneself.”

John Calvin writes that Christ’s “authority must remain entire, and that no mortal man ought to claim the smallest portion of it. Thus he is the only Pastor.”

May each believer in Christ live lives Coram Deo (before the face of God), before a watching world and a sovereign God. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, ⁶ and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.” (Matthew 23:1–7 (ESV)

In the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ discussion with the Pharisees and the Sadducees, He spoke to the crowds and His disciples. The masses may refer to unbelievers. Disciples refers not to only the twelve, but perhaps also to others who followed Him (Acts 1:12-15; I Cor. 15:1-7).

Most of the masses esteemed the Pharisees. Jesus knew the crowds faced condemnation if they followed these teachers and their behavior. Therefore, the Lord continued to confront the hypocritical Pharisees after dismantling their understanding of Psalm 110 (Matt. 22:41–45). Seeing that the people are intensely listening to Him (v. 46), Jesus began warning them, including His disciples, of Pharisaic hypocrisy. He set for the following principles as perpetual warnings for true believers against false teachers.

First, be observant of religious hypocrisy. False teachers may speak truth, but their behavior reveals their true character and standing with God. “²The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, ³so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.” True believers in Christ are to practice what they believe, insofar as it is in harmony with the Word of God. 

Second, false teachers love to enslave people to their legalism. They establish rules and regulations beyond Scripture to determine and evaluate spirituality. What you wear, where you go, what you do and not do are evaluated, and most likely condemned, by the religious leader. Ironically, the leader is never evaluated. He, or she, alone condemns. “⁴They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”

Third, false teachers love the limelight. They love attention and honor. Their goal is self-exaltation and their opium is pride. They parade themselves, and their family, as examples of biblical behavior. More often then not, their religious façade falls like a house of cards. “⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, ⁶ and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.”  

“The rest of Matthew 23, Jesus plainly condemns the Pharisees for not practicing the laws that they preach. As legal experts, they should know to help their fellow Jews (Lev. 19:18), but many Pharisees are more concerned with appearances and will not aid those who fail in trying to keep the Pharisaic traditions (Matt. 23:4),” explains R. R. C. Sproul. “Why would they help people get back on the straight and narrow if others’ failures made the Pharisees look better in comparison?”

May each believer in Christ live lives Coram Deo (before the face of God), before a watching world and a sovereign God. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁴¹ “Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴² saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son, is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” ⁴³ He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ⁴⁴ “The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”? ⁴⁵ If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” ⁴⁶ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.” (Matthew 22:41–46 (ESV)

The idiom “the tables are turned” or “turnabout is fair play” respectively refers to a role reversal in a situation or a shift in power. It also means to treat someone in the same way they have treated you. This is often a pejorative, or negative, expression of behavior where we seek to hurt someone who has hurt us. Or, “turnabout is fair play” may refer to the satisfaction we feel when someone receives the same negative treatment they have given to others.

However, Jesus embodied this behavior in righteous perfection. The Pharisees, Sadducees and other Jewish religious leaders repeatedly asked Him questions; for the purpose of accusing and condemning Him. Jesus, for the purpose of confronting the Pharisees, asked, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son, is he?” Jesus often used this phase, “What do you think” as a way of testing people (Matt. 17:25; 18:12; 21:28; 26:66).  

“Having confounded His questioners three times (Matt. 22:15–40), Jesus assumes the role of examiner, asking the Pharisees to name the Messiah’s father (vv. 41–42). This question is a no-brainer for the Pharisees, as well as every other Jewish sect of the day. The Sadducees, Herodians, Zealots, Pharisees, and so on do not agree on much, but all of them believe the Messiah will be David’s son. When the Pharisees admit as much to Christ, they are merely repeating truths revealed in 2 Samuel 7:1–17, as well as other parts of the old covenant revelation,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

The Pharisees answered, “The Son of David.” Jesus then asked follow-up questions. He said to them, “⁴³How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ⁴⁴ “The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”? ⁴⁵ If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

“What do you think of the Christ?” In guiding the Jerusalem leaders to contemplate this question of eternal weight, Jesus turned to the authority of what is written “in the book of Psalms,” specifically Psalm 110 (Matt 22:41–46; Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:40– 44), and asked a question childlike in both simplicity and profundity, the answer to which plunges one into the unfathomable wonder of the incarnation of God,” states commentator Michael Morales.

“How could David refer to his son as Lord? This probing question was but the application of what Jesus would later declare, that He Himself is the object of all the Scriptures of the Old Testament, summarizing their threefold division in Luke 24:44 as “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms,” with the Psalms standing as the summary representative of the Writings.”

To prove the Messiah is David’s Lord as well as his Son, Jesus quoted Psalm 110, which the New Testament quotes more often than any other Old Testament text. Since Psalm 110 is Messianic, as most first-century Jews correctly believed, David’s son, the Messiah (“my Lord”), is greater than his father. Yahweh is the One greater than David, who was the most exalted king of ancient Israel.

“Christ is forcing the Pharisees to rethink their Christology and in effect asks of them the same thing He asked of Peter: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15–16). It is a question that He asks of us all,” concludes Dr. Sproul.

Matthew records the following conclusion. “And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.”

What is your answer? Of all the questions you may have asked about Jesus Christ, this is the question He asks of you. After all, turnabout is fair play. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

³⁴ But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. ³⁵ And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34–40 (ESV)

“And the hits just keep on coming.” This phrase, used in many different art forms, can mean one good thing follows another. However, it can also sarcastically refer to one negative thing after another is happening. For example, “I had a flat tire yesterday, then I had an accident with the car, and then my car insurance company cancelled my coverage. And the hits just keep on coming.”

Jesus faced one opponent after another during His Passion Week. First it was the Pharisees (Matt. 21:45-22:22). Then the Sadducees came to trick Jesus (Matt. 22:23-33). Then, the Pharisees again tried to entrap the Lord according to today’s text. And the hits just kept on coming.

After hearing that Jesus silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees gathered together. While not initially and explicitly stated, the sense is the Pharisees gathered together in order to again try to entangle Jesus in His words (Matt. 22:15).

One of these religious leaders, an Old Testament lawyer by occupation, asked Him a question. He did so, the text explicitly says, in order to test Jesus. To test, (πειράζων; peirazon) means to try to trap or to catch someone in a mistake. It means to obtain information to use against an individual. Often times, this is what lawyers do.

The lawyer asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” One biblical scholar tabulated there are 613 commandments in the Old Testament Law. The obvious question, seemingly unanswerable, would be which commandment was the most important?  

“The question asked by this law-expert was one that could be expected from him and from the men he represented. The rabbis, devoted to hair-splitting legalism, carried on lengthy debates about the commandments, arguing whether any particular one was great or small, heavy or light. See Matt. 5:19 and 15:1ff. It was natural, therefore, that they often debated the question, “Which—of the 613 commandments, 248 of them positive, 365 negative—was “the great,” here in the sense of a superlative, “the greatest,”one,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

Jesus correctly answered, ““You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment.” This statement was taken from the daily Jewish Shema, or confession, found in Deuteronomy 6:4-8.

⁴ “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” (Deuteronomy 6:4–8 (ESV)

 Jesus then quoted from Leviticus 19:18 concerning the second greatest commandment. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus then stated, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” The entire Old Testament hangs on these two commandments.

The word for love (Ἀγαπήσεις; Agapeseis) is a self-sacrificial love of the will. It is a kindness based on a decision of the will for the long-term, and not an emotion of the moment. It is the love husbands are to have for their wives (Eph. 5:25). It is the love believers in Christ are to have for one another (I John 4:7-11).

“Despite attempts to interpret passages like Matthew 5:17 otherwise, today’s passage indicates that Jesus does not abrogate the Law when He fulfills it. He would not single out passages from the Law as God’s greatest commandments if He wanted to eliminate all principles found in the Mosaic code. Also, Jesus’ answer reveals that love is primarily an action, not a feeling. The commandment to love is an order to do something; thus, we are to love others, serving them even if we do not feel like it,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

However, we must not ignore the obvious and glaring irony found in today’s text. Jesus correctly answered the Pharisees’ question. There is not even a hint the religious leaders objected or disagreed with Jesus’ answer. Yet the irony is the Pharisees stood before the very God they claimed to love with their entire being. They were so close to God, and yet so far.

Have a blessed day as we seek to love the LORD and our neighbors. This we must do as believers in Christ even when the hits just keep on coming.

Soli deo Gloria!

²⁹ But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. ³⁰ For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ³¹ And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” ³³ And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.” (Matthew 22:29–33 (ESV)

Confronting error is not an unloving thing to do. It may be the most loving behavior a believer in Christ can display towards those engulfed in heresy. When doing so, remember Proverbs 15:1 (ESV): “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  

I recently had to confront biblical error held by a professing brother in Christ. I say “professing” because the doctrinal error he believes contradicts the Gospel. Therefore, my concern is not to win an argument but rather to lovingly lead him to biblical truth.

Jesus did not hesitate to tell the Sadducees they were wrong. To be wrong (Πλανᾶσθε; panasthe) means to lead astray, to be deceived or to wander from the truth. The divine truth standard required to protect oneself from deception, and to confront error, is Scripture.

Jesus told the Sadducees they neither understood the Scriptures nor the power of God. Had they, they would not have devised such a ridiculous scenario or denied the resurrection (Matt. 22:23-28).

Frist, Jesus said there was no marriage in the resurrection. Second, Jesus then quoted from the Pentateuch to prove the Scriptures taught the resurrection. The Sadducees were in awe.

“The Sadducees denied the reality of angels, and Jesus probably intended to address this point as well in His answer to their question (Matt. 22:23–30). He affirmed the existence of angels, who do not marry, when He said we will be like them — functionally — when resurrected (Matt. 22:23–30). The idea here is that marriage itself, as a God-ordained institution to be fruitful and multiply, will be rendered irrelevant in a renewed world without death. Remember that the Sadducees’ question was not about affection and companionship in the resurrection but about fulfilling the mandate to keep the family line going (Deut. 25:6),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.  

“Jesus then gives the theology of resurrection that underlies His comments thus far. He bases this doctrine in the Pentateuch, specifically Exodus 3:6, to refute the Sadducees who believe the five books of Moses teach nothing about the resurrection. Our Lord’s argument in Matthew 22:31–32 seems to be based partly on the use of the present tense; God said, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” not “I was the God of Abraham Isaac, and Jacob.” When Yahweh appeared to Moses hundreds of years after the patriarchs died, He remained their God, implying that after death they lived on to worship Him and, most importantly, will be bodily raised in the future. As an aside, this appeal to the tense of one word is important for our doctrine of biblical inspiration, for we see in it that the entire Bible is God-breathed. Not even one word is expendable.”

Death does not have the last word. God is the God of the living by sovereign grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.

Soli deo Gloria!

²³ “The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, ²⁴ saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ ²⁵ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ So too the second and third, down to the seventh. ²⁷ After them all, the woman died. ²⁸ In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” (Matthew 22:23–28 (ESV)

The controversial conversations Jesus encountered with His enemies were relentless during His Passion Week. Following the dialogue with the Pharisees concerning taxes (Matt. 22:15-22), Jesus then faced the Sadducees.

John Calvin writes, “Satan brings together all the ungodly, who in other respects differ widely from each other, to attack the truth of God.”

This is not the first occasion Matthew recorded Jesus encountering the Sadducees. A brief review of this first century people group is appropriate.

“In the Gospel narrative the Sadducees first appeared, together with Pharisees, at John’s baptism. He addressed them as “sons of snakes” and challenged them to show repentance in their lives (Matt.3:7–10). Later, the Sadducees came along with some Pharisees to “test” Jesus, asking him to show them a sign from heaven (16:1). Jesus told his disciples to beware of the Sadducees (vv 6, 11–12),” states the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.

“A great difference begins to emerge between Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew 22:23–33 (cf. Mk 12:18–27; Lk 20:27–38). The Sadducees, who, like others, wanted to embarrass Jesus with their questions, came with a trick question that showed their doubts concerning the resurrection of the dead.”

“Josephus, the Jewish historian who wrote in the closing years of the first century ad, adds to the information in the NT about this party. He said that the Sadducees, in contrast to the Pharisees and Essenes, gave no place to the overruling providence of God but emphasized that all that happens to us is the result of the good or evil that we do (Antiquities 13.5.9; War 2.8.14). Josephus, in a way comparable to the NT, spoke of the Sadducees’ rejection of “the immortal duration of the soul, and the punishments and rewards in Hades” (War 2.8.14). “Souls die with the bodies” was what they said (Antiquities 18.1.4).”

The Sadducees proposed scenario and question is contained in today’s text. In light of a woman married to seven brothers, following each preceding brother’s death, they wanted to know, according to the Mosaic Law, who would she be married to in the resurrection? Remember, the Sadducees did not believe in a resurrection of the body.

“Most Jews disliked the priestly Sadducees, because they embraced Roman customs, accommodating themselves to Rome to maintain their priestly authority. Quarreling with the popular Pharisees did not win friends for the Sadducees, whose contempt for the Pharisaic belief in resurrection is seen in their use of levirate marriage (Deut. 25:5–10) to ask Jesus about the life to come (Matt. 22:24–28),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“The need to determine the husband to whom the childless woman belongs in eternity remains even if only two brothers are involved. But the Sadducees spoke of seven men to emphasize the countless hurdles they found to belief in the resurrection. They were inferring that resurrection would force incest (being married simultaneously to many living brothers, Lev. 18:16) and break God’s law. How, then, could they affirm the doctrine?”

We will examine Jesus’ response to the Sadducees next time. Until then, have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹⁸ “But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰ And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” ²¹ They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²² When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.” (Matthew 22:18–22 ESV)

A common idiom, or turn of phrase, is there are two things certain in life: death and taxes. It was made famous by one of America’s Founding Fathers; Benjamin Franklin.

“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” — Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, 1789

As long as there has been government, there have been taxes (Deut. 18:14-17; Acts 23:1-5; Rom. 13:1-7; I Peter 2:17). “Because the task of government is divinely ordained and requires financial support, the Christian must pay taxes with a distinctive motive and understanding, as an element of obedience and devotions to God (Matt. 17:24-27; 22:15-21),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

As God Incarnate, Jesus acknowledged and affirmed this biblical truth as today’s text reveals. At the same time, He also recognized the motives of the Pharisees. They were people of malice and hypocrisy. “But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why put me to the test, you hypocrites’?”

Malice (πονηρίαν; ponerian) means wickedness. It refers to not only wicked behavior but also a wicked and evil nature. A hypocrite (ὑποκριταί; hypocritai) is pretending to something, or someone, you are not. In the Greek culture, a hypocrite was an actor in the theater pretending to be someone else. Jesus used both terms to describe and judge the ungodly Pharisees.

“As in past episodes (21:23–27), Jesus is in a no-win situation. The Jewish populace will hate Him if He affirms the propriety of the poll tax. Yet if He declares it unlawful, He can be charged with treason. Jesus, of course, sees through the ruse. He asks for the coin used to pay the tax, which for pious Jews should be a special copper coin minted with Rome’s approval, not the silver denarius, which is seen as idolatrous because it depicts the Caesar’s image and his title divus et pontifex maximus, Latin for “divine and high priest.” Jesus’ enemies are revealed as hypocrites when they produce the denarius (22:18–21). Those who hate idolatrous coinage are carrying unclean money themselves,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

Matthew then recorded the following object lesson by the Lord. ^19 “Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰ And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” ²¹ They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²² When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.”

The Pharisees marveled at Jesus’ teaching and wisdom. The word marveled (ἐθαύμασαν; ethaumasan) means to wonder and be amazed. They did not expect such an answer. They were filled with awe, but they remained unconverted as they left Him and went away.

“He (Jesus) was not evading the issue, but was clearly saying, “Yes, pay the tax.” Honoring God does not mean dishonoring the emperor by refusing to pay for the privileges—a relatively orderly society, police protection, good roads, courts, etc., etc.—one enjoys. Cf. 1 Tim. 2:2; 1 Peter 2:17. Thus, no truthful charge of sedition could be made against Jesus,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.

“Our Lord’s teaching is a useful principle for understanding when it is lawful to obey the state. As long as it does not claim for itself the rights that appropriately belong to God, Christians must obey the ruling authorities. This means we obey even when we do not agree with their tax rates, speed limits, or regulation of other parts of our lives. Do you obey the government when no biblical principle is violated even if you do not like the laws of the land,” concludes Dr. Sproul.

Soli deo Gloria!