Matthew 23

Matthew's writings of the Gospel of the kingdom were inspired. But what do they really tell us in the context of the times and the precepts of the kingdom of God? All the nations of the world of Rome were using systems of force to provide a social safety net for their citizens at the tables which were a snare and a trap through their temples of paganism, like Cain, Nimrod, and Pharaoh making the word of God to none effect with their means and method of corban. But the brethren of Christ are they who doeth the will of the Father in heaven.
Comments
The English word “duty” only appears a few times in the New Testament but the same Greek word is also translated “ought” which appears many times. And as I said “ought" is simply the auxiliary verb "used to express duty or moral obligation."
Another word "opheilo" is translated "ought" and is found in verses 16 and 18 but translated debtor and guilty.


35v John the Baptist was the son of someone who was literally one of the acting High priests of Judea, one Zacharias^[1] Origen suggested that the Zechariah mentioned in Matthew 23:35 may be the father of John the Baptist. Zechariah was killed by those under Herod's order because he did not reveal the location of John and Elizabeth to them, according to the Gospel of James, but the text does not support the idea that it was the soldiers who killed him. Still others contradict even this report.
It was certainly a time of corruption where they feared even Jesus going to Jerusalem and we also see this in the Gospel of James and in the history of the Sanhedrin.
Questions
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[1] Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, [2] Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: [3] All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works:^[2] for they say, and do not. [4] For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.^[3] [5] But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries^[4], and enlarge the borders of their garments, [6] And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, [7] And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.^[5] [8] But be not ye called Rabbi^[5]: for one is your Master^[6], even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

[9] And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. [10] Neither be ye called masters^[6]: for one is your Master^[6], even Christ. [11] But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.^[7] [12] And whosoever shall exalt^[8] himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

[13] But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites^[9]! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven^[10] against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. [14] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites^[9]! for ye devour widows' houses^[11], and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

[15] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites^[9]! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

[16] Woe unto you, ye blind guides,^[12] which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!^[13] [17] Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

[18] And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.^[13] [19] Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? [20] Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. [21] And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. [22] And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

[23] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites^[9]! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought^[14] ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. [24] Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

[25] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites^[9]! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. [26] Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

[27] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites^[9]! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. [28] Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy^[15] and iniquity^[16].

[29] Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites^[9]! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, [30] And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. [31] Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. [32] Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

[33] Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

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Footnotes

↑ 2197 Ζαχαρίας Zacharias [dzakh-ar-ee’-as] of Hebrew origin 02148 <02148> זְכַריָה‎ Zek-ar-yáw or זְכַריָהוּ‎ Zek-ar-yáw-hu; n pr m; AV-Zacharias 11; 11 Zacharias = "remembered of Jehovah"
1) the father of John the Baptist

2) son of Barachias, who was slain by the Jews between the altar and the temple
↑ Jesus is talking about us doing something different than the Pharisees. Were they Workers of iniquity?
↑ Pharisees were the government of Judea and Religion was they way they operated the welfare system of the day through their Corban.
↑ phylacteries: pieces of parchment containing sentences of the law put in a leather pouch strapped to the forehead with the leather thong wrapped around the arm to the hand.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Rabbi is more often translated master.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 2519 ~καθηγητής~ kathegetes \@kath-ayg-ay-tace’\@ from a compound of 2596 and 2233; ; n m AV-master 3; 3
1) a guide

2) a master, teacher
↑ Luke 22:25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
↑ 5312 ~ὑψόω~ hupsoo \@hoop-so’-o\@ from 5311; v AV-exalt 14, lift up 6; 20
1) to lift up on high, to exalt

2) metaph.
2a) to raise to the very summit of opulence and prosperity

2b) to exalt, to raise to dignity, honour and happiness
↑ ^9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 ^9.3 ^9.4 ^9.5 ^9.6 5273 ~ὑποκριτής~ hupokrites \@hoop-ok-ree-tace’\@ from 5271 pretend falsely; n m AV-hypocrite 20; 20
1) one who answers, an interpreter

2) an actor, stage player

3) a dissembler, pretender, hypocrite FROM 5271 ~ὑποκρίνομαι~ hupokrinomai \@hoop-ok-rin’-om-ahee\@ middle voice from 5259 and 2919; v AV-feign 1; 1

1) to take up another’s statements in reference to what one has decided for one’s self
1a) to reply, answer

2) to make answer (speak) on the stage
2a) to impersonate anyone, play a part

3) to simulate, feign, pretend
↑ The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heavenare the same.
↑ Today widows loose their homes because of inheritance taxes and property taxes. The same was true at the time of Christ.
↑ False prophets and Guru theories
Isaiah 42:16 "And I will bring the blind by a way [that] they knew not; I will lead them in paths [that] they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye [are] our gods. 18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see."

Isaiah 30:20 "And [though] the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. 22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. 23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed,..."

Matthew 13:13 "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."

Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recoveing of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

John 9:39 ¶ "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind."

Luke 6:39 "And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master."

Acts 13:11 "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand."
↑ ^13.0 ^13.1 3784 ~ὀφείλω~ opheilo \@of-i’-lo\@ or (in certain tenses) its prolonged form ~ὀφειλέω~ opheileo \@of-i-leh’-o\@ probably from the base of 3786 (through the idea of accruing); v AV-ought 15, owe 7, be bound 2, be (one’s) duty 2 (Lu 17:10, ), be a debtor 1, be guilty 1, be indebted 1, misc 7; 36
1) to owe
1a) to owe money, be in debt for
1a1) that which is due, the debt

2) metaph. the goodwill due
↑ 1163 ~δεῖ~ dei \@die\@ third person singular active present of 1210; v AV-must 58, ought 31, must needs 5, should 4, misc 7, vr ought 1; 106
1) it is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right and proper
1a) necessity lying in the nature of the case

1b) necessity brought on by circumstances or by the conduct of others toward us.

1c) necessity in reference to what is required to attain some end

1d) a necessity of law and command, of duty, equity

1e) necessity established by the counsel and decree of God, especially by that purpose of his which relates to the salvation of men by the intervention of Christ and which is disclosed in the Old Testament prophecies

1e1) concerning what Christ was destined finally to undergo, his sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension
↑ 5272 ~ὑπόκρισις~ hupokrisis \@hoop-ok’-ree-sis\@ from 5271; n f AV-hypocrisy 5, dissimulation 1, condemnation 1; 7
1) an answering

2) an answer

3) the acting of a stage player

4) dissimulation, hypocrisy
↑ 458 ~ἀνομία~ anomia \@an-om-ee’-ah\@ from 459; n f AV-iniquity 12, unrighteousness 1, transgress the law + 4160 1, transgression of the law 1; 15
1) the condition of without law
1a) because ignorant of it

1b) because of violating it

2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness

[1] 2197 Ζαχαρίας Zacharias [dzakh-ar-ee’-as] of Hebrew origin 02148 <02148> זְכַריָה‎ Zek-ar-yáw or זְכַריָהוּ‎ Zek-ar-yáw-hu; n pr m; AV-Zacharias 11; 11 Zacharias = "remembered of Jehovah"
1) the father of John the Baptist

2) son of Barachias, who was slain by the Jews between the altar and the temple

[2] Jesus is talking about us doing something different than the Pharisees. Were they Workers of iniquity?

[3] Pharisees were the government of Judea and Religion was they way they operated the welfare system of the day through their Corban.

[4] ylacteries: pieces of parchment containing sentences of the law put in a leather pouch strapped to the forehead with the leather thong wrapped around the arm to the hand.

[Rabbi-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Rabbi is more often translated master.

[Master-6] 6.0 ^6.1 ^6.2 2519 ~καθηγητής~ kathegetes \@kath-ayg-ay-tace’\@ from a compound of 2596 and 2233; ; n m AV-master 3; 3
1) a guide

2) a master, teacher

[7] Luke 22:25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 25 And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27 For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. 28 Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

[8] 5312 ~ὑψόω~ hupsoo \@hoop-so’-o\@ from 5311; v AV-exalt 14, lift up 6; 20
1) to lift up on high, to exalt

2) metaph.
2a) to raise to the very summit of opulence and prosperity

2b) to exalt, to raise to dignity, honour and happiness

[hypocrites-9] 9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 ^9.3 ^9.4 ^9.5 ^9.6 5273 ~ὑποκριτής~ hupokrites \@hoop-ok-ree-tace’\@ from 5271 pretend falsely; n m AV-hypocrite 20; 20
1) one who answers, an interpreter

2) an actor, stage player

3) a dissembler, pretender, hypocrite FROM 5271 ~ὑποκρίνομαι~ hupokrinomai \@hoop-ok-rin’-om-ahee\@ middle voice from 5259 and 2919; v AV-feign 1; 1

1) to take up another’s statements in reference to what one has decided for one’s self
1a) to reply, answer

2) to make answer (speak) on the stage
2a) to impersonate anyone, play a part

3) to simulate, feign, pretend

[10] The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heavenare the same.

[11] Today widows loose their homes because of inheritance taxes and property taxes. The same was true at the time of Christ.

[Blindlead'-12] False prophets and Guru theories
Isaiah 42:16 "And I will bring the blind by a way [that] they knew not; I will lead them in paths [that] they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye [are] our gods. 18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see."

Isaiah 30:20 "And [though] the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. 22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. 23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed,..."

Matthew 13:13 "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."

Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recoveing of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

John 9:39 ¶ "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind."

Luke 6:39 "And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master."

Acts 13:11 "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand."

[opheilo-13] 13.0 ^13.1 3784 ~ὀφείλω~ opheilo \@of-i’-lo\@ or (in certain tenses) its prolonged form ~ὀφειλέω~ opheileo \@of-i-leh’-o\@ probably from the base of 3786 (through the idea of accruing); v AV-ought 15, owe 7, be bound 2, be (one’s) duty 2 (Lu 17:10, ), be a debtor 1, be guilty 1, be indebted 1, misc 7; 36
1) to owe
1a) to owe money, be in debt for
1a1) that which is due, the debt

2) metaph. the goodwill due

[14] 1163 ~δεῖ~ dei \@die\@ third person singular active present of 1210; v AV-must 58, ought 31, must needs 5, should 4, misc 7, vr ought 1; 106
1) it is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right and proper
1a) necessity lying in the nature of the case

1b) necessity brought on by circumstances or by the conduct of others toward us.

1c) necessity in reference to what is required to attain some end

1d) a necessity of law and command, of duty, equity

1e) necessity established by the counsel and decree of God, especially by that purpose of his which relates to the salvation of men by the intervention of Christ and which is disclosed in the Old Testament prophecies

1e1) concerning what Christ was destined finally to undergo, his sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension

[15] 5272 ~ὑπόκρισις~ hupokrisis \@hoop-ok’-ree-sis\@ from 5271; n f AV-hypocrisy 5, dissimulation 1, condemnation 1; 7
1) an answering

2) an answer

3) the acting of a stage player

4) dissimulation, hypocrisy

[16] 458 ~ἀνομία~ anomia \@an-om-ee’-ah\@ from 459; n f AV-iniquity 12, unrighteousness 1, transgress the law + 4160 1, transgression of the law 1; 15
1) the condition of without law
1a) because ignorant of it

1b) because of violating it

2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness

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Matthew 23

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