PER298

Indictment Against the Religious Leaders

In the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem, on the Wednesday before his Passion, Jesus delivers a severe indictment against the scribes and the Pharisees. Through eight proclamations of ‘Woe to you!’, he denounces their hypocrisy, their pride and their outward show of religion, while expressing deep sorrow over Jerusalem. He calls his disciples to a genuine, humble faith that serves others.

11 min indictment Pharisees hypocrisy woes scribes 15 verses 13 books

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Biblical texts

Matthew
Matthew 23.1-39 (King James Version)

Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:

All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the ,

And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your , and persecute them from city to city:

That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
Mark
Mark 12.38-40 (King James Version)

And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces,

And the chief seats in the , and the uppermost rooms at feasts:

Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
Luke
Luke 20.45-47 (King James Version)

Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples,

Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the , and the chief rooms at feasts;

Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
John
John (King James Version) not cited in the book

Technical details

Year AD 33

Location: The courtyard of the Temple of Jerusalem

Date: Wednesday, March 30, AD 33

Method: We continue with Mark

Note on the method: Matthew and Luke also report this discourse

Map of Jerusalem and its region
Bar graph for Wednesday

The Messiah Jesus is about to deliver a long indictment against the .

Comments

The text of Matthew 23 comes as a conclusion to the confrontations between the Messiah Jesus and the religious authorities. After answering their many attacks, the Master now addresses the people and his disciples directly to warn them: do not place your trust in just any religious leader, even one who claims to be a teacher of the Law. Jesus denounces a religion founded on appearance rather than on sincerity of heart.

Through eight proclamations repeated with the words: “Woe to you , experts in the Law !” – with a single variation: “Woe to you , blind guides!”, the Messiah Jesus draws up a severe but just indictment against the spiritual leaders of his time.

Matthew 23.1-39 gives a particularly complete version of it, listing the faults of the scribes and of the . Why does he target the latter so directly? Because, in theory, the should have been the closest to the Messiah’s principles: guardians of the Law and defenders of the faith, they were supposed to lead the people to God.

Yet, over the generations, their human traditions and their many interpretations ended up distorting the divine Word.

Proud of their knowledge, they refused any questioning and remained unable to acknowledge their errors. The Master’s fair and kindly observations only strengthened their opposition, leading them to plot his death.

In Matthew 23.1-39, Mark 12.38-40 and Luke 20.45-47, the Messiah Jesus brings this hypocrisy to light. He acknowledges their authority as teachers, because they sit in the seat of Moses, but he warns against imitating their works:

Matthew 23.3 (King James Version) :
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

The seek honors, the best seats and public greetings, while neglecting the essential pillars of the Law: justice, mercy and faithfulness (Matthew 23.23).

The Messiah Jesus exposes a religious heart far from God: “ W oe to you!” he repeats again and again, denouncing their pride and their harshness, their tendency to burden others with spiritual loads that they themselves do not carry. They honor the tombs of the prophets, yet walk in the same disobedience as their ancestors.

In Mark 12.38-40 and Luke 20.45-47, Jesus adds that they devour widows’ houses and make long prayers to appear pious, thus revealing a self-serving faith with no inner truth. He calls his hearers to prudence and true humility:

Matthew 23.11 (King James Version) :
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

Finally, faced with the persistent unbelief of his people, the Messiah Jesus lets his sorrow burst forth and weeps over Jerusalem:

Matthew 23.37 (King James Version) :
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

His words announce the judgment to come, but also hope:

Matthew 23.39 (King James Version) :
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
).

Thus these passages reveal at once the Messiah’s holy indignation against religious hypocrisy and the depth of his love for a people he still desires to save. Jesus does not call for rejecting the Law, but for living it in truth, with a pure and loving heart, serving God and others with humility.