Do Everything They Tell You

“The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat, so you must do and observe everything they tell you to do" - Matthew 23:2

Before We Begin

Before we explore these passages, it may be useful to spend a moment to obtain a more accurate understanding of the Pharisees. With this knowledge, we will be able to build a better foundation to proceed.

The Moses Seat

One of the pivotal components of this passage is understanding the "Moses Seat". Archeologists have found an actual seat, as was the case in the excavation of an ancient synagogue at Chorazin, in the Galilee. However, there is more of a concept that we should build our understanding upon. On this, the Encyclopedia of the Bible states;

SEAT, MOSES’ (Μωυσέως καθέδρας). The name given to a special chair of honor in the synagogue where the authoritative teacher of the law sat. The teacher in practice exercised the authority of Moses, in whom the written and the main lines of the oral law were regarded as originating.

From this seat, literal or metaphorical, we learn, that an authoritative teacher would sit and adjudicate matters of civil law within the domain of Jewish oral law/tradition, or, halacha. Yeshua recognizes that the Pharisees have been entrusted with this authority, which includes the oral traditions, and the knowledge to synthesize rulings to govern the people.

It is significant to notice that he is not challenging their position, nor the system in general. Further, he is instructing his students to obey them, in everything, which includes their interpretations and rulings. Perhaps now we see why we needed to establish some nuance regarding the Pharisees. Those with a common. understanding of the Pharisees as strictly antagonists to Yeshua, this is a troubling passage.

This idea is taken directly from the Torah itself when

“Moses sat to judge the people” to “teach the statutes of G_D and his Torah(s)” - Exodus 18:13, 16.

Tradition holds that the Torah(s) were given to Moses at Sinai, this is to say the Written and Oral Torah - and thus [it] needs to be taught from generation to generation to ensure it is upheld.

The Mishnah encapsulates this idea plainly:

"Moshe received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Yehoshua, and Yehoshua to the Elders, and the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be deliberate in judgment, raise up many disciples and make a fence for the Torah." - Mishnah, Pirke Avot 1:1

With further clarity, we see the same statement made in the Clement Homilies, providing the nuanced understanding that not all Pharisees were to be regarded as hypocrites:

"Therefore He made use of this memorable expression, speaking the truth with respect to the hypocrites of them, not with respect to all. For to some He said that obedience was to be rendered, because they were entrusted with the chair of Moses. However, to the hypocrites he said, Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but the inside is full of filth. - Clement Homilies 19

Observe Everything They Tell You

Very plainly, Yeshua instructs His disciples: “You must do and observe everything they tell you to do”. But, what is not apparent to most is that this applies to the Oral Torah, the interpretations of the Torah. This is not a small detail; Yeshua is telling His disciples to follow the interpretations of the Rabbis who sit in this seat of authority. This would include their rulings and counsel, much of which we consider within the Oral Torah today. The source for this idea can be found in Deuteronomy 17:11:

"You shall act in accordance with the instructions given you and the ruling handed down to you; you must not deviate from the verdict that they announce to you either to the right or to the left." - Deuteronomy 17:11

Yeshua’s reference to Deuteronomy shows that Yeshua clearly accepted the legitimacy of the Pharisees’ authority to interpret Torah. After all, it was their interpretative methods that prepared the way for Messianism, concepts of heaven-hell, afterlife, and many more concepts of which the Sadducees rejected (Acts 23:8).

Further, any errors that they made would fall upon them, the leaders, according to Jewish law. Scholars have remarked that, if the New Testament was supposed to be the genesis of a new religion, it is surprisingly lacking the cohesive form of guidelines and instructions on which to build such a new religion. This is because it was not their intention to do so.

A similar teaching in Pesikta Rabbati provides a missing key connecting this idea to the Oral Torah as well:

“Do not say: I won’t obey the words of the sages, because they are not in the Torah, the Blessed Holy One says: No, my son, but everything they tell you to do, do it, because it’s written: On the Oral Torah which they will direct you” - Pesikta Rabbati 3