Matthew23chapter 23

Moses' seat was a real piece of furniture. Carved stone chairs have been found in the ruins of ancient synagogues, including at Chorazin, set at the front where the teacher sat to expound the Law. Jesus tells the crowds to do what these men say from that seat — the criticism that follows is about practice, not about the Scripture they read.

Phylacteries are small leather boxes containing passages of Scripture, bound to the forehead and the arm for prayer. Examples were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, and they were normally small. Making them broad made the devotion visible from across a courtyard. The tassels on the corners of the outer garment worked the same way — commanded by the Law, and easily lengthened for effect.

The tithing complaint is precise. The Law required a tenth of the produce of the field; whether tiny kitchen herbs like mint and dill and cumin also had to be tithed was a fine point that the strictest teachers answered yes. They measured out seeds and let justice and mercy go.

The whitewashed tomb image comes from a real practice. Graves near roads were marked with lime wash before Passover so that pilgrims would not step on one unawares — contact with a grave made a person unclean for seven days and would have barred them from the feast. The paint was there to warn people off what was inside.