Matthew 23:16-22

Bible Text

[16] "Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.' [17] You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? [18] 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated.' [19] You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? [20] He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it. [21] He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who was living in it. [22] He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.

Jerusalem was Israel’s religious center, where the temple stood as the appointed place of sacrifice and worship. In Jesus’ rebuke, the temple’s holiness derives from God’s dwelling presence, exposing the Pharisees’ evasive distinctions about oaths sworn by the temple or its gold.

Places in this passage

Matthew 23:16-22 mentions Jerusalem.

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