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 insists that while we must obey the teaching of religious leaders, we must not imitate their actions. This is because their public pronouncements are meant to reflect God's law, but their private lives show a glaring disconnect between what they say and what they do.
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 addressing the crowds and his disciples, specifically about the religious leaders of the day – the scribes and Pharisees. He's just detailed their hypocrisy, so this instruction clarifies how people should relate to their teachings: follow the Law they expound from Moses' seat, but don't imitate their corrupt lives, because they preach one thing and do another.
Jesus tells us to listen to religious leaders, but not to copy them. How can we possibly do that?
Jesus draws a crucial distinction between the office of a teacher and the person holding that office. The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat – meaning they have a God-given role in interpreting and teaching the Law.
The Authority of the Seat
The Danger of the Person
Hypocrisy in leadership is not new. Jesus called it out directly. What were the specific failures he highlighted?
Jesus exposes the Pharisees' hypocrisy through two key failures:
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The Burden of Empty Rules
The Show of Surface Piety
Jesus' words here are set against the backdrop of His public ministry, where the authority of the Law and its interpreters was a central issue. He seeks to uphold the Law while exposing the corrupt practices of those who claimed to teach it, distinguishing between divinely-given instruction and human hypocrisy.
c. 458 BC
Ezra Reads the Law in Jerusalem
Ezra, a scribe, reads aloud from the Book of the Law to the assembled people in Jerusalem, initiating a period of renewed covenant faithfulness. This event is often associated with the 'chair of Moses' where expositors of the Law would stand.
c. 200 BC - AD 70
Rise of the Pharisees and Scribes
During this period, the Pharisees and scribes gained significant influence as interpreters and teachers of Jewish law, often in tension with other religious factions and Roman rule.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Jesus' Public Ministry
Jesus engages in public teaching and confrontation, directly challenging the religious hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees.
c. AD 30
Jesus Delivers the Sermon on the Mount
Earlier in His ministry, Jesus had already contrasted true righteousness with the outward show of the Pharisees, setting a precedent for His later teachings.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Confrontations in the Temple
Jesus publicly denounces the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy, their heavy burdens, and their love of status.
This passage echoes Jesus' condemnation of the Pharisees for burdening people with heavy laws that they themselves don't keep, directly mirroring the hypocrisy addressed in Matthew 23:3.
Romans 2:21-23Paul directly calls out those who teach others not to steal but then steal themselves, and who condemn idolatry but then rob temples. This highlights the severe judgment that falls on those who preach but do not practice.
Micah 6:8In contrast to the Pharisees' focus on outward observance and lack of inner practice, Micah powerfully declares that God requires justice, mercy, and humility—actions that demonstrate true devotion, not just words.
James 1:22This verse emphasizes that being a 'doer of the word' is essential, not just a 'hearer.' It directly contrasts with the Pharisees' failure to practice what they preached, showing the importance of aligning actions with teachings.
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…
ellicottMatthew 23:3: "All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not."
(3) All therefore whatsoever . . . —Followed, as the words are, by repeated protests against special and grave errors in the teaching of the Pharisees, it is obvious that they must be received with an implied limitation. So far as they really sit in Moses’ seat, and set forth his teaching—as, e.g., the scribe had done whose answer has been just recorded—…
Jesus insists that while we must obey the teaching of religious leaders, we must not imitate their actions. This is because their public pronouncements are meant to reflect God's law, but their private lives show a glaring disconnect between what they say and what they do.
Jesus is addressing the crowds and his disciples, specifically about the religious leaders of the day – the scribes and Pharisees. He's just detailed their hypocrisy, so this instruction clarifies how people should relate to their teachings: follow the Law they expound from Moses' seat, but don't imitate their corrupt lives, because they preach one thing and do another.
Jesus is addressing the crowds and his disciples, specifically about the religious leaders of the day – the scribes and Pharisees. He's just detailed their hypocrisy, so this instruction clarifies how people should relate to their teachings: follow the Law they expound from Moses' seat, but don't imitate their corrupt lives, because they preach one thing and do another.
"so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice." — Jesus insists that while we must obey the teaching of religious leaders, we must not imitate their actions. This is because their public pronouncements are meant to reflect God's law, but their…
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Last reviewed October 2026