Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
To swear by the altar is to be bound by the altar and by everything placed upon it, for the altar is sacred and greater than the gift because it makes the gift holy, so to say an oath by the altar means nothing while an oath by the gift is binding is a false and self-serving distinction. The saying belongs to Christ's condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees for hypocrisy, for claiming great godliness while refusing to practice what they required and covering inward corruption with outward religious show. His denunciation and warning against following blind leaders stand as an admonition to later generations against religious authorities who assume power over conscience, for human ideas and authority must never be put above sacred things but Scripture must guide the conscience. All in positions of responsibility and trust who do the same work of scrupulous attention to small matters with injustice, tampering with conscience, and lightly passing over serious wrongs while condemning lesser ones will surely face the same woes unless they repent and reform.
Words and Context
To swear by the altar is to swear by the altar itself and by everything placed or offered upon it, and both the altar and what lies upon it are to be held sacred. The altar is greater than the gift upon it because the altar sanctifies the gift, so to say an oath by the altar is nothing while an oath by the gift upon it is binding is a false distinction. The priests used such distinctions to deal with vows unevenly, excusing some offenses and condemning others unfairly, even treating vows as matters that could be excused for money.
The words were spoken in the temple courts on the final day of Christ's teaching and ministry there. Then He exposed the character of the rulers and elders. What He said was meant to reach people across ages and nations.
The verse belongs to His denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees for hypocrisy. They made high claims to godliness while refusing to practice what they required of others, and their outward religious show, profession, and pretended service bore no fruit to His glory while cloaking inward corruption and iniquity. Their denunciation followed because they rejected the light and salvation He brought, remaining impenitent and opposed to truth and righteousness, clinging to customs and protecting selfish ambition rather than accepting gospel reform. It is part of His scathing rebuke of self-deception in religious leaders who pass over God's warnings against sin while praising His mercy.
The chapter describes people blinded, even spiritually blinded, to the relative importance of what they should understand. Attention to small matters must therefore not replace obedience to God's principles and concern for weightier duties.
Warning for Later Generations
The denunciations of the scribes and Pharisees and the warning not to follow blind leaders were recorded as an admonition to future generations against religious authorities who assume power over conscience and exalt human authority over conscience. Priests can turn lawful authority to unlawful ends, so Scripture rather than priestly authority must guide the conscience. Pharisaism departs from the Bible standard by giving human ideas and authority precedence over sacred things, while the altar and what is upon it are to be treated as sacred.
Outward profession of godliness that cloaks iniquity meets heavier retribution than open sin, for all hypocrisy falls under heavy denunciation because vain pretense is hated. That warning reaches those who claim to represent Christ while their lives deny Him, whose rejection of counsel and despising of mercy brings condemnation. It reaches the church as well, whose neglect of received light and fellowship with unbelievers leaves it in darkness in a more unfavorable and worse position than the Jews who were rebuked.
To profess light far in advance of others demands works corresponding with profession, and neglect to improve granted light and opportunities leaves men and women in darkness. Those who have had great light and failed to improve upon it are in a less favorable position for the perfection of Christian character than those who spent life in sin in the darkness of error yet gladly accept truth when it is opened to their understanding, come to God in penitence with a sense of sinfulness, and are accepted. Christ ever treats the penitent with tenderness even though they had been the chief of sinners.
All in positions of responsibility and trust who do a like work will be denounced as surely as the Pharisees were, and the same woes will fall on them unless they repent and reform, for failure to reform brings exposure of character. That condemnation includes misrepresenting righteousness by an overbearing and imperious spirit, lack of principle, neglect of God's great sacred work, failure to reveal justice, mercy and the love of God and practical love for brethren, being scrupulous about little matters while dealing unjustly with God's heritage, tampering with conscience, making imaginary distinctions in guilt, and lightly passing over serious wrongs while severely condemning lesser ones, since righteousness exalts individuals as well as nations and sin brings ruin. Appeals and warnings had no more effect upon the ruling Pharisees, who cherished an exacting and intolerant spirit, rejected reproof, and set the stumbling block of iniquity before their eyes, bringing judgments upon themselves. The same is true of men connected with the management of God's work who cherish the same principles and remain unmoved, for the time is near when God by providence will make manifest what principles they cherished, and unless converted they will be separated from the work and the same judgments will fall upon them for walking in the same path.
Pharisaism is not extinct, for rigid, controlling religious practices can still hinder rather than advance God's work. The searching rebuke of hypocrisy was given without an irritated temper, yet with burning earnestness and at times with terrible severity against grave sins and abominations seen in the church and in the world. Perfect harmony with God and love and mercy can coexist with righteous indignation against sin, and false claims to righteousness and sanctity were not allowed to deceive the people. That example requires those who hear wrong sentiments and false statements not to remain speechless under binding influence, not to verify what they know is untrue, and not to harm by silent listening, but to protest and correct them. Christian missionaries and physicians in particular must stand in God-given manhood exercising freedom of speech and freedom of faith, refusing to harmonize with wrong plans, refusing to verify statements known to be untrue, and refusing to be cowered into silence by a masterful spirit.
To swear by the altar is to be bound by the altar and by everything placed upon it, for the altar is sacred and greater than the gift because it makes the gift holy, so to say an oath by the altar means nothing while an oath by the gift is binding is a false and self-serving distinction. The saying belongs to Christ's condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees for hypocrisy, for claiming great godliness while refusing to practice what they required and covering inward corruption with outward religious show. His denunciation and warning against following blind leaders stand as an admonition to later generations against religious authorities who assume power over conscience, for human ideas and authority must never be put above sacred things but Scripture must guide the conscience. All in positions of responsibility and trust who do the same work of scrupulous attention to small matters with injustice, tampering with conscience, and lightly passing over serious wrongs while condemning lesser ones will surely face the same woes unless they repent and reform.
Words and Context
To swear by the altar is to swear by the altar itself and by everything placed or offered upon it, and both the altar and what lies upon it are to be held sacred. The altar is greater than the gift upon it because the altar sanctifies the gift, so to say an oath by the altar is nothing while an oath by the gift upon it is binding is a false distinction. The priests used such distinctions to deal with vows unevenly, excusing some offenses and condemning others unfairly, even treating vows as matters that could be excused for money.
The words were spoken in the temple courts on the final day of Christ's teaching and ministry there. Then He exposed the character of the rulers and elders. What He said was meant to reach people across ages and nations.
The verse belongs to His denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees for hypocrisy. They made high claims to godliness while refusing to practice what they required of others, and their outward religious show, profession, and pretended service bore no fruit to His glory while cloaking inward corruption and iniquity. Their denunciation followed because they rejected the light and salvation He brought, remaining impenitent and opposed to truth and righteousness, clinging to customs and protecting selfish ambition rather than accepting gospel reform. It is part of His scathing rebuke of self-deception in religious leaders who pass over God's warnings against sin while praising His mercy.
The chapter describes people blinded, even spiritually blinded, to the relative importance of what they should understand. Attention to small matters must therefore not replace obedience to God's principles and concern for weightier duties.
Warning for Later Generations
The denunciations of the scribes and Pharisees and the warning not to follow blind leaders were recorded as an admonition to future generations against religious authorities who assume power over conscience and exalt human authority over conscience. Priests can turn lawful authority to unlawful ends, so Scripture rather than priestly authority must guide the conscience. Pharisaism departs from the Bible standard by giving human ideas and authority precedence over sacred things, while the altar and what is upon it are to be treated as sacred.
Outward profession of godliness that cloaks iniquity meets heavier retribution than open sin, for all hypocrisy falls under heavy denunciation because vain pretense is hated. That warning reaches those who claim to represent Christ while their lives deny Him, whose rejection of counsel and despising of mercy brings condemnation. It reaches the church as well, whose neglect of received light and fellowship with unbelievers leaves it in darkness in a more unfavorable and worse position than the Jews who were rebuked.
To profess light far in advance of others demands works corresponding with profession, and neglect to improve granted light and opportunities leaves men and women in darkness. Those who have had great light and failed to improve upon it are in a less favorable position for the perfection of Christian character than those who spent life in sin in the darkness of error yet gladly accept truth when it is opened to their understanding, come to God in penitence with a sense of sinfulness, and are accepted. Christ ever treats the penitent with tenderness even though they had been the chief of sinners.
All in positions of responsibility and trust who do a like work will be denounced as surely as the Pharisees were, and the same woes will fall on them unless they repent and reform, for failure to reform brings exposure of character. That condemnation includes misrepresenting righteousness by an overbearing and imperious spirit, lack of principle, neglect of God's great sacred work, failure to reveal justice, mercy and the love of God and practical love for brethren, being scrupulous about little matters while dealing unjustly with God's heritage, tampering with conscience, making imaginary distinctions in guilt, and lightly passing over serious wrongs while severely condemning lesser ones, since righteousness exalts individuals as well as nations and sin brings ruin. Appeals and warnings had no more effect upon the ruling Pharisees, who cherished an exacting and intolerant spirit, rejected reproof, and set the stumbling block of iniquity before their eyes, bringing judgments upon themselves. The same is true of men connected with the management of God's work who cherish the same principles and remain unmoved, for the time is near when God by providence will make manifest what principles they cherished, and unless converted they will be separated from the work and the same judgments will fall upon them for walking in the same path.
Pharisaism is not extinct, for rigid, controlling religious practices can still hinder rather than advance God's work. The searching rebuke of hypocrisy was given without an irritated temper, yet with burning earnestness and at times with terrible severity against grave sins and abominations seen in the church and in the world. Perfect harmony with God and love and mercy can coexist with righteous indignation against sin, and false claims to righteousness and sanctity were not allowed to deceive the people. That example requires those who hear wrong sentiments and false statements not to remain speechless under binding influence, not to verify what they know is untrue, and not to harm by silent listening, but to protest and correct them. Christian missionaries and physicians in particular must stand in God-given manhood exercising freedom of speech and freedom of faith, refusing to harmonize with wrong plans, refusing to verify statements known to be untrue, and refusing to be cowered into silence by a masterful spirit.