Context for Matthew 23:1-22
As Jesus preaches in the courts of the Temple, He declares the way to Heaven. His words are hard, directed not just at those who have followed Him, but also at those who have rejected Him in favor of their own earthly ideas about salvation and Heaven. Jesus’ message is clear: the way to Heaven is found through the Word, that is through Jesus, the Word incarnate.
In the previous verses, Jesus challenged the leaders of the Jews to take a position on who He, the promised Christ, was, yet those leaders proved that they did not understand who the Christ was supposed to be, which was why they did not understand that it was the Christ who asked them that question.
In these verses, Jesus turns His attention to His followers, explaining to them the difference between the teaching of their leaders and the teaching of the Word. Within this explanation, Jesus highlights the difference between the actions of someone who lives by faith in their works and someone who lives by faith in the Word.
This distinction is important simply because it is sometimes so hard to distinguish. Those who live by their own actions often do “righteous†things. They appear to be doing God’s will, but why they are doing what they are doing is the telling part. When someone does “good†things because they believe that work will earn them some recognition or special reward, they do so to their own damnation because works cannot save.
Those who live by faith also do righteous things, but these things are done out of reverence and thanksgiving for the blessing of faith that they have received through the Word and the Spirit. The actions of the faithful are a response to-a fruit of- faith. The faithful know that works do not save; instead, they build faith by focusing attention on faith and the Word.
Therefore, Jesus warns us to understand the nature of our actions and to guard against taking those actions out of their proper context. The Word gives us a sure guide for that context, allowing us to measure our actions and our belief against the source of our faith.
