Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

Christ the Good Shepherd, mosaic, c. 425.  Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna

 "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 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

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples in the temple at Jerusalem, 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 in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."   My study bible tells us that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who don't love God can hinder others from finding God as well.  Therefore, it says, leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).   Here Jesus begins an eightfold indictment of the scribes and Pharisees.  As my study bible lists these charges, Jesus accuses them of inverting God's values and being mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and blindly self-righteous.  Let us note that each of these charges are punctuated by accusations of hypocrisy, and each of these acts constitute part of that hypocrisy.  My study bible adds that while these charges are directed by Jesus to the leadership of His time, every word applies equally to those in the Church who behave this way.  This would be true of our own time, or of any other time.

"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 (which is The Orthodox Study Bible) calls these warnings especially important to Orthodox Christians.  Indeed, they apply to all normal practices of faith in every denomination.   Specifically for the Orthodox, the Church has maintained the ancient practices of tithing (These you ought to have done), sacred vessels, holy rites (verse 27, which will be part of tomorrow's reading), and following the patristic tradition handed down from the earliest Church.  These practices, and indeed the practices in each denomination, in the words of my study bible, 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.  Regarding Jesus' words that they strain out a gnat and swallow a camel, this refers to the practice of the Pharisees to attach strainers to the mouths of decanters, in order to avoid accidentally consuming a ritually unclean substance.  To cleanse the inside of the cup and dish is once again turning our attention to the inner life of the heart and soul,  doing the work of seeking true self-knowledge and taking decisive action necessary to correct abusive behavior (18:8-9), away from hypocrisy.

Jesus condemns the leadership in their hypocrisy, and in the practices used that express that hypocrisy.  If we take a closer look at it, we see that Jesus' grand summary really begins with the overall accusation:  they "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."  In other words, their own practices hinder the members of their flock, the ones in their care, from finding God.  Let us take a look at  today and we'll find  that practices in our own time can have the same effect.  When people are harmed or abused within the Church, what does this do to the individual believer -- especially if that believer is helpless or powerless like a child -- but to seriously harm and put obstacles in the way of their own path to God?  Abuse within His Church is something that Christ addressed early on with the disciples, in chapter 18, soon after the disciples are told about Jesus' forthcoming journey to Jerusalem, and they begin to ask Him who will be the greatest in the kingdom that they imagine will be imminent.  His first act is to prepare them for real leadership by speaking on no uncertain terms about their jobs and responsibilities as those who will presume to any kind of "greatness" in His Church.  His first word is humility, and setting down in front of them the example of a little child as requirement for entering the Kingdom.  But His second warning is the starkest one:  "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!"  In other words, the highest job of a religious leader is the care of the souls of all the little ones, and that those souls reach toward God, each one having that precious weight in the sight of God.  Let us consider, then, Jesus' words regarding the leadership.  He specifically names the practices in which they engage and how they are so harmful.  They cover up their harmful greed with long prayers.  They seek out proselytes only to corrupt them even more than they are corrupt themselves.  They fail to recognize the power of God beyond the structures, gifts, and wealth of the temple.  They will tithe even herbs, but neglect the very substances of God's righteousness:  justice and mercy and faith.   They make such ritual of fastidiousness, and yet they overlook gross and overwhelming affronts to God's desire for clean hearts.  They will care so much about ritual purity, but extortion and self-indulgence lie within, and until that is cleaned, nothing of what remains matters.  In some sense, the last verse in today's reading is a re-statement of another teaching of Jesus, that "not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth" . . . for "those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" and "these are the things which defile" (see Matthew 15:1-20).   We might pay all the attention we can to the externals, put on all the right show to others and make conspicuous actions of faith or purity, but for Christ there is just one real test that matters, and that is the effort to know our hearts and work the real work of faith, to seek to follow the will of God.  In this way, He tells us, we will be family (see 12:49-50).  So in Jesus' words and teachings, we take yet another important step toward understanding real leadership.  It's not simply that we must do our best to lead all toward God, but moreover the way to take on that responsibility is to do our best to live the righteousness He teaches.  That absolutely includes the effort to be aware of and change or discard from ourselves anything that stands in the way doing so.   In this we will not only be good examples, but we will also help others to retain their own faith, and particularly seek -- in the humility required to be really honest with ourselves and before God -- to treat the littlest and meekest with proper care for their own essential journey toward God.  Here, finally, is the true image of the fullness of a human being, what it means to assume the capacities and choices we're given.  It is the requirement for leadership, but also, leadership exists on all levels.  There will be those little ones who suffer from abuse, even in the  Church, even in our families, and our institutions of all kinds, even when we have faith that all of these building blocks of our social fabric are nominally "good."  Let us be the ones who can help to lead all toward God, especially those who are most vulnerable to straying, and even in the times when leadership lets us down.  Like Christ, we are called to the truth He teaches, even in times when we are required to have courage to do so.  In yesterday's reading, we posted an icon of Christ the Good Shepherd.   Here in today's reading we are reminded of the fullness of His care for each of these, and that many are called, but few chosen.

Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all

 And He said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David?  Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms:

'The Lord said to my Lord,
"Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'

Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"

Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."

And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.  So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had." 

- Luke 20:41-21:4

Yesterday we read that some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus in the Temple and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  And the first took a wife, and died without children.  And the second took her as wife, and he died childless.  Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage.  But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.  But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'  For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him."  Then some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have spoken well."  But after that they dared not question Him anymore.

 And He said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David?  Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms:  'The Lord said to my Lord,  "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  Jesus has just finished revealing that the Scriptures proclaim God is the God of the living and not the dead, for all live to Him (see above).  Here, He opens another Scripture, for them to truly hear; but it is a kind of riddle.  He poses it as a question.   David writes, "The Lord said to my Lord . . . ."  The first reference to the Lord refers to God the Father, but the term my Lord refers to Christ.  Christ is the Son of David in His humanity.  He is also David's Lord in His divinity.

Then, in the hearing of all the people, He said to His disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Matthew's Gospel includes a lengthy final public sermon given here in the Temple which was a grand critique of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-39).  Luke's Gospel includes this critique of the scribes, which we note is said in the hearing of all the people.  It contains several of the criticisms Jesus levels in the longer sermon in Matthew.  In particular we note a life of what we might call social ambition, a life for show, people absorbed in externals, and thereby blindly self-righteous:  the long robes, the  greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts.  And then there is the hypocrisy and  greed mixed in:  they devour widows' houses.  And for a pretense they make long prayers.  We can just imagine the response of the crowds to this open condemnation and pronouncement of judgment on the scribes.  My study bible adds that while these charges were directed against the Jewish leaders of Jesus' time, every word applies equally to those in the Church who behave this way.

And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites.  So He said, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had." According to traditional understanding, God values our gifts not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  So this poor widow is counted to have given a great gift, having kept nothing for herself.   Others who give out of their abundance keep plenty back for themselves; in this perspective their gift is far less.

One way we can look at today's reading is to contrast the behavior of the scribes (as described by Jesus) with that of the poor widow.  The scribes operate on the surface of life, and seem to have as goals a world of 'good appearances,' so to speak.  They crave the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, their long robes and long prayers made for show.  What they want is a sort of social standing that operates as a mask of piety -- while they "devour widows' houses."  And here is the poor widow herself, who gives all she has to the treasury of the Temple.  She's as different from the scribes as she can be.  But what the text doesn't say, but implies, is that she is whole-hearted in her giving and her love for God.  There is nothing phony or pretentious about her.  She is giving all that she has.  And while the wealthy may make a great show of their donations, hers is a very small amount indeed.  It is Christ who observes and draws attention to her donation, which is all she has.  She cannot pretend a piety for show, she cannot command the best seats in the synagogue nor greetings in the marketplace, and she can't wear long robes for show.  All she has is her small gift, a tiny sum of money.  But her real gift isn't just all the money she has; her gift is representative of the all that she is, all that she has, a heart devoted to God.  What we can assume is that her whole life is given over to God.   To live in spiritual poverty is to live as she does.  In the Greek, we can contrast the words that describe the wealthy givers as those who give out of their "excess," while she gives out of her "lack."  She really doesn't have enough to cover her own needs, and does without -- and yet she gives.  This can only be a gift of love.  When you come to that place where you don't have anything to give, and yet you find yourself giving, you are in a place of depth of relationship to God, to God who is love and responding with love.  This is where we find even what we don't have in order to give.  It's a strange sounding paradox, but a true sense of spiritual poverty ("Blessed are the poor in spirit" - Matthew 5:3) is that place where we find we have something to give when it seems that everything is exhausted.  That is the place of real grace, a place where we find our connection to God.  It doesn't matter exactly what one gives, but the fullness of the heart given to God puts us in the place where we find the kingdom -- and more to give that we didn't know we had.  That would include more strength, more encouragement, more inspiration -- all gifts. How can you give more to God?  Where is the place where you find Him and seek His direction?  Let us consider how such humility keeps us from the false life He criticizes in the scribes.   How is this poor widow "full" in ways that even the wealthy are not?  How much is her worth?

But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you

Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”

- Luke 12:13-31

In yesterday’s reading, Jesus spoke about the realities that are within us, and that are not hidden from God’s understanding. We must take care of what is inside of us, the values we hold – because to fear those who can kill the body alone is not what we must keep in mind. The one who may take our soul knows all there is to know about us – even the hairs on our head are numbered, even the sparrows are accounted for and known, and we who form this flock are more valuable than the sparrows. We must also be aware of the work of the Holy Spirit, that which is known to us and which is also at work in our lives. It is this we must pay the most attention to, particularly in times of stress or persecution for the confession of faith in Christ. See Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” A note in my study bible reads, “It was a tradition for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes over property or money. But Jesus refuses to play the role of judge (v. 14) regarding material things, and instead issues a stern warning about greed (v. 15).” It’s quite interesting to note that Jesus is not necessarily criticizing the (presumably) injured man’s feelings, but directing him instead to a better source of worth or values. We enter here into the internal realm Jesus was speaking of in yesterday’s reading – about that which we store within us. The “light” He’s referred to before with which our body may be filled is also a metaphor for values, for worth. Are we going to focus on one sort of abundance – or do we put another first? Jesus has taught that we must choose that which we worship: God or mammon. This is the choice He is emphasizing here. What do we put first? What do we love? He goes to the heart of the question – what is within the heart of the man who asks? Perhaps he’s asking out of greed, or perhaps a sense of justice. We don’t know – the question is, where will he put his highest value? His healing, one way or another, is to be directed elsewhere.

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” A note reads, “The rich man is a fool, despite his material success, because he vainly puts all his trust in his possessions rather than in God. To be rich toward God (v. 21) is to have a life of close communion with Him through faith and works.” What comes first? Where do our values – and that which therefore creates self-worth – come from? The rich man clearly put all his hopes, all his efforts, toward one thing. He did not put first what needs to be certain and sure, a safeguard he truly needs – that of his own soul, the internal reality or state of his being and true worth.

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” Another note in my study bible says that “this is an exhortation against worry (v. 22) and anxiety (v. 26), not against God-ordained planning and earnest work.” Once again, we are drawn toward the understanding of the awareness of God of all things – and the fact that we are worth so much more than the birds (as Jesus mentioned sparrows in yesterday’s reading). So much of what we do in life is focused on getting material things. What about the things that remain first, and more important? “Life in abundance” is more than the material. It is that which adds dimension to us, enlivens us, teaches us how to live, and to live with life abundantly. It is that which adds that extra depth and width and height to life, which feeds us with spiritual food and nourishment, meaning, and joy.

I don’t think Jesus would ever deny that we need material things to live, we live in a world of material reality. But “material-mindedness” is much more than simply acknowledging the reality of the world and the way it works. To be strictly “material-minded” means that we are without that enlivening spirit of understanding that gives so much to us, that fills our lives with love and meaning, that challenges us to live as truly “incarnationally” as we can – as human beings filled with light. This is not a choice between life in abundance in a material sense and the abundance of the spiritual life per se. (In fact, Jesus indicates quite the opposite, stressing that we need not have undue anxiety about the material things we need.) Rather, the message here is about the power and abundance of the spiritual life, that this must be our focus. If we focus too much on the material – with all the emphasis and stress that goes along with that alone – we are likely to miss the boat altogether. We will miss the light, that which makes us more real, gives us more depth, more abundance, and a greater sense of joy and meaning in our lives. What is first with you? Where is your light, your treasure? What do you make sure you have before all else?