But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

 

 "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 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 gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, 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 on 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 our current reading, Jesus is in Jerusalem, and it is Holy Week.  Yesterday we began reading Matthew's chapter 23, which constitutes Jesus' final public sermon, an indictment of the hypocritical practices of the scribes and Pharisees.  Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For 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.  But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  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.  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.  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 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 gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?  And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, 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 on it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."  My study Bible comments on this passage that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can hinder others from finding God as well.  So, therefore, leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).  Here, Jesus calls these leaders "blind guides."

"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."  My study Bible comments that the warnings here (a passage which will be continued in tomorrow's reading) are especially important for Orthodox Christians.  The Church has maintained ancient practices of tithing (these you ought to have done); sacred vessels; holy rites; and following the tradition handed down from the Patristic era.  These practices, it notes, can be expressions of deep faith, lead a person to deeper commitment to God, and safeguard our life in Christ -- or they can be observed without ever taking them to heart and lead to condemnation.  "Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"  My study Bible explains this comment as referring to a practice in which the Pharisees would attach strainers to the mouths of decanters in order to avoid accidentally consuming a ritually unclean substance.

 

 The practices of the Church can clearly be used for good or for ill, depending upon how they are used.  If we are truly seeking God, and a deeper communion with God, they are used to build, strengthen, deepen, and shore up our faith, giving us a "recharge" when we need it, and helping to remind us of Christ's presence always at hand.  Additionally, within the ancient practices of the Church such as the veneration of saints, we are assured that we are a part of a communion that is both visible and invisible to us, "a great cloud of witnesses" that is not barred by time, nor place, nor death, but lives -- For God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.  So, therefore, this final public sermon by Christ serves us all in the Church by reminding us of what is important, and how badly even the things blessed and given by God can be misused and corrupted because of hearts that are far from God.  It is a hard thing to write, but it is unfortunately true, and Christ's words are given to us in order for us to be clearly and concisely aware of just what bad things can happen even within a God-given institution.  For, if we are blind to the potential for corruption in our world, then we are no longer the intelligent sheep which Christ asks us to be.  In the history of the Church, we are given repeated Councils naming specific heresies for the same purpose -- so that we are aware of false and misleading teachings, the things which can lead us astray.  We do not want to become blind followers of the blind (Matthew 15:14).  No doubt that Christ has given us in today's reading these scathing criticisms and specific instructions as to conduct in order to protect us against this.  He tells the apostles as they are sent out on their first mission, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  We are taught to be discerning and wise, as each one of us -- as St. Paul reminds us -- is a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).  We seek not the "wisdom of this age," which is easily persuaded by crafted appearances, manipulation, word-play, and coercive power, but rather that in which we can trust; that is, allegiance not to personalities, but to the One who laid down His life for us (1 Corinthians 3:18-23).  As St. Paul's language suggests in this latter citation, let us be "fools for Christ" that we may be wise to the world, to the hypocrisy Jesus names here, false leaders who would mislead and make us stumble.  For Christ's insight remains true:  to follow down a false path makes one "twice the son of hell" as the bad teacher.  Jesus has a remedy for this, offered when He teaches, "Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also."  We start with the "inside," which Christ teaches us to cleanse.  As always, repentance and humility remain the weapons of endurance and vigilance.  Let us remember continually where and to whom our hearts belong, and the wisdom Christ wants for us always!