Matthew 23 | Devotional - Bible Reading and Prayer - One Chapter a Day

Matthew Chapter 23 | Best devotional materials, including: introduction, background, main content, Bible reading and prayer video, Scripture, and post-reading prayer to help you gain a deeper understanding of biblical truth.

Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to our One Chapter per day Bible reading time. 

By God’s grace, today we will read Matthew chapter 23.

In this chapter, Jesus speaks directly to the crowds and His disciples about the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. He exposes their pride, love of recognition, and failure to practice what they preach. Jesus calls them “blind guides” and warns against exalting oneself. Yet, even amid His stern rebuke, we see His deep sorrow and compassion for Jerusalem—longing to gather His people as a hen gathers her chicks, but they would not come.

This chapter reminds us that true faith is not about outward appearance or religious performance but about a humble heart that truly loves and obeys God. Let us listen with reverence and sincerity to God’s Word together.

Matthew Chapter 23 Introduction:

Matthew chapter 23 is one of the most solemn and powerful chapters in the Gospel. It records Jesus’ final public teaching before His crucifixion — a direct and fearless rebuke of the religious hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. In this chapter, Jesus exposes their pride, hypocrisy, and false spirituality, warning the people not to follow their example. Yet, amid His words of judgment, we also see His deep sorrow and compassion for Jerusalem, the city that rejected its Savior.

Main Content of Matthew Chapter 23:

1. Warning Against Hypocrisy (verses 1–12)
Jesus begins by acknowledging the authority of the scribes and Pharisees as teachers of the Law, yet He warns the crowd not to imitate their behavior. They preach but do not practice, seeking honor and titles rather than true humility before God. Jesus reminds His followers that greatness in His kingdom is marked not by status but by service — “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

2. The Seven Woes Against the Pharisees (verses 13–36)
In this section, Jesus pronounces seven “woes” — strong condemnations — upon the scribes and Pharisees. He exposes how they shut the door of the kingdom of heaven to others, obsess over minor laws while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness, and appear righteous outwardly while being spiritually corrupt within. These woes reveal the danger of external religion without inward transformation, showing that God desires truth and purity in the heart, not mere rituals or appearances.

3. Jesus’ Lament Over Jerusalem (verses 37–39)
The chapter concludes with a moving expression of Jesus’ sorrow for Jerusalem. Despite the city’s repeated rejection of God’s messengers, Jesus yearns to gather its people “as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,” but they were unwilling. His lament reveals both His divine compassion and human heartbreak over the hardness of people’s hearts. He ends with the prophetic statement that they will not see Him again until they cry out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Spiritual Significance of Matthew Chapter 23:
Matthew 23 calls every believer to self-examination. It reminds us that true faith is not about outward display but inward sincerity. Jesus warns us against spiritual pride and hypocrisy, urging us instead to live humbly, love truth, and serve others with a pure heart. At the same time, His tears over Jerusalem show the depth of God’s love — even toward those who reject Him. This chapter challenges us to pursue authenticity in our walk with God and to respond to His call with repentance and obedience.

Through Matthew chapter 23, we learn that God values integrity over image and compassion over control. As we reflect on this chapter, may we humble ourselves before God, live out genuine faith, and respond to His call to follow Him with a heart of truth and love.

Matthew Chapter 23 YouTube Bible Reading and Prayer Video:

A Warning Against Hypocrisy

23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees

13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [14] 

15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”