Matthew 23:19 Themes and Topics

Verse Concepts

You say again, 'Swear by the altar, and it means nothing; but swear by the gift upon it, and the oath is binding.' You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

Verse Concepts

but if your Eye is selfish, the whole of your body will be darkened. And if your very light turns dark, then ??what a darkness it is! Verse Concepts

Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind, and if one blind man leads another, both of them will fall into a pit." Verse Concepts

You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Verse Concepts

Besides, their minds were dulled, for to this very day, when the Old Testament is read aloud, the same veil hangs. Veiled from them the fact that the glory fades in Christ! Verse Concepts

there the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to prevent them seeing the light thrown by the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God. Verse Concepts

their intelligence is darkened, they are estranged from the life of God by the ignorance which their dulness of heart has produced in them ??19 men who have recklessly abandoned themselves to sensuality, with a lust for the business of impurity in every shape and form. Verse Concepts

whereas he who has not these by him is blind, shortsighted, oblivious that he has been cleansed from his erstwhile sins. Verse Concepts

but he who hates his brother is in darkness, he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, for the darkness has blinded his eyes. Verse Concepts

Then the disciples came up and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees have taken offence at what they hear you say?" He replied, "Any plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind, and if one blind man leads another, both of them will fall into a pit."

Woe to you, blind guides that you are! you say, 'Swear by the sanctuary, and it means nothing; but swear by the gold of the sanctuary, and the oath is binding.' You are senseless and blind! for which is the greater, the gold or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? You say again, 'Swear by the altar, and it means nothing; but swear by the gift upon it, and the oath is binding.' read more.
You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He who swears by the altar swears by it and by all that lies on it; he who swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who inhabits it; he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and omit the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omit ting the former. Blind guides that you are, filtering away the gnat and swallowing the camel! Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are filled with your rapacity and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well.

He also told them a parabolic word: "Can one blind man lead another? will they not both fall into a pit? Verse Concepts

You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Verse Concepts

Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well. Verse Concepts

Then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot went and said to the high priests, "What will you give me for betraying him to you?" And they weighed out for him thirty silver pieces. From that moment he sought a good opportunity to betray him.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the high priests to betray him to them. They were delighted to hear it, and promised to pay him for it. Meantime he sought a good opportunity for betraying him.

and Satan entered Judas called Iscariot, a member of the twelve, who went off to discuss with the high priests and commanders how he could betray him to them. They were delighted and agreed to pay him for it. read more.
He assented to this and sought a good opportunity for betraying him to them in the absence of the crowd.

Verse Concepts

Listen to another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, put a fence round it, dug a wine-vat inside it, and built a watchtower: then he leased it to vinedressers and went abroad. When the fruit-season was near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers to collect his fruit; but the vinedressers took his servants and flogged one, killed another, and stoned a third. read more.
Once more he sent some other servants, more than he had sent at first, and they did the same to them. Afterwards he sent them his son; 'They will respect my son,' he said. But when the vinedressers saw his son they said to themselves, 'Here is the heir; come on, let us kill him and seize his inheritance!' So they took and threw him outside the vineyard and killed him. Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these vinedressers?" They replied, "He will utterly destroy the wretches and lease the vineyard to other vinedressers who will give him the fruits in their season."

When the high priests and Pharisees heard these parables they knew he was speaking about them; Verse Concepts

"The scribes and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses; so do whatever they tell you, obey them, but do not do as they do. They talk but they do not act. They make up heavy loads and lay them on men's shoulders, but they will not stir a finger to remove them. read more.
Besides, all they do is done to catch the notice of men; they make their phylacteries broad, they wear large tassels, they are fond of the best places at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues; they like to be saluted in the marketplaces and to be called 'rabbi' by men.

But you are not to be called 'rabbi,' for One is your teacher, and you are all brothers; you are not to call anyone 'father' on earth, for One is your heavenly Father; nor must you be called 'leaders,' for One is your leader, even the Christ.

Jesus was at table indoors, and many taxgatherers and sinners had come to be guests with him and his disciples. So when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with taxgatherers and sinners?" When Jesus heard it he said, "Those who are strong have no need of a doctor, but those who are ill. read more.
Go and learn the meaning of this word, I care for mercy not for sacrifice. For I have not come to call just men but sinners."

"The scribes and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses; so do whatever they tell you, obey them, but do not do as they do. They talk but they do not act. They make up heavy loads and lay them on men's shoulders, but they will not stir a finger to remove them.

Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you shut the Realm of heaven in men's faces; you neither enter yourselves, nor will you let those enter who are on the point of entering. ??- Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you succeed you make him a son of Gehenna twice as bad as yourselves. read more.
Woe to you, blind guides that you are! you say, 'Swear by the sanctuary, and it means nothing; but swear by the gold of the sanctuary, and the oath is binding.' You are senseless and blind! for which is the greater, the gold or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? You say again, 'Swear by the altar, and it means nothing; but swear by the gift upon it, and the oath is binding.' You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He who swears by the altar swears by it and by all that lies on it; he who swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who inhabits it; he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and omit the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omit ting the former. Blind guides that you are, filtering away the gnat and swallowing the camel! Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are filled with your rapacity and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well. Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you are like tombs white-washed; they look comely on the outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all manner of impurity. So to men you seem just, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the tombs of the just, and you say 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are sons of those who killed the prophets! And you will fill up the measure that your fathers filled. You serpents! you brood of vipers! how can you escape being sentenced to Gehenna? This is why I will send you prophets, wise men, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, some of whom you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town; it is that on you may fall the punishment for all the just blood shed on earth from the blood of Abel the just down to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

Everyone has to be consecrated by the fire of the discipline. Salt is excellent: but if salt is tasteless, how are you to restore its flavour? Let there be 'salt between you'; be at peace with one another."

Then the disciples came up and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees have taken offence at what they hear you say?" He replied, "Any plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind, and if one blind man leads another, both of them will fall into a pit."

Woe to you, blind guides that you are! you say, 'Swear by the sanctuary, and it means nothing; but swear by the gold of the sanctuary, and the oath is binding.' You are senseless and blind! for which is the greater, the gold or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? You say again, 'Swear by the altar, and it means nothing; but swear by the gift upon it, and the oath is binding.' read more.
You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He who swears by the altar swears by it and by all that lies on it; he who swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who inhabits it; he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and omit the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omit ting the former. Blind guides that you are, filtering away the gnat and swallowing the camel! Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are filled with your rapacity and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well.

He also told them a parabolic word: "Can one blind man lead another? will they not both fall into a pit? Verse Concepts

You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Verse Concepts

Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well. Verse Concepts

You are senseless and blind! for which is the greater, the gold or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? Verse Concepts

Woe to you, blind guides that you are! you say, 'Swear by the sanctuary, and it means nothing; but swear by the gold of the sanctuary, and the oath is binding.' You are senseless and blind! for which is the greater, the gold or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? You say again, 'Swear by the altar, and it means nothing; but swear by the gift upon it, and the oath is binding.' read more.
You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He who swears by the altar swears by it and by all that lies on it; he who swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who inhabits it; he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

Meanwhile as the crowd was gathering in its thousands till they trod on one another, he proceeded to say to his disciples first of all, "Be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy, Verse Concepts

When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they look woebegone to let men see they are fasting; I tell you truly, they do get their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fast may be seen not by men but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.

Listen to another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, put a fence round it, dug a wine-vat inside it, and built a watchtower: then he leased it to vinedressers and went abroad. When the fruit-season was near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers to collect his fruit; but the vinedressers took his servants and flogged one, killed another, and stoned a third. read more.
Once more he sent some other servants, more than he had sent at first, and they did the same to them. Afterwards he sent them his son; 'They will respect my son,' he said. But when the vinedressers saw his son they said to themselves, 'Here is the heir; come on, let us kill him and seize his inheritance!' So they took and threw him outside the vineyard and killed him. Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these vinedressers?" They replied, "He will utterly destroy the wretches and lease the vineyard to other vinedressers who will give him the fruits in their season." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures, The stone that the builders rejected is the chief stone now of the corner: this is the doing of the Lord, and a wonder to our eyes? I tell you therefore that the Realm of God will be taken from you and given to a nation that bears the fruits of the Realm. [Everyone who falls on this stone will be shattered, and whoever it falls upon will be crushed.]" When the high priests and Pharisees heard these parables they knew he was speaking about them; they tried to get hold of him, but they were afraid of the crowds, as the crowds held him to be a prophet.

When you give alms, make no flourish of trumpets like the hypocrites in the synagogues and the streets, so as to win applause from men; I tell you truly, they do get their reward. When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so as to keep your alms secret; then your Father who sees what is secret will reward you openly. read more.
Also, when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they like to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street-corners, so as to be seen by men; I tell you truly, they do get their reward. When you pray, go into your room and shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you. Do not pray by idle rote like pagans, for they suppose they will be heard the more they say; you must not copy them; your Father knows your needs before you ask him.

Then Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they take their food." He replied, "And why do you transgress the command of God with your traditions? read more.
God enjoined, Honour your father and mother, and, He who curses his father or mother is to suffer death. But you say, whoever tells his father or mother, 'This money might have been at your service but it is dedicated to God,' need not honour his father or mother. So you have repealed the law of God to suit your own tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah made a grand prophecy about you when he said, This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me: vain is their worship of me, for the doctrines they teach are but human precepts."

Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came up and, in order to tempt him, asked him to show them a Sign from heaven. He replied, ??- read more.
"It is an evil and disloyal generation that craves a Sign, and no Sign shall be given to it except the Sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away. When the disciples reached the opposite side, they found they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, "See and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." They argued among themselves, "But we have not brought any bread!" When Jesus noted this he said, "How little trust you have in me! Why all this talk, because you have brought no bread? Do you not understand even yet? Do you not remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? And the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? Why do you not see that I was not speaking to you about bread? No, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they realized that what he told them to beware of was not leaven but the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

"The scribes and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses; so do whatever they tell you, obey them, but do not do as they do. They talk but they do not act. They make up heavy loads and lay them on men's shoulders, but they will not stir a finger to remove them. read more.
Besides, all they do is done to catch the notice of men; they make their phylacteries broad, they wear large tassels, they are fond of the best places at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues; they like to be saluted in the marketplaces and to be called 'rabbi' by men. But you are not to be called 'rabbi,' for One is your teacher, and you are all brothers; you are not to call anyone 'father' on earth, for One is your heavenly Father; nor must you be called 'leaders,' for One is your leader, even the Christ. He who is greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be uplifted. Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you shut the Realm of heaven in men's faces; you neither enter yourselves, nor will you let those enter who are on the point of entering. ??- Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you succeed you make him a son of Gehenna twice as bad as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides that you are! you say, 'Swear by the sanctuary, and it means nothing; but swear by the gold of the sanctuary, and the oath is binding.' You are senseless and blind! for which is the greater, the gold or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? You say again, 'Swear by the altar, and it means nothing; but swear by the gift upon it, and the oath is binding.' You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He who swears by the altar swears by it and by all that lies on it; he who swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who inhabits it; he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and omit the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omit ting the former. Blind guides that you are, filtering away the gnat and swallowing the camel! Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are filled with your rapacity and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well. Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you are like tombs white-washed; they look comely on the outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all manner of impurity. So to men you seem just, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the tombs of the just, and you say 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are sons of those who killed the prophets! And you will fill up the measure that your fathers filled. You serpents! you brood of vipers! how can you escape being sentenced to Gehenna?

He was casting out a dumb daemon, and when the daemon had gone out the dumb man spoke. The crowds marvelled, but some of them said, "It is by Beelzebul the prince of daemons that he casts out daemons." Others by way of tempting him demanded he should give them a Sign from heaven. read more.
He knew what they were thinking about, so he said to them, "Any realm divided against itself comes to ruin, house after house falls down; and if Satan is divided against himself, how can his realm stand? You say I am casting out daemons by Beelzebul? If I cast out daemons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Thus they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast daemons out, then the Reign of God has reached you already. When the strong man in armour guards his homestead, his property is undisturbed; but when a stronger man attacks and conquers him, he seizes the panoply on which he relied and divides up the spoil. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. When an unclean spirit leaves a man, it roams through dry places in search of refreshment. As it finds none, then it says, 'I will go back to the house I left,' and when it comes it finds the house clean and in order. Then it goes off to fetch seven other spirits worse than itself; they go in and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first." While he was saying this, a woman shouted to him out of the crowd, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts you sucked!" But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear and who observe the word of God!" As the crowds were thronging to him, he proceeded to say, "This is an evil generation: it demands a Sign, but no Sign will be given to it except the Sign of Jonah; for as Jonah was a Sign to the Ninivites, so shall the Son of man be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and here is One greater than Solomon. The men of Ninive will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for when Jonah preached they did repent, and here is One greater than Jonah. No one lights a lamp to put it in a cellar or under a bowl, but on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. Your eye is the lamp of the body: when your eye is sound, then the whole of your body has light, but if your eye is diseased, then your body is darkened. (Look! perhaps your very light is dark.) So if your whole body has light, without any corner of it in darkness, it will be lit up entirely, as when a lamp lights you with its rays." When he finished speaking, a Pharisee asked him to take a meal in his house; so he went in and lay down at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he had not washed before the meal, but the Lord said to him, "You Pharisees do clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but your inner life is filled with rapacity and malice. Foolish men! did not He who made the outside make the inside of things too? Better cleanse what is within; then nothing will be unclean for you. But woe to you Pharisees! you tithe mint and rue and every vegetable, but justice and the love of God you disregard; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omitting the former. Woe to you Pharisees! you love the front bench in the synagogues and salutations in the marketplaces. Woe to you! you are like unsuspected tombs; men walk over them unawares." One of the jurists said to him, "Teacher, when you say this you are insulting us as well." He said, "And woe to you jurists! you load men with irksome burdens, and you will not put a single finger to their burdens. Woe to you! you build tombs for the prophets whom your own fathers killed: thus you testify and consent to what your fathers did, for they killed and you build. This is why the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some they will kill and some they will persecute'; it was that the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world might be charged upon this generation, from the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah who was slain between the altar and the House of God ??yes, I tell you, it will all be charged upon this generation. Woe to you jurists! you have taken the key that unlocks the door of knowledge; you have not entered yourselves, and you have stopped those who were entering." After he had gone away, the scribes and Pharisees commenced to follow him up closely and cross-question him on many points, lying in ambush to catch a word from his lips.

Now the tax gatherers and sinners were all approaching him to listen to him, but the Pharisees and the scribes complained, "He welcomes sinners and eats along with them!" So he told them this parable, read more.
"Which of you with a hundred sheep, if he loses one, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one till he finds it? When he finds it he puts it on his shoulders with joy, and when he gets home he gathers his friends and neighbours: 'Rejoice with me,' he says to them, 'for I have found the sheep I lost.' So, I tell you, there will be joy in heaven over a single sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine good people who do not need to repent. Or again, suppose a woman has ten shillings. If she loses one of them, does she not light a lamp and scour the house and search carefully till she finds it? And when she finds it she gathers her women-friends and neighbours, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the shilling I lost.'

Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you shut the Realm of heaven in men's faces; you neither enter yourselves, nor will you let those enter who are on the point of entering. ??- Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you succeed you make him a son of Gehenna twice as bad as yourselves. read more.
Woe to you, blind guides that you are! you say, 'Swear by the sanctuary, and it means nothing; but swear by the gold of the sanctuary, and the oath is binding.' You are senseless and blind! for which is the greater, the gold or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? You say again, 'Swear by the altar, and it means nothing; but swear by the gift upon it, and the oath is binding.' You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He who swears by the altar swears by it and by all that lies on it; he who swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who inhabits it; he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and omit the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omit ting the former. Blind guides that you are, filtering away the gnat and swallowing the camel! Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are filled with your rapacity and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well. Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you are like tombs white-washed; they look comely on the outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all manner of impurity. So to men you seem just, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the tombs of the just, and you say 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are sons of those who killed the prophets! And you will fill up the measure that your fathers filled. You serpents! you brood of vipers! how can you escape being sentenced to Gehenna?

"The scribes and Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses; so do whatever they tell you, obey them, but do not do as they do. They talk but they do not act. They make up heavy loads and lay them on men's shoulders, but they will not stir a finger to remove them. read more.
Besides, all they do is done to catch the notice of men; they make their phylacteries broad, they wear large tassels, they are fond of the best places at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues; they like to be saluted in the marketplaces and to be called 'rabbi' by men. But you are not to be called 'rabbi,' for One is your teacher, and you are all brothers; you are not to call anyone 'father' on earth, for One is your heavenly Father; nor must you be called 'leaders,' for One is your leader, even the Christ. He who is greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be uplifted. Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you shut the Realm of heaven in men's faces; you neither enter yourselves, nor will you let those enter who are on the point of entering. ??- Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when you succeed you make him a son of Gehenna twice as bad as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides that you are! you say, 'Swear by the sanctuary, and it means nothing; but swear by the gold of the sanctuary, and the oath is binding.' You are senseless and blind! for which is the greater, the gold or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? You say again, 'Swear by the altar, and it means nothing; but swear by the gift upon it, and the oath is binding.' You are blind! for which is the greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He who swears by the altar swears by it and by all that lies on it; he who swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who inhabits it; he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it. Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees! you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and omit the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faithfulness; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omit ting the former. Blind guides that you are, filtering away the gnat and swallowing the camel! Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are filled with your rapacity and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! first clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean as well. Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! you are like tombs white-washed; they look comely on the outside, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all manner of impurity. So to men you seem just, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe to you, you irreligious scribes and Pharisees! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the tombs of the just, and you say 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you are witnesses against yourselves, that you are sons of those who killed the prophets! And you will fill up the measure that your fathers filled. You serpents! you brood of vipers! how can you escape being sentenced to Gehenna?

But they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to him for the purpose of catching him with a question. They came up and said to him, "Teacher, we know you are sincere and fearless; you do not court human favour, you teach the Way of God honestly. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Are we to pay, or are we not to pay?" But he saw their trick and said to them, "Why tempt me? Bring me a shilling. Let me see it." read more.
So they brought one. He said, "Whose likeness, whose inscription is this?" "Caesar's," they said. Jesus said to them, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give God what belongs to God." He astonished them. Sadducees, men who hold there is no resurrection, also came up and put a question to him. "Teacher," they said, "Moses has written this law for us, that if a man's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother is to take the woman and raise offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and died leaving no offspring: the second took her and died without leaving any offspring: so did the third: none of the seven left any offspring. Last of all the woman died too. At the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? She was wife to the seven of them." Jesus said to them, "Is this not where you go wrong? ??you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God. When people rise from the dead they neither marry nor are married, they are like the angels in heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, at the passage on the Bush, how God said to him, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of dead people but of living. You are far wrong." Then a scribe came up, who had listened to the discussion. Knowing Jesus had given them an apt answer, he put this question to him, "What is the chief of all the commands?" Jesus replied, "The chief one is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with your whole mind, and with your whole strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other command greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Right, teacher! You have truly said, He is One, and there is none else but Him. Also, to love him with the whole heart, with the whole understanding, and with the whole strength, and to love one's neighbour as oneself ??that is far more than all holocausts and sacrifices." Jesus noted his intelligent answer and said to him, "You are not far off the Realm of God." After that no one ventured to put any more questions to him. And as Jesus taught in the temple he asked, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is David's son? David himself said in the holy Spirit, The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.' David here calls him Lord. Then how can he be his son?" Now the mass of the people listened with delight to him. And in the course of his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes! They like to walk about in long robes, to get saluted in the marketplaces, to secure the front seats in the synagogues and the best places at banquets; they prey upon the property of widows and offer long unreal prayers. All the heavier will their sentence be!"

but the Lord said to him, "You Pharisees do clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but your inner life is filled with rapacity and malice. Foolish men! did not He who made the outside make the inside of things too? Better cleanse what is within; then nothing will be unclean for you. read more.
But woe to you Pharisees! you tithe mint and rue and every vegetable, but justice and the love of God you disregard; these latter you ought to have practised ??without omitting the former. Woe to you Pharisees! you love the front bench in the synagogues and salutations in the marketplaces. Woe to you! you are like unsuspected tombs; men walk over them unawares." One of the jurists said to him, "Teacher, when you say this you are insulting us as well." He said, "And woe to you jurists! you load men with irksome burdens, and you will not put a single finger to their burdens. Woe to you! you build tombs for the prophets whom your own fathers killed: thus you testify and consent to what your fathers did, for they killed and you build. This is why the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some they will kill and some they will persecute'; it was that the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world might be charged upon this generation, from the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah who was slain between the altar and the House of God ??yes, I tell you, it will all be charged upon this generation. Woe to you jurists! you have taken the key that unlocks the door of knowledge; you have not entered yourselves, and you have stopped those who were entering." After he had gone away, the scribes and Pharisees commenced to follow him up closely and cross-question him on many points, lying in ambush to catch a word from his lips.