“The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat:
4 sermons cite this verse
Another translation is, there is a big difference between what they say and what they do. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of God's holy word. we continue we're in a series and we will end that series next next Sunday the series start at the beginning of this year the general heading is separation of church and hate it is taken from the book by John Fuglesang separation of church and hate, a sane person's guide to taking back the Bible from fundamentalists, fascists, and fleece. I'm sorry, yeah, fleece. I think it's fleece taking frauds, I think is something of that nature, but is the general heading of the series. Last week, we looked at the gospel according to John and looked at the subheading of Jesus loves me, this I know. Today, we want to, as our subheading, is to look at when religion gets in the way of my faith. when religion gets in the way of my faith. If you could turn to your neighbor at this time, just turn and look at your neighbor. …
5. O “beware of these false prophets!” For though they “come in sheep’s clothing, yet inwardly they are ravening wolves.” They only destroy and devour the flock: They tear them in pieces, if there is none to help them. They will not, cannot, lead you in the way to heaven. How should they, when they know it not themselves? O beware they do not turn you out of the way, and cause you to “lose what you have wrought!” 6. But perhaps you will ask, “If there is such danger in hearing them, ought I to hear them at all?” It is a weighty question, such as deserves the deepest consideration, and ought not to be answered but upon the calmest thought, the most deliberate reflection. For many years I have been almost afraid to speak at all concerning it; being unable to determine one way or the other, or to give any judgment upon it. Many reasons there are which readily occur, and incline me to say, “Hear them not.” And yet what our Lord speaks concerning the false prophets of his own times seems to imply the contrary. “Then spake Jesus unto the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat,” — are the ordinary, stated Teachers in your Church: “All, therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do. But do not ye after their works; for they say and do not.” Now, that these were false prophets, in the highest sense, our Lord hath shown during the whole course of his ministry; as indeed he does in those very words, “They say and do not.” Therefore, by their fruits his disciples could not but know them, seeing they were open to the view of all men. Accordingly, he warns them again and again, to beware of these false prophets. And yet he does not forbid them to hear even these: Nay, he, in effect, commands them so to do, in those words: “All therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do:” For unless they heard them, they could not know, much less observe, whatsoever they bade them do. Here, then, our Lord himself gives a plain direction, both to his Apostles and the whole multitude, in some circumstances, to hear even false prophets, known and acknowledged so to be. …
1. How exceeding few in the religious world have duly considered these solemn words! We have read them over and over, but never laid them to heart, or observed that they contain as plain and express a command as any in the whole Bible. And it is to be feared, there are still fewer that understand the genuine meaning of this direction. Numberless persons in England have interpreted it as a command to come out of the Established Church. And in the same sense it has been understood by thousands in the neighboring kingdoms. Abundance of sermons have been preached, and of books wrote, upon this supposition. And indeed many pious men have grounded their separation from the Church chiefly on this text. “God himself,” say they, “commands us, ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate.’ And it is only upon this condition that he will receive us, and we “shall be the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty.” 2. But this interpretation is totally foreign to the design of the Apostle, who is not here speaking of this or that church, but on quite another subject. Neither did the Apostle himself or any of his brethren draw any such inference from the words. Had they done so it would have been a flat contradiction both to the example and precept of their Master. For although the Jewish church was then full as unclean, as unholy, both inwardly and outwardly, as any Christian Church now upon earth, yet our Lord constantly attended the service of it. And he directed his followers in this, as in every other respect, to tread in his steps. This is clearly implied in that remarkable passage: “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: For they say and do not.” (Matt. 23:2, 3.) Even though they themselves say and do not, though their lives contradict their doctrines, though they were ungodly men, yet our Lord here not only permits but requires his disciples to hear them. For he requires them to “observe and do what they say.” But this could not be if they did not hear them. Accordingly the apostles, as long as they were at Jerusalem, constantly attended the public service. Therefore it is certain these words have no reference to a separation from the Established Church. …
21. There is another circumstance in our Lord’s conduct, which is worthy of our peculiar consideration. He calls to him the twelve, and sends them forth, two by two, to preach the gospel. (Mark 6:7.) And as they did not go the warfare at their own cost, the very “devils were subject unto them.” Now, one of these was Judas Iscariot. And did our Lord know that “he had a devil?” St. John expressly tells us he did. Yet he was coupled with another of the Apostles, and joined with them all in the same communion: Neither have we any reason to doubt but God blessed the labour of all his twelve ambassadors. But why did our Lord send him among them? Undoubtedly for our instruction: For a standing, unanswerable proof, that he “sendeth by whom he will send;” that he can and doth send salvation to men even by those who will not accept of it themselves. 22. Our Lord gives us farther instruction upon this head: In Matthew 23:1–3, we have those very remarkable words, “Then Jesus spoke to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ chair: All things, therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, observe and do; but do not according to their works: For they say, and do not.” [Matt. 23:1–3] Of these very men, he gives the blackest character in the following verses. Yet is he so far from forbidding either the multitude, or his own disciples, to attend their ministrations, that he expressly commands them so to do, even in those words, “All things whatsoever they bid you observe, observe and do.” These words imply a command to hear them: For how could they “observe and do what they bid them, if they did not hear it? I pray consider this, ye that say of the successors of these ungodly men, “They say, and do not; therefore, we ought not to hear them.” You see, your Master draws no such inference; nay, the direct contrary. O be not wiser than your Master! Follow his advice and do not reason against it! …