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Matthew 23 General Notes
Special concepts in this chapter
Hypocrites
Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites many times (Matthew 23:13) and carefully tells what he means by doing that. The Pharisees made rules that no one could actually obey, and then they persuaded the ordinary people that they were guilty because they could not obey the rules. Also, the Pharisees obeyed their own rules instead of obeying God's original commands in the Law of Moses.
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Name calling
In most cultures, it is wrong to insult people. The Pharisees took many of the words in this chapter as insults. Jesus called them "hypocrites," "blind guides," "fools," and "serpents" (Matthew 23:16-17). Jesus uses these words say that God would surely punish them because they were doing wrong.
Paradox
A paradox is a statement that appears to describe something impossible. Jesus uses a paradox when he says, "He who is greatest among you will be your servant" (Matthew 23:11-12).