Matthew 23:1-39
Jesus Warns Us About Hypocrisy
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 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. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. [14]
15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!
33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount and throughout the Gospel of Matthew, we are given several warnings against hypocrisy...Sometimes we do not see our own hypocrisy, like when we easily judge others, but do not put that same standard with ourselves...Jesus strongly condemned hypocrisy, He also emphasized the importance of humility, gentleness, and love in our interactions with others...
Jesus warns against performing acts of righteousness for show, such as giving to the needy or praying in public, instead of doing so out of sincere love for God...He then condemns those who pray long prayers merely to impress others, emphasizing the importance of private, heartfelt prayer...Then Jesus warns us against fasting merely for show, instructing believers to fast in secret, seeking God's approval rather than the approval of others...Jesus uses the powerful imagery of a "plank in your own eye" to illustrate the hypocrisy of judging others while ignoring one's own faults...Jesus says, "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." ...
In Matthew 23 Jesus gives us an entire chapter on the negatively of hypocrisy...He give us a scathing denunciation of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees...Jesus, in His interactions with the Pharisees, frequently exposed their hypocrisy, highlighting the gap between their outward piety and their inward motivations...He warned against seeking external approval or religious accolades while neglecting justice, mercy, and true faith...These encounters serve as a powerful reminder for us to examine our own hearts and ensure that our faith is genuine and authentic...It's crucial to cultivate a spirit of self-examination and to be willing to confront our own faults and shortcomings...When Jesus did directly challenge the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, He did so with Grace and Compassion...He wanted to awaken them to their own spiritual blindness and to guide them towards true repentance...
So while Jesus repeatedly condemns their outward show of piety because their hearts were far from God...The Pharisees were meticulous about religious laws while neglecting justice, mercy, and faith..."They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them."...They loved the most important seats at banquets and the best places in the synagogues...They loved to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called "Rabbi."...They were concerned with outward appearances, such as tithing mint, dill, and cumin, while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness...While Jesus' words towards the Pharisees may seem harsh, they were ultimately intended to awaken them to the error of their ways...Jesus is our Great Example of Compassion and Grace...So He was not seeking to condemn them, but to call them to repentance and a deeper understanding of true righteousness and how to better teach others...
While Jesus strongly condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, it's crucial to remember that His ultimate goal was not only their spiritual restoration, but ours as well...He sought to awaken them to the error of their ways, to help them see the gap between their outward piety and their inner reality...Jesus' words to the Pharisees serve as a mirror, reflecting their true spiritual state...He challenged them to examine their hearts, to confront their own hypocrisy, and to seek a deeper understanding of true righteousness...While Jesus' words were firm, they also provide a model for how we should address sin in others...We are called to speak the Truth in love, to confront sin with humility and grace, and to seek restoration rather than condemnation...