Do Whatever They Tell You...

[HARK!]

...as they teach Torah.

Matthew 23:1-3

Complete Jewish Bible

23 Then Yeshua addressed the crowds and his talmidim: 2 “The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim,” he said, “sit in the seat of Moshe. 3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don’t do what they do, because they talk but don’t act!

 

[Carl Emerson]

Mat 23: NASB

1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4“They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5“But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6“They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. 8“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10“Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

 

[HARK!]

Mat 23: NASB

1Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4“They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. 5“But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6“They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. 8“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10“Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Yes, our Leader tells us to do what those who sit in the Moses Seat tell us to do, regardless of what they let you call them.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Yes, our Leader tells us to do what those who sit in the Moses Seat tell us to do, regardless of what they let you call them.

Who sits in Moses seat these days ???

 

[Strong in Him]

Yes, our Leader tells us to do what those who sit in the Moses Seat tell us to do, regardless of what they let you call them.

How do you intend keeping the law when no one offers animal sacrifices these days?

Jesus was talking to Jews when he told them that their religious leaders sat in Moses' seat.
I don't know of anyone who sits in Moses' seat; I follow Jesus who is greater than Moses.

Besides which, Jesus told the crowd not to do as their leaders did and was very critical of them, calling them whitewashed tombs, among other things.

 

[HARK!]

Who sits in Moses seat these days ???

3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it.

How many sit in one seat at a time?

Moses is used synonymously with Torah.

(CLV) Ne 8:1
All the people gathered as one man in the square before the water gate and asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the scroll of the law of Moses which Yahweh had enjoined on Israel.

Here it's called the law of Moses; but just a few verses down:

(CLV) Ne 8:8
They read from the scroll from the law of the One, Elohim. It was expounded to make it intelligible, so that the people could understand the reading-.

(CLV) Ne 8:9
[Nehemiah the Tirshatha and] Ezra the priest, the scribe, with the Levites who were explaining it to the people, he said to all the people: This day, it is holy to Yahweh your Elohim. You must not mourn, and you must not weep.—For all the people were weeping as they were hearing- the words of the law.

Then:

(CLV) Ne 8:14
They found written in the law that Yahweh had enjoined iby means of Moses that the sons of Israel should dwell in booths iduring the festival in the seventh month

(CLV) Ne 8:17
The whole assembly who had returned from the captivity made booths and dwelled in the booths; for the sons of Israel had not done so from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day; and there was very great rejoicing.

(CLV) Ne 8:18
He read from the scroll of the law of the One, Elohim, day by day, from the first day until the last day. They kept the festival seven days, and on the eighth day there was a day of restraint according to the ordinance.

 

[HARK!]

How do you intend keeping the law when no one offers animal sacrifices these days?

The Levitical Priesthood make the animal sacrifices. I am not a Levitical Priest. The High Priest would offer a sacrifice one a year, for all of YHWH's people, for the transgressions of the law, that they were not even aware that the had committed.

That role has been transferred you Yahshua as our High Priest.

(CLV) Hb 10:26
For at our sinning voluntarily after obtaining the recognition of the truth, it is no longer leaving a sacrifice concerned with sins,

Therefore we are not to willfully transgress YHWH's law.

(CLV) 1Jn 3:9
Everyone who is begotten of God is not doing sin, for His seed is remaining in him, and he can not be sinning, for he is begotten of God.

 

[HARK!]

Jesus was talking to Jews when he told them that their religious leaders sat in Moses' seat.
I don't know of anyone who sits in Moses' seat; I follow Jesus who is greater than Moses.

Yahshua was talking to his disciples to whom he was commissioned.

(CLV) Mt 15:24
Now He, [Yahshua] answering, said, "I was not commissioned except for the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

If we follow him; we follow his example of obedience to his Father's word. Yahshua is that word, who came in the flesh.

(CLV) Jn 10:27
"My sheep are hearing My voice, and I know them, and they are following Me.

(CLV) 1Jn 2:5
Yet whoever may be keeping His word, truly in this one the love of God is perfected. In this we know that we are in Him:

(CLV) 1Jn 3:6
Everyone who is remaining in Him is not sinning. Everyone who is sinning sees Him not, neither knows Him.

 

[HARK!]

Besides which, Jesus told the crowd not to do as their leaders did and was very critical of them, calling them whitewashed tombs, among other things.

That's because they talked the talk; but they didn't walk the walk.

That's why he said do as they say (the talk) ; but don't do as they do (walk in disobedience).

(CLV) Mt 5:20
For I am saying to you that, if ever your righteousness should not be superabounding more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, by no means may you be entering into the kingdom of the heavens.

 

[Strong in Him]

The Levitical Priesthood make the animal sacrifices. I am not a Levitical Priest. The High Priest would offer a sacrifice one a year, for all of YHWH's people, for the transgressions of the law, that they were not even aware that the had committed.

According to Leviticus, one of the books of the law, people had to kill animals to offer burnt offerings, Leviticus 1:1-5. It was Aaron's sons who sprinkled the blood, but the sinner had to kill the lamb. Same with the fellowship and sin offerings, Leviticus 3:1-2, Leviticus 4. As they no doubt sinned more than once a year they would have had to kill a lot of animals.

The point is that these sacrifices are described, in detail, in the books of the law - the same law that you keep insisting we must keep.

 

[Strong in Him]

That's because they talked the talk; but they didn't walk the walk.

That's why he said do as they say (the talk) ; but don't do as they do (walk in disobedience).

I don't do as THEY say, I do as HE said.
They rejected the Messiah.

 

[Bob Crowley]

Christ was talking to His disciples, the apostles, who were Jews to a man. They'd spent their entire lives immersed in Judaism and Jewish culture. As such there would have been some conflict in their minds about who or what they should follow.

For the rest of us (other than perhaps Jewish converts to Christianity), we are not, and never have been under the Mosaic laws. The main relevance of this passage would be to remind us to attend to our own standard of right behaviour.

That's why Saint Paul was such a spiritual maverick. He went from being a hard line Pharisee hunting down Jewish converts to becoming an Apostle to the Gentiles.

In other words, we're expected to try to do the right thing, even though we're sinners, and will fail sooner or later.

 

[HARK!]

According to Leviticus, one of the books of the law, people had to kill animals to offer burnt offerings, Leviticus 1:1-5.

This to be done in the presence of the priests; or it is a transgression of the law.

Same with the fellowship and sin offerings, Leviticus 3:1-2,

This to be done in the presence of the priests; or it is a transgression of the law.

The point is that these sacrifices are described, in detail, in the books of the law - the same law that you keep insisting we must keep.

Yes. they are described in detail. It's important to pay attention to those details.

See: Strange Fire

 

[HARK!]

I don't do as THEY say, I do as HE said.
They rejected the Messiah.

If we aren't doing as they said; then we aren't doing as he said; are we?

The Messiah was the word in the flesh. They rejected YHWH's word.

"Be not supposing that I shall be accusing you to the Father. He who is accusing you to the Father is Moses, on whom you rely.

(CLV) Jn 5:46
For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for the writes concerning Me.

(CLV) Jn 5:47
Now if you are not believing his writings, how shall you be believing My declarations?"

 

[HARK!]

Christ was talking to His disciples, the apostles, who were Jews to a man.

I'm a disciple of Yahshua.

They'd spent their entire lives immersed in Judaism and Jewish culture.

So did Yahshua. And?

For the rest of us (other than perhaps Jewish converts to Christianity), we are not, and never have been under the Mosaic laws.

This who are in Yahshua aren't under the curses of the law; because they are obedient to the law.

That's why Saint Paul was such a spiritual maverick. He went from being a hard line Pharisee hunting down Jewish converts to becoming an Apostle to the Gentiles.

Indeed he was a Pharisee.

(CLV) Php 3:5
in circumcision the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, in relation to law, a Pharisee,

Do you accept his teachings? Let's read the next verse.

(CLV) Php 3:6
in relation to zeal, persecuting the ecclesia, in relation to the righteousness which is in law, becoming blameless.

In other words, we're expected to try to do the right thing, even though we're sinners, and will fail sooner or later.

Fail sooner or later? What do you think that Paul meant by ny becoming blameless? Does that sound like a person who practices transgression of the law?

Who are sinners?

 

[Carl Emerson]

This who are in Yahshua aren't under the curses of the law; because they are obedient to the law.

Wrong...

Gal 3:

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.…

 

[Carl Emerson]

It is all about what Jesus did for us.

We will never be within a bulls roar of the righteousness of Christ.

Our righteousness is imputed, it is not by works.

Anything else is pride.

 

[Strong in Him]

This to be done in the presence of the priests; or it is a transgression of the law.


This to be done in the presence of the priests; or it is a transgression of the law.

The point is that it's not being done at all, even by Jews who have rejected the Messiah and are still under the law.
The law says that animal sacrifices should be offered for sin. So anyone who does not take their lambs to a priest to be killed, is clearly not keeping the law.

And yes, I know that Jesus is our great high priest and that he offered his own life as a sacrifice for sin - that's because he said that he had come to fulfil the law.

 

[Strong in Him]

If we aren't doing as they said; then we aren't doing as he said; are we?

Yes.
Jesus did not tell his followers - Jews or Gentiles - that they had to continue, or start, to obey the Jewish law.
The Pharisees went round picking on people who did not keep the law to the letter; Jesus didn't.

 

[Mr. M]

...as they teach Torah.

Matthew 23:1-3

Complete Jewish Bible

23 Then Yeshua addressed the crowds and his talmidim: 2 “The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim,” he said, “sit in the seat of Moshe. 3 So whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don’t do what they do, because they talk but don’t act!

Ephesians 4:
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors
and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to
the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying
of itself in love.