First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much of a son of hell as yourselves.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."

- Matthew 23:13-26

In yesterday's reading, Jesus began what my study bible calls His grand critique of the scribes and Pharisees (which continues in today's reading). He is in Jerusalem, and He has been questioned by the leadership in the Temple, after His cleansing of the Temple. He is speaking to the multitudes and His disciples. In yesterday's reading, He criticized the scribes and Pharisees, telling the crowds to listen to what they have to say, and observe as they teach, but not to do according to their works, "for they say, and do not do." He said, "They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." Rather, all their works are done to be seen by men: they love the attention and honor their positions give them among men. Jesus said, "They love the best places at the feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'" But, He taught His disciples and the crowd, "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ." Finally, one of His most important teachings for those in His Church: "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation." In today's reading, Jesus becomes even more specific with His criticism. He doesn't shy away from saying what He believes is the truth about what is wrong with their practices. In effect, they shut up the kingdom to the people they lead, neither going in themselves nor allowing others in who are in their care. He begins with the specific: greed and callousness, a real lack of care -- covered over with long prayers for a pretense. This is the root of His greatest word of criticism: hypocrite. The widow would be helpless, destitute without a protective social system of family and relation; yet they would take what she had. Hypocrite was the ancient word for actor: in the ancient plays, one who wears a mask to denote character, a false face. Thereby, these people put on a mask to cover the true identity of the heart, who they really are. Hence, our use of the word hypocrite as it comes to us from the Gospels. My study bible says, "The Pharisees perpetuate a systematic hypocrisy which creates a wall between people and God."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much of a son of hell as yourselves." A continuation of the condemnation of their hypocritical practices: they find those who will follow slavishly, to the point where all the wrong practice harms them and creates more error in the follower than his teacher.

"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it." A swearing is an oath taken. But again, in Jesus' critique we see the emphasis placed on the material (and implicitly on the greed fostered in this rigid system of rules and practices), when the real object of worship is forgotten -- when God does not come first. The emphasis is on the wrong thing, the heart is not in the right place in relationship to God first.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" Tithing is a practice which is designed to help to honor God and God's worship. My study bible says, "Jesus is not against externals, but considers them of lesser significance. The weightier matters are of trust and obedience to God in justice, mercy and faith." Again, we note the overemphasis on the material, and that which alludes to greed. It adds: "In the ancient world, strainers were attached to the mouths of decanters, because any liquid might contain foreign matter. Pharisaic observance used the strainer also to strain out any ritually unclean substance which one might accidentally consume. The gnat and camel analogy points out how carefully the scribes and the Pharisees observed the minutiae of the Law, while neglecting its most significant aspects."

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also." Here is the analogy to the person, related to being a hypocrite. Our own scrupulosity can turn us upside-down, missing the point of loving a loving God. Here, the emphasis again (as in yesterday's reading) turns toward the external and the opinions of others. When this is the most valued thing, then what is inside may be neglected in the true place of the heart: the inside of the cup and dish that still needs cleansing. God is the heart-knower: it is here that God relates to us and knows us, and here where our true relationship lies.

My study bible has an important note regarding church practice here, that will also apply to tomorrow's reading, as Jesus' critique continues. "These warnings are especially important to Orthodox Christians. This historic Church has maintained the ancient liturgical obligations, beautiful holy objects, specific rituals which externally guard righteousness, and imposing tradition, handed down through God-fearing fathers. 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." We remember that I use the Orthodox Study Bible, so this note is directed specifically to the Orthodox churches, but I believe it applies to all of us everywhere. I think all good practice can be turned into faulty for the one simple reason that our heart is not in the right place: the place where we encounter the heart-knower. In God's loving embrace we really find ourselves, and we find the place God will teach us to understand and grow -- even to appreciate and know why and how beautiful practice works for our good. Otherwise, like Christ teaches, we may be lost in appearances, hypocrites, and therefore truly lost. So let us take His teachings to heart, and remember what all of our worship practice is for, wherever and however we worship. None of it is condemned, except where practice distorts, neglects, hides, and distances believers from the true spirit of God and the kingdom. It is hypocritical practice He condemns, those who blindly lead blind followers into a deeper hell than the one they dwell within themselves. He addresses those who will be in His own Church, and like my study bible says, we all must take His warnings to heart. Let the face He gives us be our true face within this process of growth His Way, as He takes us from glory to glory. We may have to clean a lot of inside of plates and cups along the way! But His love teaches us.