Thematic Bible
Matthew 23:1 (show verse)
Then Jesus speaking to the crowds and to his disciples, said:
No Themes for this verse.
Matthew 23:2 (show verse)
"The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees now occupy the chair of Moses.
Matthew 23:3 (show verse)
Therefore practice and lay to heart everything that they tell preach but do not practice.
Matthew 23:4 (show verse)
While they make up heavy loads and pile them on other men's shoulder's they decline, themselves, to lift a finger to move them.
Matthew 23:5 (show verse)
All their actions are done to attract attention. They widen their phylacteries, and increase the size of their tassels,
Matthew 23:6 (show verse)
and like to have the place of honor at dinner, and the best seats in the Synagogues,
Matthew 23:7 (show verse)
and to be greeted in the markets with respect, and to be called 'Rabbi' for everybody.
Matthew 23:8 (show verse)
But do not allow yourselves to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Father, the heavenly Father.
Matthew 23:9 (show verse)
And do not call any one Father, the heavenly Father.
Matthew 23:10 (show verse)
Nor must you allow yourselves to be called 'Leaders,' for you have only one Leader, the Christ.
Matthew 23:11 (show verse)
The man who would be the greatest among you must be your servant.
Matthew 23:12 (show verse)
Whoever shall exalt himself will be humbled, and whoever shall humble himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:13 (show verse)
But alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You turn the key of the Kingdom of Heaven in men's faces. For you do not go in yourselves, nor yet allow those who try to go in to do so.
Matthew 23:14 (show verse)
Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You destroy widow's houses, even while pretending to make long prayers; therefore you shall receive greater condemnation.
Matthew 23:15 (show verse)
Alas for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You scour land and sea to make a single convert, and, when he is gained, you make him twice as deserving of the Pit as you are yourselves.
Matthew 23:16 (show verse)
Alas for you, you blind guides! You say 'if any answer by the Temple, his oath counts for nothing; but, if any one swears by the gold of the Temple, his oath is binding him'!
Matthew 23:17 (show verse)
Fools that you are and blind! Which is the more important? The gold? Or the Temple which has given sacredness to the gold?
Matthew 23:18 (show verse)
You say, too, 'If any one swears by the altar, his oath counts for nothing, but, if any one swears by the offering placed on it, his oath is binding on him'!
Matthew 23:19 (show verse)
Blind indeed! Which is the more important? The offering? or the altar which gives sacredness to the offering?
Matthew 23:20 (show verse)
Therefore a man, swearing by the altar, swears by it and by all that is on it,
Matthew 23:21 (show verse)
and a man, swearing by the Temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it,
Matthew 23:22 (show verse)
while a man, swearing by Heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it.
Matthew 23:23 (show verse)
Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You pay tithes on mint, fennel, and caraway seed, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law--justice, mercy, and good faith. These last you ought to have put into practice, without neglecting the first.
Matthew 23:24 (show verse)
You blind guides, to strain out a gnat and to swallow a camel!
Matthew 23:25 (show verse)
Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are filled with the results of greed and self-indulgence.
Matthew 23:26 (show verse)
You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.
Matthew 23:27 (show verse)
Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed look fair outside, while inside they are filled with dead men's bones and all kinds of filth.
Matthew 23:28 (show verse)
It is the same with you. Outwardly, and to others, you have the look of religious men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and sin.
Matthew 23:29 (show verse)
Alas for you, Teachers of the Law and Pharisees, hypocrites that you are! You build the tombs of the Prophets, and decorate the monuments of religious men,
Matthew 23:30 (show verse)
and say 'Had we been living in the days of our ancestors, we should have taken part in their murder of the Prophets!
Matthew 23:31 (show verse)
By doing this you are furnishing evidence against yourselves that you are true children of the men who murdered the Prophets.
Matthew 23:32 (show verse)
Fill up the measure of your ancestor's guilt.
Matthew 23:33 (show verse)
You serpents and brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to the Pit?
Matthew 23:34 (show verse)
That is why I send you Prophets, wise men, and Teachers of the Law, some of whom you will crucify and kill, and some of whom you will scourge in your Synagogues, and persecute from town to town;
Matthew 23:35 (show verse)
in order that upon your heads may fall every drop of innocent 'blood split on earth,' from the blood of innocent Abel down to that of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar.
Matthew 23:36 (show verse)
All this, I tell you, will come home to the present generation.
Matthew 23:37 (show verse)
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! She who slays the Prophets and stones the messengers sent to her--Oh, how often have I wished to gather your children round me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not came!
Matthew 23:38 (show verse)
Verily, your house is left to you desolate!
Matthew 23:39 (show verse)
For nevermore, I tell you, shall you see me, until you say-- 'Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!'"