Matthew 23:20

Thursday, 15 October 2026

Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. Matthew 23:20

“The ‘therefore having sworn in the altar’, he swears in it and in all those atop it.” (CG)

In the previous verse, Jesus asked the question as to which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift. The answer is obvious. The altar is greater. Jesus next says, “The ‘therefore having sworn in the altar’.”

This refers to the person, identified as “who” in the first clause of verse 18 –

“And who, if he should swear ‘in the altar’, nothing, it is. Who, also, if he should swear ‘in the gift’, the ‘atop it’, he is obligated.”

When such a person swears in the altar, Jesus says, “he swears in it and in all those atop it.” It cannot be that swearing on what is atop the altar is a binding vow while swearing on the altar itself is nothing. The things atop the altar have been sanctified, but it is by the altar that it is so.

The scribes and Pharisees assumed that something other than the altar, maybe the act of giving or some other deed affixed to the process, is what sanctified the gift. This shows a naivete about the precept of the law, a misunderstanding about the source of holiness, and an abuse of the sanctification process.

To further solidify this concept, Jesus will continue to explain how the process of sanctification comes about.

Life application: In Isaiah 65, the Lord explains the type of people Jesus is speaking to right now. The infractions stated may not match the actions of the scribes and Pharisees, but the attitude is what is to be focused on –

“I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
To a nation that was not called by My name.
2 I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts;
3 A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face;
Who sacrifice in gardens,
And burn incense on altars of brick;
4 Who sit among the graves,
And spend the night in the tombs;
Who eat swine’s flesh,
And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5 Who say, ‘Keep to yourself,
Do not come near me,
For I am holier than you!’
These are smoke in My nostrils,
A fire that burns all the day.” Isaiah 65:1-5

Israel, being led by people like the scribes and Pharisees, had a faulty idea about holiness and sanctification. They thought they were holy because of who they are, not because of the One who selected them to be His people. The thinking is, “We must be holy because God selected us.”

Rather, the Lord told them repeatedly right in the law that they were to be holy because He is holy. Their holiness was only obtainable by doing what the Lord instructed them to do. And the doing was to be more than a tedious, rote thing. Their mindset, and thus their conduct, was to be conscious of the Lord and His presence at all times.

That is reflected in the precept noted in Chapter 22 about loving the Lord God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength. Israel, having the idea of sanctification completely backward, failed to do this. Hence, Paul cites Isaiah 65 in Romans 10.

Those outside of Israel who come to God through the gospel do so because they understand that they are not holy. They hear of God’s righteousness through the gospel and its imputation, and they reach out for it. Israel’s attitude, which continues to this day, is, “We don’t need Jesus to be holy. God selected us, demonstrating that we are holy.”

One who feels he is already holy before God will naturally reject the gospel because Jesus, through the gospel, essentially calls out, “You need to be holy. I can make you holy. Come to me.” The response is, “I don’t need that. I am already a member of God’s holy people. I’m good, but thanks anyway.”

In understanding that they are currently Lo Ammi, Not My People, Israel can deduce that they need something external to make them holy. The tribulation will draw this out of them. When it happens, a change will take place. They will finally get it.

Until then, they are a hard bunch to evangelize. Some understand the gospel, but for the most part, it is an offensive suggestion to them that they need holiness imputed to them. Keep Israel, the nation, in prayer that their eyes will be opened.

O God, in Jeremiah, it says, “The Lord, Our Righteousness.” Indeed, there is nothing righteous in man apart from You. May we cling to the cross of Christ, understanding the magnitude of what it signifies in our lives. Thank You for the cross of Jesus our Lord. Amen.