Mateus 23
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Mateus 23
Wiersbe: As we review these tragic woes from the lips of our Lord, we can see why the Pharisees were His enemies. He emphasized the inner man; they were concerned with externals. He taught a spiritual life based on principles, while the Pharisees majored on rules and regulations. Jesus measured spirituality in terms of character, while the Pharisees measured it in terms of religious activities and conformity to external laws. Jesus taught humility and sacrificial service, but the Pharisees were proud and used people to accomplish their own purposes. The holy life of Jesus exposed their artificial piety and shallow religion. Instead of coming out of the darkness, the Pharisees tried to put out the Light, and they failed. (Bible Exposition Commentary)
Mateus 23
Wiersbe - The poor in spirit enter the kingdom, but the proud in spirit keep themselves out and even keep others out. The Greek verb indicates people trying to get in who cannot. It is bad enough to keep yourself out of the kingdom, but worse when you stand in the way of others. By teaching man-made traditions instead of God's truth, they "took away the key of knowledge" and closed the door to salvation (Luke 11:52). (Bible Exposition Commentary) Pulpit Commentary has a blistering note - The kingdom of heaven is here metaphorically regarded as a banqueting hall, where are celebrated the espousals of Christ and his Church. The Pharisees watched the access thereto. They stood at the door to bar all entrance. If any showed signs of yielding to honest conviction, they sternly forbade them to proceed; they repelled them with violence, as by excommunication (John 9:22, 34), or by calumniating the Teacher (Matthew 9:34, etc.). There was many a time when people were ready to acknowledge Christ and to follow him as Messiah. A word from their authorized leaders would have turned the scale in his favour; but that word was never spoken. The weight of authority was always placed on the opposite side, and naught but prejudice, animosity, and slander befell the cause of Jesus. Related Resource: What does the Bible say about hypocrisy? What does it mean to be pharisaical? What is the leaven of the Pharisees? NET NOTE - TECHNICAL NOTE - The most important MSS (א B D L Z Θ f1 33 892* pc and several versional witnesses) do not have 23:14 “Woe to you experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows’ property, and as a show you pray long prayers! Therefore you will receive a more severe punishment.” Part or all of the verse is contained (either after v. 12 or after v. 13) in W 0102 0107 f13 𝔐 and several versions, but it is almost certainly not original. The present translation follows NA27 in omitting the verse number as well, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations. Note also that Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47 are very similar in wording and are not disputed textually. Matthew Henry Concise - Mt 23:13-33. The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep away from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others from him. Yet it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the greatest enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckoned double iniquity. They were very busy to turn souls to be of their party. Not for the glory of God and the good of souls, but that they might have the credit and advantage of making converts. Gain being their godliness, by a thousand devices they made religion give way to their worldly interests. They were very strict and precise in smaller matters of the law, but careless and loose in weightier matters. It is not the scrupling a little sin that Christ here reproves; if it be a sin, though but a gnat, it must be strained out; but the doing that, and then swallowing a camel, or, committing a greater sin. While they would seem to be godly, they were neither sober nor righteous. We are really, what we are inwardly. Outward motives may keep the outside clean, while the inside is filthy; but if the heart and spirit be made new, there will be newness of life; here we must begin with ourselves. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was like the ornaments of a grave, or dressing up a dead body, only for show. The deceitfulness of sinners' hearts appears in that they go down the streams of the sins of their own day, while they fancy that they should have opposed the sins of former days. We sometimes think, if we had lived when Christ was upon earth, that we should not have despised and rejected him, as men then did; yet Christ in his Spirit, in his word, in his ministers, is still no better treated. And it is just with God to give those up to their hearts' lusts, who obstinately persist in gratifying them. Christ gives men their true characters. Woe (alas; How dreadful!) (3759) ouai (3759 - click and select "Phonetics" to hear "ouai" pronounced) (ouai pronounced "oo-ah'ee," an eerie, ominous foreboding sound some say is like the cry of an eagle) is an onomatopoeic word (an imitation of the sound) which serves as an interjection or lamentation (e.g., at funerals 1Ki 13:30) expressing an outburst of emotion, a cry of intense distress, displeasure, pain, sorrow or horror. An exclamation denoting pain or displeasure. Sometime woe was used to attract attention (Isa. 55:1). Less frequently, it occurs as a noun denoting a disaster or calamity. The OT prophets would often open their prophetic utterances of coming divine judgment with the word "Woe!" (Isa. 5:8-10; Mic 2:1-5) An interjection expressing great distress or sorrow; or a noun signifying a condition of deep suffering due to a calamity that has befallen or will befall a person or community. It may convey a warning of impending disaster to the hearers. BDAG - ① interjection denoting pain or displeasure, woe, alas ② a state of intense hardship or distress, woe What is the meaning of woe in the Bible? - Gotquestions.org Most NT uses of ouai are in the context of warning about inevitable, impending judgment, often intermingled with a feeling of pity (Mt 11:21-22, Lk 22:22 = Judas' betrayal). Rev 8:13+ has woe in triplicate which seems to provide the greatest possible emphasis on God's coming judgment on the world, much as the cry of "holy" in triplicate emphasizes His holiness. Indeed, His perfect holiness demands His perfect judgment! In the Lxx a double woe is addressed to unfaithful Jerusalem because of her idolatry and immorality (Ezek 16:23). Ouai does not depict sorrow on the part of those who have sinned (as some have mistakenly taught). Ouai is an interjection of grief, pain, lament, threat, doom or indignation. Ouai is an an expression of pain and pity for the misfortune that awaits someone in a certain condition. Ouai is often an announcement of disaster to come. Woe warns of danger and the nearness of judgment. In a sense "to bless" or "blessing" stands in opposition to woe. OUAI - 47X/36V - Matt. 11:21; Matt. 18:7; Matt. 23:13; Matt. 23:14; Matt. 23:15; Matt. 23:16; Matt. 23:23; Matt. 23:25; Matt. 23:27; Matt. 23:29; Matt. 24:19; Matt. 26:24; Mk. 13:17; Mk. 14:21; Lk. 6:24; Lk. 6:25; Lk. 6:26; Lk. 10:13; Lk. 11:42; Lk. 11:43; Lk. 11:44; Lk. 11:46; Lk. 11:47; Lk. 11:52; Lk. 17:1; Lk. 21:23; Lk. 22:22; 1 Co. 9:16; Jude 1:11; Rev. 8:13; Rev. 9:12; Rev. 11:14; Rev. 12:12; Rev. 18:10; Rev. 18:16; Rev. 18:19 Hypocrites (5273) hupokrites from hupó = under, indicating secrecy + krino = to judge) describes one who acts pretentiously, a counterfeit, a man who assumes and speaks or acts under a feigned character. A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be something he or she is not. W E Vine adds "primarily denotes "one who answers;" then, "a stage-actor;" it was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanical devices for augmenting the force of the voice; hence the word became used metaphorically of "a dissembler, a hypocrite." Originally the word hupokrites was used for an actor in the Greek theater. One actor might appear in the same production several times with his true identity disguised by various masks. To determine his/her true identity, one would have to "judge beneath the mask." Thus, the word has become synonymous with insincerity and mere pretense. Hupokrites - 18x/18v - Matt. 6:2; Matt. 6:5; Matt. 6:16; Matt. 7:5; Matt. 15:7; Matt. 22:18; Matt. 23:13; Matt. 23:14; Matt. 23:15; Matt. 23:23; Matt. 23:25; Matt. 23:27; Matt. 23:29; Matt. 24:51; Mk. 7:6; Lk. 6:42; Lk. 12:56; Lk. 13:15 Gilbrant on hypocrites - Every New Testament instance of hupokrites occurs in the Synoptic Gospels and every one occurs in a saying of Jesus. Moreover, every instance but two (parallel texts) is in the plural form (cf. Matthew 7:5; Luke 6:42). In classical Greek this noun (a compound form related to krinō [2892], “judge”) denotes the individual who “answers” or “replies” on stage. At the same time, it can depict the “interpreter” or “expounder” who explained the drama to the audience. In 536 B.C. Thespis introduced an individual who replied to the chorus (a group of male dancers and singers) in the festival of Dionysius held every spring in Athens. This individual wore a mask (as did the chorus) and was called the hupokritēs, the one who “answers” or “interprets.” The hupokritēs came to be the actor in Greek theater. Hupokritēs alone never had an unfavorable ethical meaning in classical Greek (Wilckens, “hupokrinomai,” Kittel, 8:563). Septuagint Usage Negative meanings of hupokritēs developed in the Septuagint and in Hellenistic Jewish usage, where it occurs most regularly in later writings. Found only in Job 34:30 and 36:13, hupokritēs (Hebrew chānēph, “estranged from God, godless”) contains clearly negative ethical implications. According to Wilckens, in Jewish thinking “the hupokritēs is the ungodly man, the ungodly man is the hupokritēs” (ibid., 8:564). The negative sense attached to this word perhaps derived from Jewish dislike of the pagan Greek theater and hupokritēs’ association with lying and deception (ibid., 8:566). (Complete Biblical Library) William
Mateus 23
Wiersbe illustrates the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in regard to justice and mercy - This crowd thought nothing of condemning an innocent man, yet they were afraid to enter Pilate's judgment hall lest they be defiled (John 18:28+)....Justice, mercy, and faithfulness are the important qualities God is seeking. Obeying the rules is no substitute. While it is good to pay attention to details, we must never lose our sense of priorities in spiritual matters. Jesus did not condemn the practice of tithing. But He did condemn those who allowed their legalistic scruples to keep them from developing true Christian character. (Bible Exposition Commentary) Gilbrant - According to Leviticus 27:30, 32 and Deuteronomy 14:22, 23 tithes were to be paid on the produce of the land (wheat, oil, new wine, and fruit) and on livestock. In their zeal the Pharisees extended the commandment to include the smallest of herbs, such as mint, dill, anise, and cumin. During Old Testament times tithes were paid to support the priests, the Levites, and the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28ff.; 26:12ff.). Jesus was not criticizing the payment of tithes as such ("without neglecting the others," New English Bible), but the excessive concern over minutiae, such as tithing garden herbs of little value. It was much easier to tithe a few tiny cumin seeds than it was to be really concerned over and carry out the more serious matters of doing the Law—righteousness, mercy (or compassion), and faith (or faithfulness) to God's will....The Greek word krisin (krisis)does not mean "judgment" here, but like compassion (eleos) and faithfulness (pistis) it indicates an attitude toward one's neighbor and means a righteousness that in mercy sees that wrongs are made right, and justice is received. (Complete Biblical Library) But (term of contrast) these are the things you should have done without neglecting (aphiemi) the others - NIV = "You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." Note that Jesus was not saying they were wrong in tithing. What He is saying is that they should also have practiced the far more important matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness. Tithing of tiny herbs could be done, but not in lieu of justice, mercy and faithfulness. Pulpit Commentary - Christ does not censure this attention to minutiae. He would teach conformity to regulations made by competent authority, or conscientiously felt to be binding, even though not distinctly enjoined in Scripture (see vers. 2, 3); his blame is reserved for that expenditure of zeal on trifles which stood in the place of, or left no strength for, higher duties. It was a very elastic conscience which tithed a pot herb and neglected judgment. Stu Weber says that "their tithing served only as a smoke screen, distracting people from noticing that they had neglected the more important matters of the law— justice, mercy and faithfulness (cf. Deut. 10:12-13; Mic. 6:8). They made it appear that they were paying "full rent," when in reality they were only keeping up the "newspaper subscription." The implication is that they were guilty of committing injustice and acting unmercifully at the expense of others and for their own profit." (See Holman New Testament Commentary - Matthew) Steven