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COMMENTARY: This is a pretty rough chapter where Jesus gives a lot to the hypocritical Jewish leaders.

Jesus warns of religious leaders

Jesus addressed the gathered people and disciples: ‘Teachers and Pharisees are there to explain the law of Moses to you. Listen to all their commands. But do not follow the example of their life, because they only speak, but in life They don’t apply it. They put heavy burdens of their demands on you, but they can excuse their own concessions. Everything they do is only for effect. To look holy, they acquire striking badges of their piety, they like to sit in honorable places on feasts and have reserved places at worship. How they like to be greeted by people in public places and when they are addressed ‘Master’! But you don’t call yourself that way, because only one is your master and you are all brothers to each other. And don’t give any people a title Father, for you have a single Father, and he is in heaven. nor do you consider yourself a sovereign authority, for it is only Christ.  The greatest among you is the one who serves all. He who has too good an opinion of himself shall be disappointed and reduced. However, the humble They will be promoted.

Commentary: Jesus repeats here again that The greatest among you is the one who serves everyone. Service to others is the basis of true Christianity. And humility is one of the highest virtues. – How do you write here in verse 12 However, the humble will be promoted. And humility does not mean thinking less about yourself, but thinking less of yourself.

Now the even rougher part of Matouš 23 begins…

Jesus condemns religious leaders

Woe to you, law teachers and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are closing people’s entry into the kingdom of God. You don’t go into it yourself, and you defend those who would like to enter there. Under the cloak of long and lavish prayers, you are able to extort money even from widows. It will be difficult for you to judge! Woe to you, hypocrites! You pass the end of the world to turn one person into faith, but as soon as he believes, you overwhelm him with your regulations. If he was in for a damn before, by your contribution, he will be doubly. Woe to you! You want to lead others and you can’t see a step yourself. You have determined: the oath to the temple does not bind, but only the oath of the temple gold is valid. Isn’t that nonsense? What is more? The gold or the temple that gives it the sanctity? And another invention of yours: oath on the sacrificial altar means nothing, while the oath on the sacrifice must be fulfilled. How could you have figured it out? What is more? Sacrifice or altar? Only by placing it on the altar does the victim become a victim. Therefore, whoever swears by the altar swears by everything that lies on it. So whether you swear on the temple, on heaven or on the throne of God, you actually swear by God, who makes sense of it all. Woe to you, the interpreters of the law and the Pharisees, hypocrites. You also put a tenth of the temple of mint, dill and cumin, but do not pay attention to what God considers important:

to act according to his right, mercifully and with faith.

Pain tithes, but don’t neglect the most important thing!

Blind leaders! You are careful not to swallow a mosquito, but to swallow a camel! Woe to you, hypocrites! You wash the dishes on the surface and fill the inside with what you have dug up in your greed. Blind Pharisee, clean the inside of the container first, only then will it be really clean. Woe to you, you hypocrites! You are like decorated graves: the exterior is nice, but inside there are only the bones of the dead and dust. You seem to be holy, but you are very pretense inside. Woe to you, you innocents!

You build tombstones for the prophets that your ancestors killed, you decorate the graves of the martyrs and say: ‘If we lived in the time of our fathers, we would not do so!’ Do not lie to yourself, you are the true descendants of those who killed the prophets. Follow in their footsteps and complete their work!

Comment: ‘Complete their work’ means that Jesus tells them to finish what they started with him and what was their goal – to get rid of him!

Do you think you will escape the fire of God’s judgment? Like poisonous snakes You lie in wait for the prophets, true teachers and interpreters of the Scriptures who come to you from my mandate. You will whip them in your synagogues and chase them from city to city, some of them you will murder, others you will crucify.

Comment: This is a prophecy about what happens to Jesus’ followers!

You will be blamed for all the spilled blood of the innocent, starting from Abel to the last martyr for God’s cause, whom you will deprive of your life. I’m really telling you that it will all fall on the head of this generation.

Comment: The pursuit is not over. Even today, many people are persecuted because of their faith in Jesus. I would also include series and movies that make fun of believers. In the media, we find out of the vast majority only a negative view of people who are religious.

An important verse on the subject of persecution is in 2 Timothy 3:12 – Just like that, all who want to live piously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. When we are persecuted, we can rejoice. We step on the devil’s heels and he freaks out.- It means that we are doing something right for God! When we are not persecuted, it may mean the opposite – we are not doing what we should.

Jesus again laments over Jerusalem

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How often I wanted to gather you, as a hen hides her chicks under her wings, but you didn’t want to. Therefore, I am now leaving your temple and your hope is leaving with me. Only when I return will you understand and confess: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of God!’

Comment: How applicable even today! How Jesus weeps over all lost lives, even in today’s wars. And how much he would like all people to come under his protective wings of love, and yet many do not want to. Let us be a good example of Christian love and truth, so that many may know it through us.