Scripture:
Matthew 23:13-22 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You lock up the kingdom of heaven from people. For you don't go in, and you don't allow those entering to go in. (A)
[ 14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour widows' houses and make long prayers just for show. [a] This is why you will receive a harsher punishment. (B) ] [b]
15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, (C) and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell [c] as you are!
16 "Woe to you, blind guides, (D) who say, 'Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath (E) by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.' [d] 17 Blind fools! [e] For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold? 18 Also, 'Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.' [f] 19 Blind people! [g] For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? (F) 20 Therefore the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it. 21 The one who takes an oath by the sanctuary takes an oath by it and by Him who dwells (G) in it. 22 And the one who takes an oath by heaven takes an oath by God's throne (H) and by Him who sits on it. (I)
Footnotes:
Matthew 23:14 Or prayers with false motivation
Matthew 23:14 Other mss omit bracketed text
Matthew 23:15 Lit twice the son of gehenna
Matthew 23:16 Lit is obligated
Matthew 23:17 Lit Fools and blind
Matthew 23:18 Lit is obligated
Matthew 23:19 Other mss read Fools and blind
Cross references:
Matthew 23:13 : Mt 23:15;, 23;, 25; Lk 11:52;
Matthew 23:14 : Mk 12:40; Lk 20:47;
Matthew 23:15 : Ac 2:11; 6:5; 13:43;
Matthew 23:16 : Mt 15:14; 23:24; Ac 1:16; Rm 2:19;
Matthew 23:16 : Lv 19:12; Num 30:2; Dt 23:21; Mt 5:33; 14:7; 26:63;, 72;
Matthew 23:19 : Ex 29:37; 30:29;
Matthew 23:21 : 1Kg 8:13; 2Ch 6:2; Ps 26:8; 132:14;
Matthew 23:22 : Ex 17:16; Ps 11:4; Mt 5:34; Heb 8:1;
Matthew 23:22 : Ps 47:8; Mt 19:28; Rv 4:2;
Reflection:
When God knocks on your door are you ready to let him in (Rev. 3:20)? God offers each of us an open door to his kingdom, but we can shut ourselves out if we reject his offer. What is the door to heaven? When Jacob fled from his brother Essau, who wanted to kill him for stealing his birthright (Genesis 27:41), he sought refuge in the wilderness. There God pursued him and gave him a vision that both changed his life and the life of his people. As Jacob slept on a star-lit hillside God showed him a great ladder or stairway that extended from earth to heaven. This stairway was filled with a multitude of angels ascending and descending before the throne of God. God opened heaven to Jacob so he could dwell more fully and intimately with this son of promise. God spoke to Jacob and renewed the promises which he had made to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac, and now to Jacob and his posterity. God promised not only to bless and protect Jacob, but to make him and his descendants a blessing to all the nations as well. When Jacob awoke he exclaimed: "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17). God opened a door for Jacob that brought him and his people into a new relationship with the living God.
Jesus proclaimed to his disciples that he would fulfill the dream of Jacob in his very own person: "You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51). Jesus proclaimed that he is the door (John 10:8-9) and the way (John 14:6) that makes it possible for us to access heaven and God's very throne. But Jesus woefully warned the religious leaders and successors of Jacob that they were shutting the door of God's kingdom not only on themselves but on others as well. The word woe expresses sorrowful pity and concern as well as grief and extreme sadness.
Why did Jesus lament and issue such a stern rebuke? Jesus was angry with the religious leaders because they failed to listen to God's word and they misled the people they were supposed to teach and lead in the ways of God. Jesus gave a series of examples to show how misguided they were. In their zeal to win converts, they required unnecessary and burdensome rules which obscured the more important matters of religion, such as love of God and love of neighbor. They were leading people to Pharisaism rather than to God. Jesus also chastised them for their evasion of binding oaths and solemn promises. Oaths made to God were considered binding, but the Pharisees found clever ways to evade the obligation of their oaths when convenience got in the way. They forgot that God hears every word we utter and he sees the intention of the heart even before we speak or act. The scribes and Pharisees preferred their idea of religion to God's idea. They failed as religious leaders to teach others the way of God's kingdom because they failed to listen and to understand the intention of God's word. Through their own pride and prejudice they blindly shut the door of their own hearts and minds to God's understanding of his kingdom.
How can we shut the door of God's kingdom in our lives? By closing our ears to Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 17:14; 19:16), who speaks words of life and love, truth and freedom, hope and pardon. The Lord Jesus wants to dwell with us and to bring us his kingdom. He opens the way for each of us to "ascend to heaven" and to bring "heaven to earth" in the daily circumstances of our lives. God's kingdom is present in all who seek him and who do his will. Do you pray as Jesus taught, "May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10)?
Prayer For The Day:
Lord, your word is life for me. May I never shut the kingdom of heaven through disbelief, indifference, or disobedience. Help me to listen to your voice and to conform my life more fully to your word.
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