The Seat of Moses

Matthew 23:1-3 – “Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.'”

The phrase “Moses’ seat” is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Matthew 23:2, where Jesus refers to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees sitting in it. In biblical times, a person’s seating position often indicated the status or honor they had earned or were given. To sit in “Moses’ seat” meant to have a certain dignity and the authority to interpret the Law of Moses.

In Jesus’ time, the entrance to a synagogue usually had a series of ten steps of varying height and width. This wasn’t an architectural flaw but was designed to encourage everyone entering to be respectful and prepared to listen to the Lord’s word. To the right of the synagogue was a platform one step higher, where the reader would stand to read the Scripture. Next to the doorway was a “Seat of Moses,” carved from a large stone block. The reader would sit on it after reading the weekly text to begin explaining and teaching it.

Moses was known as a man who was “very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). In Jewish tradition, Moses is called Moshe Rabbeinu, which means “Moses, our teacher.” In the eyes of the Jews of that time, Moses was the model rabbi and the highest authority on the Torah. Jesus acknowledged the authority represented by “Moses’ seat,” saying, “So you must be careful to do everything they tell you.” However, Jesus condemned the religious leaders who occupied the seat, stating they were unworthy of the position because they lived in hypocrisy, applying a double standard to others and themselves, and were full of pride and vanity. Jesus criticized the religious leaders of the day for sitting in Moses’ seat while their lives were nothing like Moses. Their lives were unworthy of the position. Jesus did not say to abolish the seat but to show that the person who should sit in that most honorable position should be the most humble.

(Edited and compiled based on the Chinese Union Version Bible and Comprehensive Biblical Interpretation)