Matthew
23:1-12
- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
- Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit:
- Comparative texts about Pharisees & Sadducees from Josephus, Tosefta, Mishnah & Babylonian Talmud; primary comparative texts about Food & Fellowship (including "one who serves"), at (Rutgers University Dept of Religion) Mahlon H. Smith's Into His Own: Perspective on the World of Jesus companion to the historical study of Christian texts.
- "Leader as Servant," The Jesus Database, an online annotated inventory of the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus. Dr. Gregory C. Jenks, FaithFutures Foundation.
- Pharisees: New Testament Parallels to the Works of Josephus. From G.J. Goldberg's Flavius Josephus Home Page. (Some of these "parallels" are speculative.)
- Vision III.9, Shepherd of Hermas. (c.145)
- XL.26-30, 34-40; Tatian's Diatessaron (c. 150-160).
- IV.I.2, IV.XII.4, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
- Chapter II, On Prayer, Tertullian (c. 199)
- II.4, III.12, VI.6, VI.7, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- Chapter VIII, Considering Repentance, Tertullian (c. 203)
- Chapter I, On The Veiling of Virgins, Tertullian (c. 205)
- Chapter VI, Chapter VII, Chapter VIII, On Monogamy, Tertullian (c. 215)
- I.5, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Origen. (c.228)
- III.LXIII, Against Celsus, Origen (c. 246)
- On the Lord's Prayer -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 252)
- Latin text of Augustine's Sermon 91 (Mt 22:42 - 23:12).
- Sermon 91 English text, Augustine
- Homily LXXII - Matthew 23:1-3, Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. Chrysostom (c. 380)
- From the Catena Aurea, Patristic Commentary by St Thomas Aquinas.
- From the Geneva Notes.
- "...they were called Rabbi who, by the laying on of hands, were uttered and declared to the world to be wise men."
- From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary.
- "We can only judge according to outward appearance; but God searches the heart."
- From
Wesley's
Notes.
- "These they supposed, as a kind of charm, would preserve them from danger. And hence they seem to have been called phylacteries, or preservatives. The fringes of their garments - Which God had enjoined them to wear, to remind them of doing all the commandments, Num 15:38. These, as well as their phylacteries, the Pharisees affected to wear broader and larger than other men. Mark 12:38."
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- "To construe these injunctions into a condemnation of every title by which Church rulers may be distinguished from the flock which they rule, is virtually to condemn that rule itself; and accordingly the same persons do both--but against the whole strain of the New Testament and sound Christian judgment."
- From The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
- "To be called Rabbi. A term which meant the same as Doctor of Divinity now. There were three degrees, Rab, Rabbi, and Rabboni. The last is the greatest, and means, literally, "My great teacher.""
- Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
- Radical Gratitude, lectionary-based stewardship, Northwest United Methodist Foundation. (.pdf)
- Commentary,
Matthew 23:1-12, Sharon H. Ringe, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2011.
- "To what extent their positions were shaped by the social and economic status of their members, and to what extent those positions stem from particular readings of Torah, we can never know for certain. Suffice it to say that we heirs of Matthew's community soon adopted the culturally more comfortable view that this text is opposing."
- "The Yoke of the Law," Russell Rathbun, The Hardest Question, 2011.
- "What burden is it that the Pharisees refuse to lift a finger to move?"
- "It's Not About Me," Fr. Rick Morley, a garden path, 2011.
- "Do As I Say, Not As I Do," Alyce M. McKenzie, Patheos, 2011.
- "The listeners of Jesus' day would have expected the Pharisee to be a careful observer of the Law. They would not have expected the tax collector to go to the temple at all."
- Holy
Textures, Understanding the Bible in its own time and in ours, Matthew 23:1-12, David Ewart, 2011.
- "Unfortunately, the scribes and Pharisees - like us - were the ones who studied the Bible, who prayed regularly, and who earnestly sought to live in accordance with Biblical teachings. That is, they are who we are now. Are we like them?"
- "The Mysterious Burden of Freedom," Andrew Prior, First Impressions, 2011.
- "It is simple to see the self aggrandisement that Matthew warns us about. We all know the temptation. We condemn it in others, and even in ourselves. But do we understand its source?"
- Comentario del Evangelio por Amaury Tañón-Santos , San Mateo 23:1-12 , Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2011.
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
-
"First Thoughts on Year A Gospel Passages in the Lectionary,"
Pentecost 20,
William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
- "When we move towards seeing God's interests and our best interests and the best interests of others, when we get in touch with God's being as love, when we see that this is not a distraction from life but being truly in touch with life and the life giver, then we will take a big breath and dive."
- "Hypocricy of the Pharisees," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from
Seattle,
Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle,
Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
- "In fact, people will hold fast to their human traditions more than the commandments of God to love God and love one another."
-
Exegetical
Notes by Brian P. Stoffregen at CrossMarks.
- "The first time I remember hearing about Matthew 23 was at a high school church camp. A speaker suggested that Matthew 23 should be shouted rather than just quietly read. Such a shouted reading could bring some life back into the scriptures."
- Matthew in the Margins, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
-
Dylan's Lectionary Blog,
Proper 26. Biblical Scholar
Sarah Dylan Breuer looks at readings for the coming Sunday in the lectionary
of the Episcopal Church.
- "The bottom line for Paul, as for Jesus, is that none of us should be treated a certain way in Christian community because of blood ties. ALL of our relationships are defined first, last, and always by our relationship as children of one God."
-
"Controversy
in Leadership,"
Larry Broding's
Word-Sunday.Com: A
Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's
Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
- "Why is it easy to criticize leaders in the heat of controversy?"
- "Jesus Warns against False Teachers," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
-
"The
Chair of Moses,"
Jerry Goebel, One
Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study
and activities.
- "Jesus was challenging the vast chasm between their walk and their talk. They were like business professors who never ran a business, politicians who never left the beltway or clergy who aren?t doing works of justice in their own community. The Pharisees were, quite simply, all 'heavenly minded but no earthly good.'"
- Wellspring of the Gospel, Ordinary 31A, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
- Articles & Background:
- "Scribe," "Pharisees," wikipedia.
-
"Matthew 23:2-4: Does Jesus Recognize the Authority of the Pharisees and
Does He Endorse Their Halakah?" Noel S Rabbinowitz, The Journal of
the Evangelical Theological Society, 2003.
- "...Jesus does affirm the authority of the Pharisees and that for this reason he endorses their exposition of the Torah and their halakhic teachings in principle. This is not a blanket endorsement of all their teachings, but a qualified affirmation of the Pharisees in their role as teachers of the Law of Moses."
- "Phylacteries" from Halacha Overview at Project Genesis.
- "Did Jesus Get Angry?" Selected passages from the Gospels, at Beliefnet.
- Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Blomberg, Craig L.,
"The New Testament Definition of Heresy (or When Do Jesus and the Apostles
Really Get Mad?)," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society,
2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Krentz, Edgar, "Lifelong Learning,"
The Christian Century, 1996.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Mason, Steve, "Pharisaic Dominance
before 70 CE and the Gospels' Hypocrisy Charge (Matt 23:2-3),"
Harvard Theological Review, 1990.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Powell, Mark Allan, "Do and Keep What
Moses Says (Matthew 23:2-7)," Journal of Biblical Literature,
1995.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Rabbinowitz, Noel S.,
"Matthew 23:2-4: Does Jesus Recognize the Authority of the Pharisees and
Does He Endorse Their Halakah?" Journal of the Evangelical
Theological Society, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Robinson, Anthony B., "Reforming the
House of God," The Christian Century, 1993.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Saldarini, Anthony J., "Delegitimation
of Leaders in Matthew 23," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1992.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Siker, Judith Yates, "Unmasking the
Enemy: Deconstructing the 'Other' in the Gospel of Matthew,"
Perspectives in Religious Studies, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Viviano, Benedict, "Social World and Community
Leadership: The Case of Matthew 23:1-12, 34," Journal for the Study
of the New Testament, 1990.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Winter, Bruce W., "The Messiah as the Tutor: The
Meaning of KATHEGETES in Matthew 23:10," Tyndale Bulletin,
1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Blomberg, Craig L.,
"The New Testament Definition of Heresy (or When Do Jesus and the Apostles
Really Get Mad?)," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society,
2002.
- Reviews:
- Wilson, Alistair I., When Will These Things Happen?: A Study of Jesus as Judge in Matthew 21-25. PaterNoster Press, 2005. Review by Samuel Subramanian, Review of Biblical Literature, 2006.
- Sermons:
- Practice What You Preach, the Rev. Dr. Kris Lewis, Day 1, 2011.
- "Hypocricy of the Pharisees," Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
- "Charades and Reality," the Rev. Roy T. Lloyd, Day 1, 2002.
- "Anatomy of a Spiritual Disaster - Abusive Religion Revealed," John Jewell, 1999.
- Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily
- With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Proper 26, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2011.
- "Children's Literature: A Resource for Ministry," October 30, 2011, Union Presbyterian Seminary. Connections: Matthew 23:1-2 and The Tower: A Story of Humility by Richard Paul Evans.
- "All Puffed Up!" Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
- "A Widow Gives Everything that She Has," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
- Drama:
- "With a Whip in His Hand," from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications.
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Clip Art Images: Matthew 23:1-12, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
- Matthew 23:1-12, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora, Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use these for free.")
- Matthew 23:1-12, at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Liberation emphasis.
- Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Matthew 23:8. The Cyber Hymnal.
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Study Links and Resources for the Book of Matthew
