Matthew 23:13-33

Jesus Faces The Scribes and Pharisees Up To Their Hypocrisy (23:13-33).

It will be quite clear that the words which Jesus has spoken to His disciples and the crowds could hardly have failed to rile the Scribes and Pharisees as they stood bristling among the crowds in the Temple. They were members of a very excitable and fervent people living at a very excitable and fervent time and attending a very excitable and fervent feast, and we can be sure therefore that they would begin to defend themselves with some vehemence and cry out vociferously against Jesus. And while they may well have been feeling somewhat guilty, they certainly did not see themselves as Jesus (and now the crowds) saw them. It would thus be in response to their attempted defence, possibly yelled out while He was speaking, that Jesus spoke the words that follow.

He held nothing back. This was not just another session of challenge. The Scribes and Pharisees had admitted defeat in that regard. This was to be the final denouement. He had given them every opportunity, but they had given no ground at all, simply falling back on silence when their false ideas were shown up, and He knew therefore that it was important that, with His death and resurrection fast approaching, it was made clear to all the people that the Scribes and Pharisees had failed in their responsibilities and were now being replaced by God. Thus He now publicly reveals the full truth about them. Compare Luke 12:39 where He had addressed them to the Scribes and Pharisees more privately. The vineyard was about to be let out to other tenants (His disciples), and it was important that all should know why, and should be convinced that it was necessary. We should note that had there not been solid truth in His words they would have been ineffective and would have been waved aside and treated with contempt. It was because of the truth that all saw that they contained that they were so angry and determined that now He must die as soon as it could be arranged.

His words are spoken in seven ‘ouais', a word meaning ‘woe/alas' (see its use in Matthew 24:19). They are a combination of plea, heartbreak, sadness and judgment. And in view of the many parallels between this chapter and the Sermon on the Mount there is little doubt that Matthew intends us to parallel them with the seven blessings of Matthew 5:3 (note how blessing and woes are paralleled in Luke 6:20). For the new tenants (Matthew 21:41) there was much blessing, but for these old, rejected tenants there is only woe. The Sermon on the Mount had been a call to action, spoken to those who were being called, this sermon is a solemn indictment of those who have been rejected, although also taking the occasion to speak to those who are being called, and to warn them against the same failings (Matthew 23:2).

A comparison of the two lists is interesting. Thus:

* Theirs is the Kingly Rule of Heaven --- you shut up the Kingly Rule of Heaven to men.

* They will be comforted (spiritually strengthened) --- you make him (the proselyte convert) a son of Gehenna

* They shall inherit the (new) earth --- you emphasise the man-centred things and miss out on the God-centred.

* They will be filled (with righteousness) --- you strain out herbs and miss out on justice, mercy and faithfulness.

* They will obtain mercy --- you cling on to your inner filthiness.

* The pure in heart -- will see God --- you are outwardly righteous and whitened but inwardly full of hypocrisy and iniquity, and like a dark and bonefilled grave.

* The peacemakers -- will be called sons of God --- you are sons of your fathers who slew the prophets.

For further parallels with the Sermon on the Mount consider the following:

* It was in that Sermon that He had first castigated the Scribes and Pharisees and rejected their righteousness as unacceptable (Matthew 5:20), here we are told in detail why their righteousness is unacceptable, and learn that they appear righteous and are not (Matthew 23:28).

* The reference to ‘your Father in Heaven', now spoken again to the disciples in Matthew 23:9, is elsewhere only found in the Sermon on the Mount (regularly all through).

* The requirement to ‘do and observe' (Matthew 23:2) matches the final emphasis in the Sermon (see Matthew 7:21).

* The hypocrisies of the Scribes and Pharisees in trying to make themselves noticed which are described here, are parallel to similar ideas in Matthew 6:1.

* The behaviour of the Scribes and Pharisees in closing the kingly Rule of Heaven to men contrasts with the opening of the Kingly Rule of Heaven to men in Matthew 5:3; Matthew 5:10; Matthew 5:20; Matthew 6:10; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 7:21.

* Reference to swearing by the Temple and the throne of God and Heaven (Matthew 23:16; Matthew 23:22) parallels similar ideas in Matthew 5:34.

* The ‘blindness' of the Scribes and Pharisees Matthew 23:16; Matthew 23:19; Matthew 23:24; Matthew 23:26 is explained in Matthew 6:22, compare Matthew 5:29.

* The emphasis on justice, mercy and faith in Matthew 23:23 parallels Matthew 5:38.

* The idea of the Scribes and Pharisees as hypocrites Matthew 23:13; Matthew 23:15; Matthew 23:23; Matthew 23:25; Matthew 23:27; Matthew 23:29 is paralleled in Matthew 6:2; Matthew 6:5; Matthew 6:16; compare Matthew 7:5. See also Matthew 15:7; Matthew 16:3; Matthew 22:18.

* Their treatment of the prophets (Matthew 23:29) and those whom Jesus will send parallels the similar ideas in Matthew 5:10.

* Reference to them as serpents and the offspring of vipers (Matthew 23:33, compare Matthew 3:7; Matthew 12:34) parallels the idea of their being like ravening wolves (Matthew 7:15).

* The desolation of their house (Matthew 23:38) parallels the collapse of the house in Matthew 7:27.

The seven ‘woes' that follow can also be compared with the seven woes in Isaiah 5:8 with Matthew 11:1 (we have already seen how important Isaiah is to Matthew); the woes in Habakkuk 2:6; and the six woes in Luke 11:37, where He spoke to them in more privacy hoping that His words might have some effect (compare also Luke 6:20). All of these words were spoken when dark clouds were hanging over Israel, and all spoke in anticipation of coming disasters. Jesus clearly felt that the situations facing the people in the days of Isaiah and Habakkuk also applied to the people of His own day (compare Matthew 13:14), and, following their example, probably pronounced woes a number of times, thus directly drawing those days to the attention of the people and aligning them with His own day.

The seven ‘woes' can be analysed as arising as follows:

a Through their failure to recognise that the Kingly Rule of Heaven had broken in on them and at the same time closing the door to others (Matthew 23:13).

b Through their misleading others as to what is genuinely important by making their converts become possessed with their own wrong ideas (Matthew 23:15).

c Through their looking at what was superficial with regard to religious matters rather than recognising the reality that lay beneath (Matthew 23:16).

d Through their concentration on the minutiae of their interpretations of the Law rather than on what was really important, such as justice, mercy and faithfulness, because they actually in practical terms did see the minutiae as more important (Matthew 23:23).

c Through their behaving superficially in dealing with externals rather than recognising the dark reality that lay within (Matthew 23:25).

b Through their misleading others as to what is genuinely important, by ‘whitewashing' themselves by pious behaviour while being spiritually dead underneath (Matthew 23:27).

a Through their failure to recognise the messengers of God who had come to them, in the same way as their predecessors had done (Matthew 23:29).

The parallels between ‘a' and ‘a', ‘b' and ‘b' and ‘c' and ‘c' are clear to see, and it should be noted that Jesus sees as central in ‘d' their failure to exercise justice, mercy and faith because they are too concerned with over-zealousness about the minutiae of ritual. They were dedicated to the wrong things.