Matthew 23:17

Why did Jesus call people fools and yet condemn others for doing the same thing?

PROBLEM: Jesus said, “whoever says [to his brother], `You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22). Yet He Himself said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Fools and blind!” (Matthew 23:17) The Apostle Paul, following suit, said, “O foolish Galatians” (Galatians 3:1; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:36).

SOLUTION: There are good reasons why there is a strong difference between the two uses of the term “fool.”

Third, technically speaking, Jesus only commanded that a “brother” (Matthew 5:22) not be called a “fool,” not an unbeliever. In fact the scriptural description of a fool is one who “has said in his heart, `There is no God’ ” (Psalms 14:1). In view of this, one can see the seriousness of calling a brother a fool; it is tantamount to calling him an unbeliever. Hence, when He who “knew what was in man” (cf. John 2:25) called unbelievers “fools,” it was a most appropriate description of what they really were.