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, is it 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.  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, 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, is it 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.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."  My study Bible comments here that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can hinder others from finding Him as well.  So, therefore, leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).  

 

"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."   These warnings begin the last part of this final public sermon of Jesus.  Nearly the whole of chapter 23 is taken with it.  My study Bible comments that the warnings which begin in this section (and will continue in tomorrow's reading) are especially important to Orthodox Christians.  It notes that the Church has maintained the ancient practices of tithing ("These you ought to have done"), sacred vessels "you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish", and holy rites following the tradition handed down from the ancient Church through today.  These practices can be expressions of deep faith, it notes, 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 ("hypocrites!").  My study Bible explains that to "strain out a gnat and swallow a camel" is a reference to a practice in which the Pharisees would attach strainers to the mouths of decanters in order to avoid accidentally consuming any ritually unclean substance.  

 

 There are a few things we might want to pay attention to in today's reading, for they reveal patterns which Jesus condemns on the part of these religious leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees.  First of all we should place this section of chapter 23 of St. Matthew' Gospel in context.  This full chapter is an exposition of Jesus' final public sermon, and so it is noteworthy to begin with 6:simply on that basis.  It is a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees, and in particular their hypocrisy.  It's notable for us that between the different parties that made up the ruling Council of the Jews (all of them religious leaders, and centered in the Jerusalem temple), the ones whom Jesus criticizes were perhaps the ones closest to Him in spiritual outlook and opinions.  The Sadducees are left out of this particular critique; they are the ones of whom He said they know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God (in this reading from Saturday).  It was a lawyer, in the second half of Saturday's reading, who approached Jesus with a question regarding the greatest commandments in the Law.  This lawyer was a Pharisee, and so we should keep this in mind.  For that Pharisee clearly understood Jesus' response to His question, and approved.  But the hypocritical practices Jesus condemns in today's reading show a clear violation of what Jesus called the first and greatest commandment ("You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind," which comes from Deuteronomy 6:5).  For these men in their hypocrisy pay lip service to piety, to devotion to God, but they don't practice it in what they do.  By their hypocrisy they take on pupils whom they mislead with their practices, and so "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."  As we reviewed in yesterday's reading and commentary, it's their job as stewards of the people and their spiritual tradition to lead them to God, but in their practices they do the opposite.  As teachers they fail to uphold their supposed purpose as religious leaders, rabbis.   Even worse, they prey on the weak and powerless, thus violating the second great commandment Jesus had given ("You shall love your neighbor as yourself" from Leviticus 19:18).  Jesus tells them, "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."   Such terrible teachers are they that they "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."  They not only fail to lead toward God, but lead toward the adversaries of God.  So blind are they to the things of God, they fail to understand that it is God who gives value to all things; therefore they can't see the sanctification of God, God's the power of holiness, and instead value the material that is useless without it.  Finally they miss God altogether in their pursuit of pious-appearing practices:  they tithe, but they have "neglected the weightier matters of the law:  justice and mercy and faith."  Without the love of God in their hearts, they have form but not substance.  They pay attention to the tiniest detail in appearing holy before others, but they swallow whole what is unclean in their faithlessness.  They take care to appear perfect to others in their external legalism, but "inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence."   In St. Matthew's 15th chapter, Jesus speaks of them by quoting from Isaiah:  "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me" (Matthew 15:8; Isaiah 29:13).  What we see in the outcome of their hypocrisy is the cruelty of their practices, the opposite of the intentions of the Law, antithetical to the purposes of God.  They become allied with evil, teaching their proselytes to become "twice as much a son of hell" as themselves.  Again, we turn back to Christ's teachings to the disciples about authority, power, and greatness, and the need for the consideration and protection of the "little ones" among them.  The widows whose houses are devoured are among such "little ones," the powerless and dependent, and so are the proselytes who seek instruction of matters of God.  As always, we consider what these examples mean for us, for, as my study Bible points out, there is no one who needs to take consideration of these warnings and criticism more than we who value and cherish the traditions we inherit, the faith we follow -- for we might find ourselves also at the receiving end of this criticisms should we engage in such hypocrisy ourselves.  A pure focus on externals might find us, rather than fully practicing our faith, in the same place of condemnation as these men whom Jesus faces.  When confronted with the truth -- and He is the person who is the Truth standing in front of them (John 14:6) -- they respond only by seeking to destroy Him.  The weightier matters of the law, "justice and mercy and faith," fall by the wayside to the blindness of their ways.  Jesus teaches, effectively, that there are two ways.  One is toward God, and the other is away.  We cannot do both, and neither are we capable of standing still or being neutral.  Indeed, this would be the teaching of the early Church, such as is found in the Didache, and was already well-known in Judaism.  So let us place first things first, lest we also become blind to where we are leading, and take others astray with us as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 

 

Yesterday we read the beginning of Jesus' final sermon, which He spoke in the temple in Jerusalem.  This event takes place during what we know as Holy Week, the final week of Jesus' earthly life.   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."  Here Jesus begins an eight-fold indictment of the scribes and Pharisees.  My study Bible comments that He charges them with inverting God's values and with being mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and blindly self-righteous.  It says that while these charges were directed against the Jewish leaders of the day, every word applies equally to those in the Church who behave in this way.  Moreover, it adds that because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can actually hinder others from finding God as well.  Therefore leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).  Let us note the emphasis on material wealth over the power of the presence of God -- the value of the gold or gift on the altar over the value of that which sanctifies, the presence of God.

 

 "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."  My study Bible (which is the Orthodox Study Bible) comments that the warnings given here (and in the continuation we will find in tomorrow's reading) are especially important to Orthodox Christians.   This is true because the Church has maintained the ancient practices of tithing ("These you ought to have done"); sacred vessels; holy rites; and following the tradition handed down through the patristic period.  Therefore, we note, this is true for not just the Orthodox but many denominations.  These practices, my study Bible comments, 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.  Let us also note the emphasis here once again on the appearance of sanctity over the state of the internal life, and also the lack of value on the "weightier matters of the law" which Jesus names as justice and mercy and faith.  Keep in mind that at that time, money was measured in weight value of precious metal, so Jesus' analogy is to the true weight of the law of God over material values prized by these leaders.

 

"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."   The Pharisees would attach strainers to the mouths of decanters in order to avoid accidentally consuming a ritually unclean substance; hence "strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"  Note again the emphasis on the appearance of being cleansed, while inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.

 

Jesus' examples compare values, how people measure things.  They are specific examples of how the religious leaders -- despite their efforts at an outward show to the contrary -- value material wealth more than they value the true measure of all things:  God and God's sanctifying power.  He begins with the scribes, whom He says, "devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers."  The law of God, in which they are supposed to be experts who teach others, specifically makes provisions for the care of widows and orphans, but Jesus emphasizes their hungrily greedy efforts for material wealth.  He points out the great effort they make to "travel land and sea to win one proselyte," but "when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."  In other words, their example only sets forth the opposite of the intent of God's law given to Moses, and so instead of bringing people closer to God the next generation of religious leaders are worse in their continuation down this path.  Jesus then uses the example of swearing by the gold or the gift on the altar over the altar itself -- evidence of a failure to value that which sits on the altar which actually sanctifies the gift or the gold:  God and all the things of God, God's throne and heaven also.  What is missing from the picture is holiness itself, a valuing of that action and power of sanctification, a blindness to the true substance and reality and action of God.  And, in every generation, as my study Bible emphasizes, we are subject to the same blindness, the same lack of consciousness of the power and holiness of God working in our lives and sanctifying what we do and who we are in the world.  Jesus then goes on to their outward practices of fastidiousness, straining out liquid to avoid a tiny animal that is ritually unclean (a gnat), and the ritually cleansed cup and dish for eating, but they are still those who devour widows' houses, and are full of extortion and self-indulgence."   To first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish is entirely consistent with Jesus' (and also John the Baptist's) of the good tree that bears good fruit, of the branches that need to be pruned in order to keep the tree good and bearing the good fruit (see Matthew 3:10, 7:17-19, 12:33).  We can also understand this as compatible to Christ's analogy of "amputation" of that which would cause sin, especially against the "little ones" in their flocks to the disciples, as they quarreled over who would be greatest in Christ's Kingdom (see Matthew 18:1-9).  Jesus also gives this same analogy to all disciples -- and therefore to all believers -- in the Sermon on the Mount when He speaks about adultery with the image of an eye that gazes with covetousness, a hand that reaches out to trespass where it does not belong (Matthew 5:29-30).  In all ways, Jesus' emphasis on the state of the soul which must first inform outward action still applies to us.  It is still true that we must cleanse the inside to make clean the outside, to make the tree good so that its fruit will be good.  The emphasis on outward appearance leads so easily to hypocrisy, to forgetting that the "first and greatest commandment" Jesus gives is "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (see Saturday's reading).   It is this commandment that informs the rest, that teaches us how to love our neighbor as ourselves.  It is in this depth of internal relationship to God that we find how to love, and the rootedness we need to bear good fruit in our outward actions.  The great deal of emphasis placed on outward action through our social media today makes this all the more difficult, placing so much emphasis on appearance over an inner substance, and a depth of love within us as commitment.  For that is how the practice of compassion eludes us.  It is all too easy to judge according to appearance and not with righteous judgment (John 7:34).  Let us do our part by cultivating the "weightier matters" of righteousness Jesus teaches, and avoid the hypocrisy He condemns that is blind to the things of 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 a son of hell as yourselves

 

 "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 the beginning of what is known as Christ's final public discourse, which continues in today's reading.  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 in it.  And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."  My study Bible comments 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.  Therefore, leaders are held to a higher standard (see James 3:1).  Let us notice that the examples Jesus chooses here emphasize the centrality of God, whether we are speaking of holiness (sanctifies the gold) or power and authority (he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it).  When Christ speaks of the leaders who make their proselyte twice as much a son of hell as yourselves, He's speaking of the importance of correction, for whatever bad path we're on, the further it is traveled, the worse the condition becomes.  Above all, Christ's condemnation is for hypocrisy. He says they devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers -- evidence of predatory behavior covered with appearances of piety.  The work of false teachers hinders and misleads those who truly seek God:  He says 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."

 

"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 these warnings are especially important to Orthodox Christians (and by extension they apply to the practice of all traditions in Christian churches).  It says that the Church has maintained the ancient practices of tithing, to which Jesus refers here when He says "These you ought to have done"; sacred vessels; holy rites; and following the tradition that we've inherited.  It says that these practices 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.  In all ways, throughout this discourse, Jesus emphasizes the condition of the heart and the state of our love for God.  Note that when Jesus speaks of those who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel, He's referring to the practice of the Pharisees of attaching strainers to the mouths of decanters in order to avoid accidentally consuming a ritually unclean substance.  But we should take note of the value of the metaphor!

During His time being questioned in the Temple, in this final week of Christ's earthly life, Jesus has been quizzed by one of the experts in the Law as to which was the greatest commandment.  See Tuesday's reading and commentary.  Jesus' answer was to give two great commandments, in ranking order of first and second, but which go together.  His formula was simple but entirely profound:  "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  In today's reading, in which He criticizes from a long list of the failures of the religious leadership, He puts down the example of what it is to fail to live these two commandments.  Why is the love of God with all one's heart and soul and mind the first great commandment?  Because this act of love in the heart sets down the pattern for all of life and the rest of our relationships.  Without the depth of connection to God (Who is love) in our hearts, the rest of the practices will fail to be meaningful.  From that love of God, we are taught love and the correct relationship to creation, including our neighbor.  Hypocrisy comes from an outward appearance which seeks to convey an image, but couple with an emptiness in the heart.  Christ's focus is always with an emphasis on the heart and the state of the heart, the condition of the heart.  And this is particularly given in the context of relationship to God, the foundation of love and our understanding of love and good relationship.  So let us take this in the context in which it is given.  Jesus is not seeking to tear down the Temple nor the whole of Jewish spiritual tradition;  He is criticizing the corruption of these authorities and the practices that stem from that.  His byword here is hypocrisy, and this is therefore the thing we most need to note.  This is His greatest warning to us, His followers, and the things we also need to guard against in the practice of our faith and worship.  Let us note also that this is not simply a credal statement, a system of belief, or a philosophy, but what Jesus speaks about is the life He lives and teaches us through His Incarnation.  That is, it is a living, dynamic, mystical relationship of love. This is a reality of the heart that informs, empowers, and shapes our behavior as we live our faith and the trust we put in God, in Christ.  In short, it shapes us and our lives.  This is always the basis for Christ's emphasis on the state of the heart and its relationship to how we live our lives.  So let us do our part to guard against hypocrisy.  Let our worship and prayers be meaningful, and let the love of God in the heart -- that place where we know God's love -- inform the ways in which we live our faith and how we approach the world.  When Jesus teaches that one must first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also, it is a clear metaphor about us and about our lives.  He's not telling us to throw out beautiful or traditional worship practices, such as tithing or almsgiving, but that these you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.