In an attempt to defend spiritual practices and doctrines not based on scripture, some appeal to Jesus’ reference to "Moses’ seat" in Matthew 23:2. They contend if Jesus referenced "Moses’ seat" it must be an indicator of his approval of a real source of binding authority outside of scripture because the Old Testament never explicitly establishes the referenced office; therefore, today the church is not obligated to use scripture as the sole authoritative source for spiritually binding practices and doctrines. But there is a glaring error is this position, that being it fails to take into account the entirety of Matthew 23:1-36, especially Matthew 23:3, as well as the rest of Jesus’ interactions with the scribes and Pharisees of his day.
Jesus’ reference to "Moses’ seat" was a metaphorical reference to those who took it upon themselves to be teachers of Moses’ law. They sat in "Moses’ seat", but they were not Moses! If they taught doctrines in harmony with Moses’ law then the people were to heed what was taught, but they were not to do as these teachers did because the teachers did not have authority in and of themselves to prescribe doctrines that contradicted the law of Moses. How do we know this? Because this is exactly what Jesus said about these "authoritative" teachers who needed to spend more time sitting at Moses’ feet than sitting in Moses’ seat!
The teachers who sat in "Moses’ seat" were hypocritical blind guides who loved religious titles and outward righteousness more than justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:5-13, 23-26; 15:10-14). They attempted (on more than one occasion) to use their "authority" and understanding of Moses’ law as a reason to murder Jesus (John 5:8-13; 10:31-33). Jesus’ reference to these teachers sitting in "Moses’ seat" was not an endorsement of an authority that lived outside of scripture. His reference was an endorsement of the authoritative scriptures recorded by the man whose authority was being rejected by those who claimed to possess it (John 5:39-47).
The reference to "Moses’ seat" in Matthew 23:2 was not an approval of Jesus allowing manmade traditions to be put "on par" or above the authority of God’s written word, and the church would always do well to remember this lesson when someone claims to possess the authority to establish commandments and binding traditions that say otherwise (Colossians 3:17; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Corinthians 14:37).
“Now the Pharisees and some of the experts in the law who came from Jerusalem gathered around him. 2 And they saw that some of Jesus’ disciples ate their bread with unclean hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing, holding fast to the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches.) 5 The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands?” 6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7 They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.’ 8 Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition.” 9 He also said to them, “You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, ‘Whatever help you would have received from me is corban’ (that is, a gift for God), 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this.”” (Mark 7:1-13)
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