TAKING MATTHEW 23:23 OUT OF CONTEXT TO PROVE YOUR FALSE CLAIM THAT "JESUS AFFIRMS CHRISTIAN TITHING" INSTRUCTS A CHRISTIAN TO TITHE
Matthew 23:23 - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
DON'T IGNORE THE CONTEXT
No scripture is to be interpreted outside of the context of all other scripture, as scripture tells us;
2 Peter 1:20 - "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 - "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
You cannot conveniently separate and isolate Matthew 23:23 from the remaining verses of Matthew Chapter 23. If Matthew 23:23 is written to the church "affirming Christian tithing," then in proper context, respecting the context, this is also addressing the Body of Christ affirming the following by Jesus...
The Body of Christ is a hypocrite; Matthew 23:3 - "All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not."
The Body of Christ burdens people down with heavy burdens; Matthew 23:4 - "For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."
The Body of Christ are terribly egotistical, and are braggarts; Matthew 23:5-7 - "But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi."
The Body of Christ closes the door to people who would seek to enter heaven; Matthew 23:13 - "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."
The Body of Christ is a hypocrite who devour widows' houses and worse, making people children of hell; Matthew 23:14-15 - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."
The Body of Christ are fools and blind; Matthew 23:17 - "Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?"
The Body of Christ is a blind guide; Matthew 23:24 - "Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel."
The Body of Christ is full of extortion and excess; Matthew 23:25 - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess."
The Body of Christ is a whited sepulchres, full of dead men's bones; Matthew 23:27 - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."
The Body of Christ is a builder of tombs of the prophets, and graves of righteous; Matthew 23:29 - "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,"
The Body of Christ are children of them which killed the prophets; Matthew 23:31 - "Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets."
The Body of Christ are serpents and a generation of vipers; Matthew 23:33-34 - "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:"
The Body of Christ is full of hypocrisy and iniquity; Matthew 23:28 - "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
THE BODY OF CHRIST FACING DAMNATION
If Matthew 23:23 is addressing the Body of Christ, then the Body of Christ is facing damnation and are serpents and a generation of vipers; Matthew 23:33-34 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
ADDITIONALLY
The context of the "ought to have done" in Matthew 23:23, often quoted by tithing teachers and their so-called "tithers," in a false claim that Jesus is commanding New Testament Christians to "tithe," was IN FACT a commandment to DO the Law of Moses. The phrase "and not to leave the other undone" is also a commandment to DO the Law of Moses.
NEW TESTAMENT CHRISTIANS ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES, and have no commandment to tithe anything to anyone.
Hebrews 7:18-19 - "For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
Acts 15:24 - "Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:"
Ephesians 2:15 - "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;"
CONCLUSION
Matthew 23:23 is not addressing the Body of Christ, and is not affirmation of so-called "Christian tithing," or "New Testament tithing."
___________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2026, Anthony Todd, All rights reserved. Permission to copy and distribute this article must be obtained in writing from Tithing Study Online.
Permission can be requested at: tithingstudyonline@gmail.com. Upon permission to do so, it is granted under the strict condition that no content of any article be removed or altered, and that all articles are to remain intact as is when used and shared. You must include a notation that any article distributed originated from Tithing Study Online, and include our blog URL as: https://ExaminingTithingDeceptions.blogspot.com - Permission to copy for personal use only is hereby granted.