Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 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.” Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’

- Matthew 23:27-39

This is the third gospel reading in which Jesus has continued his criticism of the scribes and Pharisees, and this particular section is perhaps the most scathing of all of them. (See earlier readings for Wednesday and Thursday.) In yesterday's reading, Jesus criticized the Pharisees for paying so much attention to the minutiae of religious observance, and failing to adhere to the greatest objective of such practice: the deepening of the relationship to God, and the true repentance that happens therein - including the weightiest matters of the development of justice and mercy and faith. We ended yesterday's reading with the metaphor of "cleaning the outside of the cup", rather than the inside. Here, Jesus continues along the same vein, but with a much more caustic image and more powerful criticism and even condemnation.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." We all are capable of practicing religion in such a way that our "inside" remains untouched by the depth of relationship with God, and then all kinds of negative, harmful or toxic things we may have or keep inside us can remain and grow. The purpose of a depth of relationship with God is personal transformation, repentance, of the type that Jesus spoke of when he said, "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire." (See commentary for Matthew 18:1-9.) I will repeat a note I have already included in yesterday's commentary from my study bible, pertaining to Christian rites of worship and tradition, and how these caustic criticisms of Jesus are relevant to us today: "These rites can be performed, invoked, defended and passed on without ever being taken by faith to heart; or they can be helps, safeguards and doorways into the true life of Christ in us, which transforms us from glory to glory." Jesus description of these religious hypocrites as "whitewashed tombs" (or "whited sepulchres" in the older language of the King James bible) is language that truly paints a horrific picture. We seek "life everlasting" in worship and in relationship to God, a faith that gives us life in abundance. To be a whitewashed tomb is indeed the opposite of this goal of faith and worship - one in which our practice is not just a prison but a tomb!

And from this picture of death, Jesus continues: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 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.” Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?" Not only does this way of thinking and practice kill the spirit and the self, but it is murderous in its nature and seeks to destroy that which has been sent to remind everyone of true life and the spirit of worship. Jesus condemns the religious hypocrites who desire only their own vainglory as those who have killed the prophets before then. This is true condemnation, as we can read in these words, and in all the gospels we won't find a harsher word from Jesus. His outrage at their sense of their own justice - that they would not have been among those who killed the prophets - is prompted by what Jesus knows is in fact in their hearts. "Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation." And here we get a notion of justice in a cosmic scale -- the reality of the effect of our choices and actions against those who truly carry spiritual truth in the world. The ways in which we respond to the righteous will determine how we are judged. We are measured by how we respond to truth - and this comes in the form of a human being who bears and lives that truth. This is a key to understanding the notions of justice that belong to this heavenly kingdom, the spiritual laws of judgment and justice. Jesus brings his most powerful words to bear on a subject most potent.

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.' " And these are the words of prophecy, and Jesus' acknowledgement of his rejection in Jerusalem. It is also a statement of love, and the desire to be able to freely express that love but for the rejection Jesus suffers. We get a sense of divinity here, too -- of time that has passed, and repeated times in which he has desired to express love for his children. But that love has repeatedly been rejected. I think these are the most powerful words Jesus can speak to us. We have a picture not just of a holy man, but of Creator - desiring a loving embrace for his children and this holy city - but even the Lord cannot override our choice of rejection.

In the parable of the wedding banquet, Jesus told the story of the people invited to the wedding feast. Many reject the invitation, and many more are called from everywhere. But those who come to the feast, and fail to accept the gift of the wedding garment, are not allowed to stay. I think it's important for each of us to understand the power of our own choices with regard to spiritual life. God may love us, but does not force any of us to love back. Grace may reach to us, in every possible way, and in new ways all the time in the infinite creativity of the Spirit. But we must open the door. These teachings indicate to me that we clearly have the power to choose how we will respond, in so many ways. Jesus' greatest, most scathing criticism and condemnation is here, in these statements regarding religious hypocrisy. So those of us who take worship and a spiritual relationship seriously must pay the most attention to these words. We are all capable of being "whitewashed tombs" and even of wanting to kill the bearers of truths that disrupt our good notions about ourselves.

Advent is a time of waiting for the Light, the great celebration of love that brought Christ manifest as a baby into our world. But we're also called upon to consider these words about judgment and our own natures which can so easily mistake idolatry for worship. The love prompted by the sight of this beautiful child, reproduced in so many forms around the world at this time, must also open our hearts to understand his power and our need to respond to what he has to teach us - and to beware of substituting form for substance. These scathing words may shake up our world and make us all uncomfortable - as well they should. None of us should be complacent in the sense that we assume these words are warnings to others. We should remain humble, and listen for the word with open hearts and ears to hear. We must be ready to give up that which needs to go, and which may be in fact an obstacle to this spiritual relationship. How do you cultivate spiritual truth in your heart? How will you recognize it in a form you don't expect, in another person who may bear it in their heart?