Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 23].
which they were fastened were wound seven times round the arm and
three times round the hand. They were reverenced by the rabbis as
highly as the scriptures, and, like them, might be rescued from
the flames on a sabbath. They profanely imagined that God wore
the _tephillin_" (Vincent). It is small wonder that Jesus
ridiculed such minute concern for pretentious externalism and
literalism. These _tephillin_ "are still worn at the present day
on the forehead and left arm by Jews at the daily Morning Prayer"
(McNeile) . "The size of the phylacteries indexed the measure of
zeal, and the wearing of large ones was apt to take the place of
obedience" (Bruce). Hence they made them "broad." The
superstitious would wear them as mere charms to ward off evil.
{Enlarge the borders} (\megalunousin ta kraspeda\). In 9:20 we
see that Jesus, like the Jews generally, wore a tassel or tuft,
hem or border, a fringe on the outer garment according to Nu
15:38. Here again the Jewish rabbi had minute rules about the
number of the fringes and the knots (see on ¯9:20). They made a
virtue of the size of the fringes also. "Such things were useful
as reminders; they were fatal when they were regarded as charms"
(Plummer).
23:6 {The chief place at feasts} (\t•n pr•toklisian en tois
deipnois\). Literally, the first reclining place on the divan at
the meal. The Persians, Greeks, Romans, Jews differed in their
customs, but all cared for the post of honour at formal functions
as is true of us today. Hostesses often solve the point by
putting the name of each guest at the table. At the last passover
meal the apostles had an ugly snarl over this very point of
precedence (Lu 22:24; Joh 13:2-11), just two days after this
exposure of the Pharisees in the presence of the apostles. {The
chief seats in the synagogues} (\tas pr•tokathedrias en tais
sunag•gais\). "An insatiable hunger for prominence" (Bruce).
These chief seats (Zuchermandel) were on the platform looking to
the audience and with the back to the chest in which were kept
the rolls of scripture. The Essenes had a different arrangement.
People today pay high prices for front seats at the theatre, but
at church prefer the rear seats out of a curious mock-humility.
In the time of Jesus the hypocrites boldly sat up in front. Now,
if they come to church at all, they take the rear seats.
23:7 {Salutations} (\aspasmous\). The ordinary courtiers were
coveted because in public. They had an itch for notice. There are
occasionally today ministers who resent it if they are not called
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