53 Bible Verses about Teachers Of The Law
Most Relevant Verses
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, highly respected by all the people, got up in the council and gave orders to put the men out of the council a little while;
For I tell you that unless your righteousness far surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven at all.
And all at once some men were bringing to Him a paralyzed man, lying on a couch. And because He saw their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Cheer up, my child, your sins are forgiven." Then some of the scribes said to themselves, "He is a blasphemer." And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said, "Why do you have such wicked thoughts in your hearts?read more.
For which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or, to say 'Get up and go to walking'? But to show you that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth" -- turning to the paralyzed man, He said to Him -- "Get up, pick up your bed, and go home." And he got up and went home. And the crowds saw it, and were stricken with awe, and gave praise to God for giving such power to men.
When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Some scribes were sitting there arguing and saying to themselves, "Why is He talking this way? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone?"read more.
Now Jesus at once felt in His spirit that they were arguing about this, and said, "Why are you arguing to yourselves about this? Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say to him, 'Get up, pick up your pallet and start walking!" But to show you that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth," turning to the paralyzed man He said, "I tell you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home." Then he got up and at once picked up his pallet, and went out before them all. The result was that they were all dumbfounded and began to praise God and say, "We have never seen anything like this before."
When He saw their faith, He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." But the scribes and the Pharisees began to argue, saying, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Jesus saw that they were arguing, and answered them: "Why are you arguing so in your hearts?read more.
Which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say 'Get up and start walking'? But to show you that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth" -- turning to the man who was paralyzed, He said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet, and go home." Then at once he got up before them all, picked up the pallet on which he had been lying, and went off home, giving praise to God. Then an overwhelming wonder seized them all and they began to give praise to God. They were filled with awe and continued to say, "We have seen unthinkable wonders today!"
And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem kept saying, "He is under the spell of Beelzebub and by the help of the prince of the demons He drives out the demons." So He called them to Him, and continued speaking to them in short stories, as follows: "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is disunited, that kingdom cannot last.read more.
And if a household is disunited, that household cannot last. And if Satan has made an insurrection against himself and become disunited, he cannot last but is surely coming to an end. But no one can get into a giant's house and carry off his goods, unless he first binds the giant; after that he can make a clean sweep of his house.
Then again they went into Jerusalem. And while Jesus was walking about in the temple, the high priests, scribes, and elders came up to Him and said to Him, "What sort of authority have you for doing as you do? Or, who gave you the authority to do as you do?" Jesus said to them, "Let me ask you just one question, and if you answer me, I will tell you what sort of authority I have for doing as I do.read more.
Was John's baptism from heaven or from men? Answer me." Then they argued with one another in this way, "If we say, 'It was from heaven,' He will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?' On the other hand, can we say, 'It was from men'?" For they were afraid of the people, because everybody thought that John was really a prophet. So they said to Jesus, "We do not know." Jesus also said to them, "Nor am I going to tell you what sort of authority I have for doing as I do."
One day while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the good news, the high priests and the scribes, together with the elders, took a stand against Him, and said to Him, "Tell us what sort of authority you have for doing as you do, or who is it that gave you such authority?" Then He answered them, "I will ask you a question too. Tell me,read more.
was John's baptism from heaven or from men?" And they argued with one another, and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet." So they answered and said that they did not know where it was from. Then Jesus said to them, "Nor am I going to tell you what sort of authority I have for doing as I do."
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him as follows: "Teacher, we would like to see a spectacular sign given by you." But He answered, "Only a wicked and treacherous age is hankering for a spectacular sign, and no sign will be given it but the sign of the prophet Jonah.
"The scribes and Pharisees have taken Moses' seat as teachers. So everything they tell you, do and practice, but stop doing what they do, for they preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens and fasten them on men's shoulders, but they refuse to lift a finger to help bear them.read more.
They do what they do to attract people's attention. They wear on their coats Scripture texts in big letters, and they wear large tassels, and they like the places of honor at feasts and the front seats in synagogues, to be greeted with honor in public places, and to have men call them 'Teacher.' But as for you, you must not seek for others to call you 'Teacher,' for you have but one who is 'Teacher,' and you are all brothers. And you must not call anyone on earth 'father,' for the Heavenly One is your Father. And you must not be called 'leaders,' for you have only one Leader, and that is Christ. Whoever is greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. "A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you bolt the doors of the kingdom of heaven in men's faces, for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you let those who are trying to do so go in. Omitted Text. A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you scour land and sea to win a single convert, and when he is won you make him twice as fit for the pit as you are. A curse on you, you blind leaders who say, 'Whoever swears by the sanctuary is not duty-bound, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is duty-bound.' You blind fools! which is greater, the gold, or the sanctuary that makes the gold sacred? You say, 'Whoever swears by the altar is not duty-bound, but whoever swears by the offering on the altar is duty-bound!' You blind men! which is greater, the offering, or the altar that makes the offering sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by everything on it; whoever swears by the sanctuary swears by it and by Him who dwells in it; whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. "A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees! For you pay tithes on mint and dill and cummin, and yet leave out the more vital matters of the law, justice, love and fidelity. These latter especially you ought to have done, but ought not to have left out the former. You blind leaders, who are straining out the gnat but gulping down the camel! A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of your greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisees! You must first clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may be clean too. "A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you are like white-washed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead people's bones and everything that is unclean! So you, too, on the outside seem to people to be upright, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. "A curse on you, you hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, for you build tombs for the prophets, and decorate monuments for the upright, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have been sharers with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you are witnessing against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Then fill up to the brim the cup of your forefathers' guilt! You serpents! You brood of vipers! How can you escape a sentence to the pit!
And in His teaching He continued to say: "Beware of the scribes who like to go about in long robes, to be saluted with honor in public places, to be seated in the front seats in the synagogues, to occupy the places of honor at banquets -- men who eat up widows' houses and to cover it up make long prayers. They will get a much heavier sentence!"
"O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! The city that continues to murder the prophets, and to stone those who are sent to her, how often I have yearned to gather your children around me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings. But you refused! Now your house is abandoned to its fate! And I tell you, you will never see me again until you say, 'Blessed be He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"
"Beware of the scribes who like to go about in long robes and love to be saluted with honor in public places, to be seated in the front seats in the synagogues, and to occupy the places of honor at banquets --
Then some Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem came to Jesus, and asked Him, "Why do your disciples break the rules handed down by our forefathers? For they do not practice washing their hands when they take their meals." But He answered, "Why do you too break God's command for the sake of the rules that have been handed down to you?read more.
For God said, 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Whoever curses his father or mother must certainly be put to death.' But you say, 'Whoever tells his father or mother, "Everything I have that might be used for helping you, is devoted to God," is under no obligation at all to help his parent.' So you have set aside what God has said for the sake of what has been handed down to you. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied beautifully about you, when he said: "'This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far, far away from me;
The Pharisees met about Him, and also some scribes who had come from Jerusalem. They had noticed that some of His disciples were in the habit of eating their meals without first giving their hands a ceremonial washing to make them clean. For the Pharisees and all the Jews practice the customs handed down to them from their forefathers,read more.
and will never eat until they have carefully washed their hands, and they never eat anything brought from the market until they wash it; and they have many other religious practices which they got from their forefathers, as the washing of cups, pitchers, and pans. And so the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why is it that your disciples do not practice the customs handed down from our forefathers, but eat their meals without purifying their hands?" But He answered them, "Isaiah beautifully prophesied about you hypocrites; as the Scripture says: "'This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far, far away from me; Their worship of me is but an empty show; the things they teach are but men's precepts.' "You give up what God has commanded,
But because the high priests and scribes saw the wonders that He did and the children shouting in the temple, "Welcome the Son of David," they were indignant and asked Him, "Do you hear what they are saying?" Jesus answered them, "Yes. Did you never read this, 'Out of the mouths of little children, yea, of infants, you have perfect praise'?"
And when the scribes who belonged to the Pharisees' party saw that He was eating with notorious sinners and tax-collectors, they said to His disciples, "Why does He eat with tax-collectors and notorious sinners?" Jesus heard it, and said to them, "Not well but sick people have to send for the doctor. It is not upright but sinful people that I have come to invite."
Now the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling at His disciples, and were saying, "Why are you eating and drinking with tax-collectors and notorious sinners?" But Jesus answered them, "Not well but sick people have to send for the doctor. It is not upright but sinful people that I have come to invite to repentance."
Now all the tax-collectors and notorious sinners were crowding around Him to listen to Him. And so the Pharisees and scribes continually grumbled, and said, "This fellow is welcoming notorious sinners, and even eating with them." So He told them the following story:read more.
"What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep, and if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and continue to look for the lost one until he finds it? And when he finds it, with joy he puts it on his shoulders, and when he reaches home he calls in his friends and neighbors, and says to them, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinful person who repents than over ninety-nine upright people who do not need any repentance.
While He was teaching in the temple, He answered them and said, "How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, said: 'The Lord has said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand Until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet."' David himself called him Lord, so how can He be his son?" Most of the people liked to hear Him.
And the scribes and the Pharisees were closely watching Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath, in order to get a charge against Him. But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and stand at the front." So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "Is it right on the Sabbath to do people good, or to do them evil, to save life or to take it?"read more.
Then He glanced around at them all and said to him, "Put out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was at once completely restored. But they were filled with fury and began to discuss what they could do to Jesus.
Meanwhile, the high priests and the scribes stood by and continued vehemently to accuse Him.
The men who had laid hands on Jesus took Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, at whose home the scribes and elders had met. And Peter followed Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest's home; he even went inside and was sitting among the attendants to see how it would end. Now the high priests and the whole council were trying to get false testimony against Jesus, to have Him put to death;read more.
but they could not, although many false witnesses came forward to testify. At last two men came forward
They took Jesus away to the high priest, and all the high priests, elders, and scribes met there. And Peter followed Him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; he was sitting with the attendants and warming himself before the fire. The high priests and the whole council were trying to get evidence against Jesus to put Him to death, but they could find none,read more.
for although many men gave false testimony against Him, their testimonies did not agree.
And the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in adultery. And standing her in the middle, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In our law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now, what do you say?"read more.
They were asking this to trap him so that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped and began to write in the dirt with his finger.
Then the high priests and the scribes heard of this, and they kept looking for some way to destroy Him, for they were afraid of Him, for everybody was swept off his feet at what He said.
So He was teaching daily in the temple, and the high priests and the scribes and the leading men of the people were trying to destroy Him,
Now the feast of the Passover and of Unleavened Bread was two days later. So the high priests and scribes kept looking for some way to arrest Him by stratagem and have Him put to death,
So the high priests and the scribes continued to seek how they might put Him to death, for they were afraid of the people.
At that very moment, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, came up, and with him a crowd of men with swords and clubs, from the high priests, scribes, and elders.
Then the scribes and the high priests tried to arrest Him at that very hour, but they were afraid of the people, for they knew that He meant this story for them.
Then they were trying to have Him arrested, but they were afraid of the people, for they knew that He aimed this story at them. And so they left Him and went away.
As soon as it was daylight, the high priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes; and the whole council, after binding Jesus, took Him away and turned Him over to Pilate.
And the high priests, too, made sport of Him, with the scribes and elders, and said, "He saved others but He cannot save Himself. He is the king of Israel, is He? Well, let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.
The high priests too made sport of Him to one another with the scribes, and kept saying, "He saved others but He cannot save Himself! Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see it and believe!" Even the men who were crucified with Him made sport of Him.
It was just after that that Jesus Christ for the first time clearly taught His disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem and submit to many forms of suffering at the hands of the elders, high priests, and scribes, and be killed, but be raised to life on the third day.
Then He instructed them for the first time that the Son of Man had to endure great suffering and be disowned by the elders and the high priests and the scribes, and be killed but rise again after three days.
as He said, "The Son of Man has to endure great suffering and be disowned by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes, and be put to death but be raised to life on the third day."
"Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be turned over to the high priests and the scribes, and they will sentence Him to death, and turn Him over to the heathen to mock and flog and crucify, but on the third day He will rise again."
"Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be turned over to the high priests and scribes, and they will sentence Him to death, and will turn Him over to the heathen, and they will make sport of Him, and spit on Him, and flog Him, and kill Him, but three days after He will rise again."
On the next day the leading members of the council, the elders, and the scribes, met in Jerusalem, including Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all that were members of the high priest's family. They had the men stand before them and repeatedly inquired of them, "By what sort of power and authority have you done this?"
By this means they excited the people, the elders, and the scribes, and so they rushed upon him, seized him, and brought him before the council.
So he called together all the high priests and scribes of the people, and anxiously asked them where the Christ was to be born.
And a scribe came up and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you may go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, even wild birds have roosts, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."
He said to them, "Every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who can bring out of his storeroom new furnishings as well as old."
They want to be teachers of the law, although they do not understand the words they use or the things about which they make such confident assertions.
When Jesus had closed this address, the result was that the crowds were dumbfounded at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority to teach, and not as their scribes did.
The disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
Then they asked Him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?"
And they were dumbfounded at His teaching, for He was teaching them like one who had authority to teach, and not like the scribes.
So there was a vociferous yelling until some of the scribes, belonging to the party of the Pharisees, got up and fiercely contended, "We find nothing wrong with this man. Suppose a spirit or angel has really spoken to him!"
