23Then ^hJesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples: ⁱ²“The ^•scribes and the ^•Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses. ^j^k³Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, ^lbecause they don’t practice what they teach. ^m⁴They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry ⁿand put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger ^oto move them. ^p⁵They do everything ^qto be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries ^r^sand lengthen their ^•tassels. ^t^u⁶They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the ^•synagogues, ^v⁷greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘^•Rabbi’ by people.

⁸“But as for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have one Teacher, ^wand you are all ^•brothers. ^x⁹Do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is in heaven. ^y¹⁰And do not be called masters either, because you have one Master, ^zthe ^•Messiah. ¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant. ^a¹²Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. ^b

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Footnotes

•A professional group in Judaism that copied the law of Moses and interpreted it, especially in legal cases
•A religious sect of Judaism that followed the whole written and oral law
j23:2 Perhaps a special chair for teaching in synagogues, or a metaphorical phrase for teaching with Moses’ authority
l23:3 do according to their works
n23:4 Other omit that are hard to carry
o23:4 lift with their finger
q23:5 do all their works
r23:5 Small leather boxes containing OT texts, worn by Jews on their arms and foreheads
•Fringe put on the clothing of devout Jews to remind them to keep the law; Nm 15:37–41
t23:5 Other add on their robes
•This is a place where the Jewish people met for prayer, worship, and teaching of the Scriptures.
•The Hebrew word means my great one; it is used for a recognized teacher of the Scriptures.
w23:8 Other add the Messiah
•The Greek word adelphoi can be used as a reference to males only or to groups that include males and females. It is the context of each usage that determines the proper meaning.
z23:10 Or Teacher
•Or the Christ; the Greek word is Christos and means the anointed one. Where the NT emphasizes Christos as a name of our Lord or has a Gentile context, “Christ” is used. Where the NT Christos has a Jewish context, the title “Messiah” is used.

Cross references

h23:1–7 Mk 12:38–39; Lk 20:45–46
i23:1 Mt 10:42; 28:19; Lk 14:26; Jn 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Ac 6:1
k23:2 Ezr 7:6, 25; Neh 8:4
m23:3 Mt 5:20; 15:3–9; Rm 2:17–23
p23:4 Lk 11:46; Ac 15:10; Gl 6:13
s23:5 Ex 13:9; Dt 6:8; 11:18; Mt 6:1, 5, 16
u23:5 Mt 9:20; 14:36; Mk 6:56; Lk 8:44
v23:6 Lk 11:43; 14:7; 20:46
x23:7–8 Mk 9:5; 10:51; Jn 1:38, 49; 11:8; Jms 3:1
y23:9 Mal 1:6; Mt 6:9; 7:11
a23:11 Mt 20:26–27; Mk 9:35; 3Jn 9
b23:12 Pr 29:23; Ezk 21:26; Lk 14:11; 18:14; Jms 4:6, 10; 1Pt 5:5–6