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Matthew 23 Bible study: Woe to you
Jesus tells the multitudes and his disciples to "observe and do" what the scribes and Pharisees tell them, "but don’t do their works" (23:3). Seven of his eight woes are to "scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!", and one is to "you blind guides" (23:16). And the verb of "I send to you prophets" (23:34) is the verb of "those who are sent to her" (23:37).
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“But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
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“In Matthew 23:5, Jesus says, "they do all their works to be seen by men."”
Is that in Matthew 23, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
To be seen by men
"Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples" (23:1). He began with the scribes and the Pharisees: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do." (23:2-3). Then he names what they do: "they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them" (23:4). "They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the fringes of their garments" (23:5) (tap fringes), and they love "the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men" (23:6-7) (tap place of honor, Rabbi). Here is what almost everyone misses: twice in these verses Jesus says what is done before men. Their works are done "to be seen by men" (23:5), and they love "to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men" (23:7). In the Greek the two phrases are worded differently, but both have the same word for men. Matthew doesn't explain "Moses’ seat", the phylacteries or the fringes beyond these words, and these notes add nothing from outside the text.
Where the Old Testament leads here
The altar that sanctifies the gift
Exodus 29:37leads toMatthew 23:19
"The altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall be holy" (29:37). Jesus repeated a saying of those he called "blind guides" (Matthew 23:16): "Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated" (Matthew 23:18). He answered, "You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?" (Matthew 23:19). Jesus doesn't name Exodus here. What his words share with this verse is the altar making holy what is on it.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Matthew 23
That was a taste
The rest of Matthew 23 is waiting in Favor
- Greatest among you
- Eight woes
- "Jerusalem, Jerusalem"
- Beside Mark and Luke
- Questions asked in other chapters
- 22 questions as you read
- 13 more Greek words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Matthew 23 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Greek word behind it
οὐαίouaisay oo-AH-ee
Strong's: "a primary exclamation of grief". Thayer: "an interjection of grief or of denunciation". This chapter has it eight times (counted in RP2018), all in Jesus's words: seven times to "scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" (23:13, 23:14, 23:15, 23:23, 23:25, 23:27, 23:29), and once "Woe to you, you blind guides" (23:16). Favor's Matthew 11 and Matthew 18 count it in Matthew, and Favor's Luke 11 studies the woes Luke tells at a Pharisee's table.
For your group
Matthew 23 Bible study questions
- 1"But he who is greatest among you will be your servant" (23:11). Where could you serve someone this week?
- 2Jesus says, "first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also" (23:26). What helps you put the inside first?
- 3"How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings" (23:37). What stays with you from this picture in Jesus's words?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Matthew 23 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home