Matthew 23:2-3
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Jesus acknowledges the scribes and Pharisees hold a legitimate teaching authority, inherited from Moses, but immediately follows this by contrasting their position with their practice, setting up a crucial distinction between the authority of God's Word and the flawed character of those who teach it. This means we are to honor the divine message they convey, even when we must challenge their personal conduct.
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is speaking to the crowds and his disciples about the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, directly addressing their authoritative teaching role. He acknowledges their position as interpreters of Moses' Law, the very Law God gave through Moses, before launching into a series of "woes" against their corrupt practices. This sets up Jesus' command to his listeners: obey what they teach from Moses' seat, but do not imitate their actions.
Jesus starts by acknowledging a recognized authority. But what does it truly mean to 'sit in Moses' seat,' and why is it significant here?
The scribes and Pharisees held a recognized position of authority in Jewish society. Jesus refers to this by saying they 'sit on Moses' seat.' This wasn't a literal chair, but a symbol of their role as successors to Moses, tasked with interpreting and teaching the Law.
The Role of the Teacher
Jesus doesn't deny their official role here. He acknowledges the position they held, the authority given to them by tradition and their perceived succession from Moses.
Jesus immediately follows up the acknowledgment of their authority with a stark contrast. What is the essential difference he wants people to grasp?
While Jesus recognizes the scribes and Pharisees' authoritative position to teach God's Law, he quickly pivots to their hypocrisy. The core message is a call to separate the they teach from their .
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Hear Them, But Don't Do Them
This distinction is critical: Jesus isn't telling people to ignore the Law, but to be discerning. The divine authority of the Law itself is not undermined by the flawed character of its messengers.
Understand the original words
grammateus · Greek Noun
Professional interpreters and teachers of the Mosaic Law; they were tasked with copying, studying, and explaining the Scriptures to the people.
Pharisaios · Greek Noun
A Jewish sect known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the "traditions of the elders." They emphasized ritual purity and separation from those considered non-observant.
kathedra Mōyseōs · Greek Noun phrase
A symbolic position of authority representing the legitimate teaching office of the Law given through Moses. To "sit on Moses' seat" signifies the authority to interpret and declare the Law's requirements.
Jesus' words acknowledge the legitimate authority passed down from Moses, even while he exposes the hypocrisy of those who currently hold that authority. This highlights the tension between God's established order and human corruption within it.
c. 1400 BC
Moses Receives the Law
Moses ascends Mount Sinai and receives the Ten Commandments and other laws from God, establishing the foundational legal and covenantal framework for Israel.
c. 5th Century BC
Ezra Reforms Jewish Law
Ezra the scribe, returning from Babylonian exile, reads the Law of Moses to the people and leads a spiritual and legal reformation, establishing a precedent for public reading and interpretation of Scripture.
c. 2nd Century BC - 1st Century AD
Rise of Scribes and Pharisees
Scribes emerge as professional interpreters of the Law, while the Pharisees develop as a prominent religious sect emphasizing strict adherence to both written and oral traditions. They increasingly hold positions of authority in synagogues and the Sanhedrin.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Jesus' Public Ministry
During Jesus' active ministry in Judea and Galilee, the scribes and Pharisees are established religious authorities, widely respected for their teaching and legal interpretations, though often criticized by Jesus for hypocrisy.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus Confronts Religious Leaders
Jesus engages in numerous public debates and teachings that challenge the authority and practices of the scribes and Pharisees, culminating in his condemnation of their hypocrisy in Matthew 23.
This passage outlines the authoritative role of the priests and judges in interpreting and applying God's law, establishing the concept of a legitimate teaching authority that Jesus acknowledges in Matthew 23:2.
Nehemiah 8:1-8This historical account shows Ezra the scribe reading and explaining the Law to the people, illustrating the practice of authoritative teaching and exposition that Jesus references when he speaks of the 'seat of Moses'.
Luke 11:46Jesus directly condemns the Pharisees for loading people with burdens they themselves do not carry, echoing the critique implied in Matthew 23:2-3 where he acknowledges their authority to teach but contrasts it with their hypocrisy.
Matthew 5:17-20Jesus states he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, showing his respect for the authority of Moses' teachings, which the scribes and Pharisees claimed to uphold, even while he exposes their misinterpretations and practices.
barnesMatthew 23:2: "Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:"
Scribes and Pharisees - See the notes at Matthew 3:7 . Moses' seat - Moses was the great legislator of the Jews. By him the Law was given. The office of explaining that Law among the Jews devolved on the scribes and Pharisees. In the synagogues they sat while expounding the Law, and rose when they read it. By "sitting in the seat of Moses" we are to understand authority to teach the Law; or, as he taught the nation by giv…
calvinMatthew 23:1-12: "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,"
- Then Jesus spoke to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2. Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses. 3. Observe and do, therefore, all things whatever they command you to observe; but do not according to their works; for they say and do not. 4. For they bind heavy and intolerable burdens, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they refuse to touch them with their finger. 5. And they do all their…
Jesus acknowledges the scribes and Pharisees hold a legitimate teaching authority, inherited from Moses, but immediately follows this by contrasting their position with their practice, setting up a crucial distinction between the authority of God's Word and the flawed character of those who teach it. This means we are to honor the divine message they convey, even when we must challenge their personal conduct.
Jesus is speaking to the crowds and his disciples about the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, directly addressing their authoritative teaching role. He acknowledges their position as interpreters of Moses' Law, the very Law God gave through Moses, before launching into a series of "woes" against their corrupt practices. This sets up Jesus' command to his listeners: obey what they teach from Moses' seat, but do not imitate their actions.
Jesus is speaking to the crowds and his disciples about the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, directly addressing their authoritative teaching role. He acknowledges their position as interpreters of Moses' Law, the very Law God gave through Moses, before launching into a series of "woes" against their corrupt practices. This sets up Jesus' command to his listeners: obey what they teach from Moses' seat, but do not imitate their actions.
"“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice." — Jesus acknowledges the scribes and Pharisees hold a legitimate teaching authority, inherited from Moses, but immediately follows this by contrasting their position with their practice, setting up…
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Last reviewed October 2026
