This is the Bainwell Podcast with Marty Solomon. I'm his co-host, Brent Billings. Today we dive into the list of woes. Jesus gives to the Pharisees and asks what kind of person Jesus is describing.

That's right. We're in the middle of the last week of Jesus's life, which by the way, speaking of the last week of Jesus's life, we have a book recommendation. Mr. Brent Billings.

Apply titled the last week.

Apply titled the last week by Borg and Croson. Those two guys, their scholarship is just fantastic and was sent this book and read it and loved it. It'll go along with so much of the stuff that we're talking about.

There are nuances that I tend to disagree with and their Borg and Croson. There are certain things where I feel like they're textural criticism.

There are members of the Jesus Seminar. I remember being in Bible college and just having, we just like wholesale road off like all the scholars in the Jesus Seminar.

Unfortunately, that is like those are the names and scholarships. So that was an unfortunate mistake on our end. But their scholarships are fantastic.

So even though their textural criticism will push me beyond my comfort zone, I'm not comfortable being as critical about what the text means and what it says as they are.

The scholarship content is fantastic. So I just really recommend that book. We'll put that in the show notes.

And yeah, with that being said, let's get moving. So we just got done in our last podcast. They tried to set a trap for Jesus.

They tried to get him trap him in his own words. They've been doing that quite a bit in this last week. And it seems like Jesus isn't going to give them another chance here in Matthew 23 to try to set up another trap. He's got, he's got some things that he he wants to say. Jesus gives them a real brain teaser at the end of that last episode.

Apparently, stumps the teachers because the text said no one dared to ask him any more questions. So Jesus again goes on the offensive, if you will, he's got some things to say. So how about Brent, you start us Matthew 23.

Then Jesus said to the crowds into his disciples, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in most seat. 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. 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.

Everything they do is done for people to see. They make their fillacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long. They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. They love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called rabbi by others.

But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher and you are all brothers and do not call anyone on earth father. For you have one father and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.

The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

It should be noted at this point that Jesus does affirm, by the way, the place of these Phariseic teachers within Jewish society. Like there is a place for this. Like we are so critical of the Pharisees, sometimes we run right over some of the things that we need to stop and pause and recognize.

We already talked about that in the podcast we had on the Pharisees, but Jesus affirms their devotion to obedience, which was their strength that they brought to the table.

And he affirms the soundness of their teaching along with their commitment to the text. The thing that Jesus appears to have a problem with is their interaction, expectation and dealings with other people.

He doesn't like how they tie up expectations and load them, load up other people like the people that they lead with guilt without doing anything to help relieve them of their burdens.

He also isn't a fan of how they seem to put their righteousness on display in order to receive the approval of men. Instead, he is wanting to call people to serve on another and not to impress them.

One other thing I would point out here, Brent, as it said, it started off. That passage started off the scribes and the Pharisees sit where? Where do they sit, Brent?

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