ACC ~ Matthew 23 v1 - 12

OVERVIEW:

We must admit that the desire for having the first place is found not only among the scribes and Pharisees but also in the church. It is found not only at dinner but also in the front seats of the church. Some rightly hand on the law, but they themselves do not do it. Some lay heavy burdens upon the shoulders of men but do not wish to lift these burdens themselves (ORIGEN). We should however honor both the good and the bad priests, lest one condemn the good on account of the bad. For it is better to preserve the just with the evil than to subvert the just for the good. Wretched land may produce precious gold. The gold is not despised on account of the wretched land (INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW). The good pastor ought to be a rigorous and severe judge in things that concern himself. But in the matters of those whom he offers pastoral service, he ought to be gentle and ready to make allowances (CHRYSOSTOM). Mistaken laity may be more easily set straight, but clerics, if evil, are almost impossible to set straight. The seat of Moses does not make the priest, but the priest makes the seat. The place does not sanctify the person, but the person sanctifies the place. Not every priest is holy, but all the holy belong to the spiritual priesthood (INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW). The priest is eager to please the audience. Whatever they want, he exhibits. If the audience is lacking in enthusiasm and lazy, he also becomes more unconcerned. If the audience delights in ridicule, he becomes one who moves others to ridicule. He is predictable. Without exception, he always does everything with only his audience in mind (CHRYSOSTOM).

No one should be called teacher or father except God the Father and Our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the Father, because all things are from him. He alone is the teacher, because through him all things are made and through him all things are reconciled to God (JEROME, ORIGEN, CHRYSOSTOM). Not only does he forbid the disciple to set his heart upon the first place but also he requires him to seek out the last (CHRYSOSTOM). The Lord himself provided the pattern for humility. No matter how great he was, he humbled himself (ORIGEN, CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA). At the messianic wedding feast, typical protocols are reversed (INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW).

23:1 | Jesus Speaks to the Crowds and His Disciples

THE CROWDS AND THE PHARISEES

INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW: The Lord had just humbled the disbelieving priests who were flailing against him like wild beasts. With the accuracy of a spear point he gives them a very sharp answer, showing them their own incorrigible condition. Mistaken laity may be more easily set straight, but clerics, if they are evil, are almost impossible to set straight. After this, he then turned his conversation to the apostles and to the people, saying, “The Pharisees and scribes sit on the throne of Moses.” Their confusion there becomes what they end up teaching. HOMILY 43. [1]

[1] PG 56:876.

23:2 | Sitting on Moses’ Seat

DISTINGUISHING PRIESTS AND SCRIBES

ORIGEN: Therefore when he speaks “to the crowds and his disciples” he talks about “the scribes and Pharisees who sit upon the throne of Moses.” I judge these statements to be referring to the following groups. Those who profess that they interpret the law of Moses and glory in this, or who know the law well and seek to profit by this knowledge—these sit upon the throne of Moses. Those who do not depart from the letter of the law are called scribes. Then there are those who profess to know even more, setting themselves apart because they think they are better than the masses. That is why they are called Pharisees, which interpreted means “to divide or segregate” (for Phares translated means “division”). [1] COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 9. [2]

[1] For a further explanation of the term Pharisee, see Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 2nd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1958), p. 853.

[2] GCS 38.2:16.

PRIESTS BY NAME

INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW: What does he say concerning these priests? “The scribes and Pharisees sit upon the seat of Moses.”… There are many priests by name but few by works. See therefore how you may sit upon it. The chair does not make the priest, but the priest, the chair. The place does not sanctify the man, but the man, the place. Not every priest is holy, but all the holy are priests. Whoever sits well on that throne will receive honor on its account. Whoever sits on it badly causes injury to the throne. And for this reason, the evil priest is convicted by his priesthood and not honored by it. HOMILY 43. [1]

[1] PG 56:876.

23:3 | Practice Whatever They Tell You

NOT WHAT THEY DO

JEROME: He is tempted by the Pharisees and surrounded by their lies. According to the psalmist, “The arrows of children are their snares.” [1] Nevertheless, on account of the dignity of the priests and their reputation, he encourages the people to obey them, considering not their works but their teaching. What he says is this: “The scribes and Pharisees sit upon the throne of Moses,” showing this as a throne of teaching about the law. And we ought to accept this because of what is said in the psalms: “He does not sit in the seat of scoffers” [2] and “He overturned the seats of those who sold pigeons.” [3] COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 4.23.3. [4]

[1] Jerome is referring to Ps 63:8 in the Vulgate. This is not reflected in any of the English translations (Ps 64:7) but does reflect the Septuagint (Ps 63:8).

[2] Ps 1:1.

[3] Mt 21:12.

[4] CCL 77:210.

HONOR GOOD PRIESTS AND BAD

INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW: If they speak well, it is to their credit. If they teach well, it is to yours. [1] Accept therefore what is yours and do not discuss what is another’s. For just as the priests teach the unfaithful on account of the faithful, judging better to encourage the evil on account of the good rather than to neglect the good on account of the evil, so also therefore you must honor good priests and bad, lest you condemn the good on account of the bad. For it is better to preserve the just with the evil than to subvert the just for the good. For frequently you will treat the bad man with good faith. Remember that wretched land may produce precious gold. Is the gold despised on account of the wretched land? No! But just as gold is taken and the earth is left behind, so also you must accept their teaching and leave behind their customs. HOMILY 43. [2]

[1] To justify the reverence due to a priest who is morally undeserving, the author observes that the role of the priest is to teach. Hence the faithful must pay heed even if his behavior is reprehensible because for this he is responsible as a man—not as a priest.

[2] PG 56:876-77.

THEY PREACH BUT DO NOT PRACTICE

INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW: What does he say then to the people? “Whatever you have been told to do, obey and do; just do not imitate their deeds.” For you are sitting in the church not only as listeners but also as judges of the priests. You may be learning strange things that would be considered inappropriate. You are judging the priests in comparison with yourselves. You should listen to everything they say, but do not do everything which you hear. Yes, all priests teach, but they do not all practice what they teach. For among men there is a ranking that is quite diverse. But in nature everything is equal. For from the beginning men were created in this same way. Only afterwards are they ranked for your sake. Therefore, on account of this, their nature belongs to them in and of itself, but their ranking is for your benefit. HOMILY 43. [1]

[1] PG 56:876.

23:4 | Binding Heavy Burdens on Others

THEY BIND HEAVY BURDENS

ORIGEN: Therefore up until now the scribes and Pharisees among the Jews have been sitting on the throne of Moses. I am not saying this because only scribes and Pharisees will sit on the seat of Moses. They speak but do not do anything, laying heavy and unsupportable burdens on the shoulders of men. Yet they are not even willing to lift a finger to lighten those burdens. For I judge that those who rightly understand and explain Moses according to his spiritual power are the ones who will indeed sit on the throne of Moses. But these are not the scribes and Pharisees. They are much better. They are the beloved disciples of Christ who interpret his word through the grace of God. They are able to sort out different meanings in different words. Indeed, therefore, before the coming of Christ they sat well on the throne of Moses who interpreted the sayings of Moses well and according to reason. However, after the coming of Christ, they sit on the throne of the church, which is the seat and throne of Christ. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 9. [1]

[1] GCS 38.2:16-17.

NOT WISHING TO MOVE A FINGER

ORIGEN: Just as the scribes and Pharisees wickedly sat upon the throne of Moses, so do some in the church who sit upon the ecclesiastical throne. There are some in the church who have the right understanding of the law and pass it on correctly. They say what each person needs to do, but they themselves do not do it. Some of them lay heavy burdens upon the shoulders of men, but they won’t even lift a finger to help. These are the ones the Savior is talking about when he says, “Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of God.” [1] There are others, however, who sit on the throne, who act before they speak and speak wisely, restraining those who are disordered. They place merciful burdens on the shoulders of others. They themselves are the first to lift the heavy burden, for the exhortation of other listeners. It is these of whom the Lord speaks when he says, “He who does so and teaches others to do so, this man will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” [2] COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 9. [3]

[1] Mt 5:19.

[2] Mt 5:19.

[3] GCS 38.2:16-17.

THEY ALLOW THEMSELVES PRIVILEGE

CHRYSOSTOM: He mentions here a twofold wickedness. First they require great and extreme strictness of life, without any indulgence, from those over whom they rule. Yet they are much less stringent with themselves. This is opposite from what the truly good pastor ought to hold. He ought to be a rigorous and severe judge in things that concern himself. But in the matters of those whom he rules, he ought to be gentle and ready to make allowances. What these men do is just the opposite.

For such are all they who practice self-restraint in mere words while being unforgiving and grievous to bear when they have had no experience of the difficulty in actions. This is no small fault. In no small way does Jesus increase the former charge. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 72.2. [1]

[1] HE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST | MATTHEW 14:1-12

THEY LAY BURDENS ON PEOPLE’S SHOULDERS

INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW: How great indeed were the heavy burdens and the insupportable demands of the law—attributed to the scribes and the Pharisees—about which Christ spoke and which God most assuredly gave them on account of the sin of the golden calf. The scribes and Pharisees taught [this law], persuading the people to live according to the commands of the law and not to go over to the easy and joyful grace of Christ. Indeed, the Lord spoke above about these very burdensome commands, exhorting the Jews, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” [1] And in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter says, “And you, why do you tempt God and wish to impose a yoke on the necks of the disciples which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear?” [2] For there were indeed those who, commending the burdens of the law to their listeners for certain fabled reasons, could not push these things away from themselves, as if chains were binding on their shoulders above their hearts, as if they were constricted by the chains of reason. For the Pharisees and scribes did not fulfill these duties in any moderation. That is to say, they did not do so with full strength nor even with a moderate effort, such as with a finger. Consequently, however, priests who now order justice among their people but who themselves do not serve even moderately are surely not just in doing so, although they may appear to be just teachers. Such are they who impose heavy burdens on those coming to repentance, they who preach but do not practice; and so, while the punishment of sin is placed on those present, the punishment of future sin is despised. HOMILY 43. [3]

[1] Mt 11:28.

[2] Acts 15:10.

[3] PG 56:877-78.

23:5 | Doing Works to Be Seen by Others

THEY MAKE THEIR FRINGES LONG

CHRYSOSTOM: He then accused them of vanity, from which came their ruin. His previous charges concerned signs of harshness and laziness, but these charges accuse them of a mad desire for glory. This desire drew them away from God. It caused them to make a show in front of others who were watching and corrupted them.

Now that it has become the priest’s special interest to please those who are watching, he exhibits whatever they want. If they are noble, he makes a spectacle of confronting conflicts. If they are lacking in enthusiasm and lazy, he also becomes more lackadaisical. If they delight in ridicule, he delights in ridicule, in order to please those watching. If they are earnest and practice self-restraint, he tries to be the same way, since this is the disposition of the one from whom he seeks praise.

It is not that he does some things one way and some things in another way. No, he is far more predictable. He always acts with the spectator in mind, in all things absolutely. Then, having laid bare their vanity, Jesus shows that it is not even about great and necessary things that they are vainglorious. They are vain about things without warmth or worth. These are the proofs of their baseness: the phylacteries and the fringes of their garments. “For they make broad their phylacteries and enlarge the borders of their garments.” THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 72.2. [1]

[1] PG 58:669; NPNF 1 10:437.

THEY MAKE THEIR PHYLACTERIES BROAD

JEROME: They called those phylacteries “little pictures” of the Decalogue, because whoever had them had his own fortification and defense. But the knowledgeable Pharisees did not have them, because these things must be carried in the heart, not the body. They may have children and treasure boxes and granaries, but they do not have knowledge of God. Even today there are those superstitious ladies who have their “little Gospels.” In the absence of the true cross and other such things, they indeed have the zeal of God but no true knowledge of him. Even today, they too do these same kinds of things in front of us by liquefying gnats for drinking and gulping down honey. This is what some see as the small, short fringe mandated by the law. But a better case is the woman with the bloody flow who touched the fringe of the Lord’s garment. She was not motivated by the superstitious sentiments of the Pharisees. And what is more, she was healed at his touch. And so when they widened their phylacteries and lengthened their fringes, attracting the honor of the people, they were exposed in their hypocrisies, showing why they seek the first seats at dinners and the front chairs in synagogues. They point out gluttony and glory in public and are hailed by men as rabbi, which in colloquial Latin means “teacher.” COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 4.23.5. [1]

[1] CCL 77:212.

THEY DO ALL THEIR DEEDS TO BE SEEN

ORIGEN: Further, therefore, to the reprehensible Pharisees and scribes who were so concerned about their body and appearance, the Lord said, “They do everything to be seen by other men. For they widen their phylacteries and enlarge the tassels of their clothing.” The disciples of Jesus did everything to be seen by God alone. The only ornaments they had bound to their hands were good works. Meditating on divine teaching, they observed the divine commands, always applying them fittingly before the eyes of their souls. Their only tassel was the virtue of Jesus whom they imitated. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 11. [1]

[1] GCS 38.2:22.

23:6-7 | Loving the Place of Honor

DEACONS AND BISHOPS WHO LOVE THE PLACE OF HONOR

ORIGEN: What are we to say about those who “love the places of honor at banquets and the front seats in synagogues and the highest respect in public places and to be called rabbi by everyone”? We must first admit that this kind of delight is found not only among the scribes and Pharisees but also in the church of Christ, and not only at dinner, while taking places at the table, but also the front seats in church. These are the deacons, or those who wish to become deacons, yet who “squander the savings of widows, praying for a good opportunity” and yet “will receive a greater judgment.” [1] They covet even more avidly the highly visible “first seats” of those called priests. Indeed, however, even they do not put as much effort into their scheming as those who are called bishops, the ones who love “being called rabbi by men.” It is they who ought most clearly to understand that a bishop is to be “above reproach” and so on, [2] so that he would be called “bishop” not by men [only] but rather before God. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 12. [3]

[1] Mt 12:40.

[2] 1 Tim 3:22.

[3] GCS 38.2:22-23.

THE BEST SEATS

CHRYSOSTOM: Everything he accused them of was small and trifling. Yet he was dealing with the cause of all the evils: ambition, the violent seizing of the teacher’s chair, and so on. These he brings forward and corrects with diligence, confronting this strongly and earnestly charging them. His own disciples needed to be warned about these matters. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 72.3. [1]

[1] PG 58:670; NPNF 1 10:438.

23:8 | One Teacher, Many Brothers

YOU HAVE ONE TEACHER

ORIGEN: You are not “to be called rabbi” and especially “not by men,” nor are you to love to be called righteous by someone else. “For you have one teacher, and you are all brothers” to each other. For you have been born anew, not only from water but also from the spirit, and you have received the “spirit of adoption,” so that it might be said of you that you were “born not of the flesh, nor of the will of man” but from God. [1] It is hard to imagine this being said of anyone or any son until now. You do not call anyone on earth “Father” in the sense that you say “our Father” of the one who gives all things through all ages and according to the divine plan. Whoever ministers with the divine word does not put himself forward to be called “teacher,” for he knows that when he performs well it is Christ who is within him. He should only call himself “servant” according to the command of Christ, saying, “Whoever is greater among you, let him be the servant of all.” [2] COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 12. [3]

[1] Jn 1:13.

[2] Mk 9:35; 10:43-44.

[3] GCS 38.2:23-24.

NOT TO BE CALLED RABBI

CHRYSOSTOM: “You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.” One has nothing more than another. For in respect to his knowledge he knows nothing from himself. This is why Paul says, “For who is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers?” [1] —not masters. Again, “call no man your father.” This is said in order that they may know whom they ought to call Father in the highest sense. It is not said frivolously as if no one should ever be called father. Just as the human master is not the divine Master, so neither is the father the Father who is the cause of all, both of all masters and of all fathers. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 72.3. [2]

[1] 1 Cor 3:5.

[2] PG 58:670; NPNF 1 10:438.

23:9 | One Father, Who Is in Heaven

CALL NO MAN YOUR FATHER ON EARTH

JEROME:

No one should be called teacher or father except God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the Father, because all things are from him. He alone is the teacher, because through him are made all things and through him all things are reconciled to God.

But one might ask, “Is it against this precept when the apostle calls himself the teacher of the Gentiles? Or when, as in colloquial speech widely found in the monasteries of Egypt and Palestine, they call each other Father?” Remember this distinction. It is one thing to be a father or a teacher by nature, another to be so by generosity. For when we call a man father and reserve the honor of his age, we may thereby be failing to honor the Author of our own lives. One is rightly called a teacher only from his association with the true Teacher. I repeat: The fact that we have one God and one Son of God through nature does not prevent others from being understood as sons of God by adoption. Similarly this does not make the terms father and teacher useless or prevent others from being called father. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 4.23.10. [1]

[1] CCL 77:213.

23:10 | One Master, the Christ

YOU HAVE ONE MASTER

CHRYSOSTOM: Previously when he had asked, “What do you think of the Christ?” it is worth noting that he did not say, “What do you think of me?” So it is here that he says you have one master, and he does not make this subjective by saying “me” but “the Christ.”

Yet note that this passage repeatedly speaks of the one master, the one teacher, repeatedly applying the term one. [1] Does this term apply to the Father alone so as to reject the only begotten Son? Is the Father guide? All would agree, and none would challenge it. And yet “one,” he says, “is your guide, even Christ.” For just as Christ, being called the one guide, does not cast out the Father from being guide, even so the Father, being called Master, does not cast out the Son from being Master. For the expression one is spoken in contradistinction to the human way of speaking and within the rest of the creation. THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 72.3. [2]

[1] Chrysostom’s entire reasoning is intended to demonstrate that even though Jesus speaks of one master, one father and one guide, he means to combine himself and God the Father together. Jerome makes more or less the same argument in an even more general sense by emphasizing the distinction between the intrinsic and the figurative sense of a name (e.g., only God is the Father in the strict sense of the word, but in the figurative sense there are many fathers).

[2] PG 58:670; NPNF 1 10:438.

23:11 | Humbled and Exalted

WHOEVER HUMBLES ONESELF WILL BE EXALTED

CHRYSOSTOM: For nothing is as crucial as the practice of modesty. This is why he is continually reminding them of this virtue, both when he brought the children into the midst and now. Even when he was preaching on the mount, beginning the Beatitudes, this is where he began. And in this passage he plucks up pride by the roots, saying, “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” [1]

See how he draws off the hearer right over to the contrary thing. For not only does he forbid him to set his heart upon the first place but also requires him to follow after the last. For so shall you obtain your desire, he says. So one who pursues his own desire for the first must follow after in the last place: “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

And where will we find this humility? Go to the city of virtue, to the tents of the holy men, to the mountains, to the groves. [2] There you may see this height of humility.

For these persons, some illustrious from their rank in the world, some having had wealth, in every way put themselves down, by their vesture, by their dwelling, by those to whom they minister. As if they were written characters, they throughout all things are writing the story of humility. [3] THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 72.3. [4]

[1] Lk 14:11.

[2] To the ascetic life.

[3] Chrysostom evidently alludes to persons of high social rank who had renounced all the prerogatives of their rank to become monks. He himself was one of these.

[4] PG 58:670-71; NPNF 1 10:438.

CULTIVATE HUMILITY

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: Since those who have arrived teaching new beliefs for the most part do so from conceit and arrogance, I will say something concerning the value of the teaching. The Lord cuts short this opinion and way as leading to destruction. He says, “You love glory and the places of first importance.” Meanwhile he desires the servant’s role and cultivates humility. FRAGMENT 255. [1]

[1] MKGK 239.

ONE WHO EXALTS WILL BE HUMBLED

ORIGEN: I wish everyone might hear this, and most of all deacons, priests and bishops, especially those who think to themselves that these were not the words written: “He who exalts himself will be humbled.” On this basis, they then act as if they do not know that he said, “He who has humbled himself will be exalted.” They do not hear him who said, “Learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly of heart.” [1] They thought themselves to be self-inspired and through this inspiration fell “into the judgment of the devil.” [2] They had not thought of critically examining their false humility. They would have done better to have remembered the word of wisdom that says, “The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself, and you will find grace before God.” [3] It was the Lord who provided the pattern for this process. No matter how great he was, he humbled himself. For “though he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.” [4] COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 12. [5]

[1] Mt 11:29.

[2] 1 Tim 3:6.

[3] Sir 3:18.

[4] Phil 2:6-9.

[5] GCS 38.2:24.

PROTOCOL REVERSED AT THE MESSIANIC WEDDING BANQUET

INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW: In this wedding feast, which is the calling of God, the Jews maintained that they should be first to recline at the table. Instead, they were humiliated and put in last place, after the Gentiles. The Gentiles, … who understood that their invitation was entirely undeserved, were put ahead of the Jews who preceded them to the feast, for what matters is not the priority of the invitation, but the worthiness of the response. The Jews then were invited only to an ordinary meal, but the Gentiles were invited by the Son himself, for whom the feast was held. The Jews were chosen by God on account of their fathers but the Gentiles because of their faith. Christ says elsewhere of the Jews, therefore, “When you are invited to a wedding feast [that is, to the wedding of Christ], do not seek to recline at the head table.” [1] HOMILY 43. [2]

[1] Lk 14:8.

[2] PG 56:880.