Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 23:1

"Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples," — Matthew 23:1 (ASV)

To the multitude—Now, as in Matthew 15:10, but here more fully and emphatically, our Lord not only reproves the hypocrisy of the Pharisees but also warns the multitude against them. He appeals, as it were, to the uncorrupted conscience of the people, setting it against the perversions of their guides.

In some points, for example, in Matthew 23:16-21, this teaching presents a striking parallel to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:33–37). Our Lord closes His public teaching, just as He began it, with a protest against the false casuistry that had substituted the traditions of men for the commandments of God.