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Explanation for:
Matthew
23
:
22
And he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
5
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Following these events, the Lord departed from the temple, issuing a stern rebuke aimed at the Pharisees and the temple priests who were complicit in the people's corruption, accompanied by warnings of impending divine judgment. As He completed His earthly mission, He declared that He would persist in His work among them through His messengers. However, He foretold that the Pharisees would also persecute these messengers, just as they had mistreated the earlier witnesses of the truth. In doing so, they would further fill the cup of their ancestors' transgressions, ultimately leading to the revelation of God's judgment upon the iniquity of Jerusalem."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"He who takes an oath by the altar indicates that such an oath carries greater holiness and obligation than one taken by the offering on the altar. This is illustrated by the understanding that an oath by the altar encompasses the offerings made upon it. Furthermore, an oath by the temple holds even greater sanctity and responsibility compared to an oath by the altar, as swearing by the temple involves invoking the presence of God, who resides within. The temple serves as the abode of His unique presence among His people. In the initial temple constructed by Solomon, God’s special presence was manifested above the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies, which was visibly represented by a cloud (1 Kings 8:10-13, Psalm 81:1). Although the second temple lacked the ark, the Lord nonetheless made His presence known in a distinct manner, with only the high priest allowed to enter the Holy of Holies once each year, bearing the blood of the atoning sacrifice (Hebrews 9:7). When one swears by the temple, it is akin to swearing by heaven (as noted in Matthew 5:34-35), for to swear by the throne of God is to acknowledge heaven as the site of His profound presence, where His glory is revealed; thus, the throne of God is where He reigns in supreme majesty and unapproachable light. Through these statements, the Lord illustrates that to swear by anything ultimately means to invoke God, as an oath devoid of this reference holds no significance. The crux of an oath lies in calling upon God as a witness to the integrity and truthfulness of the one taking the oath; without this, the oath is meaningless. For additional reflections on the nature of oaths, see the commentary on Matthew 5:33."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Woe to you, leaders who are spiritually blind, attempting to guide people toward the Kingdom of Heaven while failing to discern the true path from the false! In your ignorance, you instruct others that breaking oaths is permissible, as long as one is aware of which oath to select for this purpose. You believe that you can mislead others by swearing on the temple and its altar, feeling that fulfilling such oaths is merely optional; yet you insist that oaths made by those who swear on gold vessels and the offerings on the altar must be honored. Ignorant and sightless leaders! The temple is far more sacred than the gold that resides within it, for it is the temple that imparts sanctity to the gold. Similarly, the altar, which sanctifies the offerings placed upon it, holds greater significance than the offerings themselves. How can you fail to see that swearing by the altar encompasses everything upon it; and that swearing by the temple involves not only the gold contained within but also the Divine presence that dwells within it, much like swearing by heaven signifies an oath to its ever-present Creator! Blessed Theophylact explains that anyone who swore by a golden vessel or a sacrificial animal and subsequently broke their vow was required to make restitution to the temple for what was sworn. The Pharisees tended to prioritize gold and sacrifices over the temple itself, seeking personal gain from the sacrificial offerings. Since it was unfeasible to demand restitution from one who swore by the temple should they break their oath—lacking any profit from such a transgression—they permitted the breaking of those oaths."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The fourth woe addresses spiritual blindness and the distortion of the true significance of oaths. The scribes and Pharisees, having permitted oaths by created things—such as heaven, earth, the sun, Jerusalem, and the temple—categorized these oaths into greater and lesser ones. Out of selfish motives, they ranked the treasures of the temple and sacrificial offerings among the most significant and sacred oaths. Jesus Christ had previously highlighted how these misguided interpreters of the law prioritized sacrificial vows over the unchanging commandment of God to honor one’s father and mother (Matthew 15:4-6). During this time, He strongly condemned the willful absurdity into which the blind guides of the people had fallen: Woe to you, leaders of the blind! You say that whosoever swears by the church is of no consequence, but whosoever swears by the gold of the church must be held accountable. Blind leaders, which is of greater significance: the gold or the church that consecrates the gold? And whosoever swears by the altar shall gain nothing, but whosoever swears by the gift upon it shall partake. Blind ones, what is more important, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? According to the teaching of the Pharisees, explains the blessed Theophylact, one who swore by a golden vessel or an animal designated for sacrifice and subsequently broke that oath was required to bring what he had sworn by to the temple, thus demonstrating a preference for the gift over the altar for personal gain from the sacrifices. The essence of an oath, however, is to call upon the all-knowing and ever-present God as a witness to the truth. Therefore, to restore the true meaning of an oath, the Lord remarked: If anyone swears by the altar, he swears by it and by Him who is upon it; if anyone swears by the church, he swears by it and by Him who resides within it; and if anyone swears by heaven, he swears by the Throne of God and by Him who is seated there."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The fourth point concerns the manipulation of the law through overly technical interpretations."}]}
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