Group 3

Matthew 23: 23-28

“ ²³Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you frauds! You
pay tithes on mint and herbs and seeds while neglecting the
weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and good
faith. It is these you should have practiced, without
neglecting others. ²⁴Blind guides! You strain out the gnat and
swallow the camel! ²⁵Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, you
frauds! You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, and
leave the inside filled with loot and lust! ²⁶Blind Pharisee!
First cleanse the inside of the cup so that its outside may be
clean. ²⁷Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you frauds! You
are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful to look at the outside
but inside full of filth and dead man’s bones. ²⁸Thus, you
present to view a holy exterior while hypocrisy and evil fill
you within” .

This r e a din g is o n e o f t he d is c o ur s e s o f
Je s us d e n o un c in g t he f r a ud a n d h ypo c r is y
o f t he Pha r is e e s . He in d ic t e d t he Pha r is e e s
f o r t he ir pr id e a n d t he ir l o ve f o r mo n e y
w hic h n ul l if ie d a l l t ha t t he y ta ug ht a n d
pr e a c he d. It wa s t he ir pr ide a n d ava r ic e
t ha t c l o s e d t he ir he a r t s t o t he c r ie s o f
t he po o r . The y w ho s e pa r a t e t he ms e l ve s
f r o m t he po o r a n d t he s in n e r s s e pa r a t e
t he ms e l ve s f r o m t he me r c y o f Go d.

Ve rs e 23-24 (f o ur t h Wo e ) This w o e a t ta c ke d t he
t e a c hin g s o f t he S c r ibe s a n d Pha r is e e s . The
q ue s t io n a t is s ue wa s w ha t f o r ms o f pr o duc e
c a me un de r t he l aw o f t it hin g . Je s us do e s n o t
o bj e c t t o t he s ubmis s io n t o t he l aw, but he
o bj e c t s t o t he in t e n s e in t e r e s t s ho w n in
t r ivia l ma t t e r s w hil e t he mo r e impo r ta n t is s ue s
a t j us t ic e , me r c y a n d f id e l it y a r e ig n o r e d a n d
neg l ec t ed.
The f in a l t o uc h o f r id ic ul e wa s t he e xa mpl e
o f s t r a in in g t he g a t a n d s wa l l o w in g t he c a me l .
The s e e xa mpl e s a r e h ype r bo l ic c r it ic is m o f he
c o n s umin g in t e r e s t o f t he Pha r is e e s in de ta il s
t o t he po in t o f be in g r id ic ul o us , w hil e f a il in g
t o a s k t he mo r e ba s ic a n d impo r ta n t q ue s t io n s :
Is t his f a ir ? Is t his d e c e n t ? Is t his j us t ?

Ve rs e 25-26 (f if t h w o e ) This w o e a t ta c ke d t he
s upe r f ic ia l it y o f t he pha r is a ic de vo t io n t o c l e a n l in e s s
bo r de r in g o n f a n a t ic is m. Je s us me ta mo r phic a l l y us e d
t he ve s s e l s t o r e pr e s e n t pe r s o n s . This w o e wa s
dir e c t e d a t t he c a r e f o r e xt e r n a l c o r r e c t n e s s in
o bs e r va n c e , w it ho ut r e g a r d f o r t he in t e r io r
dis po s it io n a n d s pir it .
Ve rs e 27-28 (s ixt h w o e ) The w hit e wa s hin g o f t o mbs wa s a
c o mmo n pr a c t ic e t o ide n t if y t he t o mbs a n d wa r d o f f
t ho s e w ho mig ht o t he r w is e t o uc h t he m a c c ide n ta l l y,
s in c e c o n ta c t w it h t he de a d f o r t he Je w s c a us e d
Le vit ic a l un c l e a n l in e s s . Je s us c r it ic ize d t he
o bs e r va n c e o f t he l aw o f w hic h t he Pha r is e e s
bo a s t e d, w hic h wa s n o t hin g but a c l o a k hidin g a l if e
t ha t wa s l ive d in c o mpl e t e c o n t r a dic t io n t o t he l aw.
Je s us ve he me n t l y a t ta c ke d t he Je w is h a ut ho r it ie s ,
t he Pha r is e e s a n d t he S c r ibe s f o r a l l t he ir l ie s , t he ir

Je s us r e min d s us o f a po w e r g r e a t e r t ha n t he
f o r c e o f c o n t r o l a n d a ut ho r it y-pe a c e : “ Pe a c e
I be s t o w t o yo u, my o w n pe a c e I g ive t o yo u, a
pe a c e t he w o r l d c a n n o t g ive , t his is my g if t t o
yo u” (Jo hn 14 :2 7 ). The pe a c e “ t he w o r l d”
c o n f e r s is n o t l a s t in g s in c e it is o f t e n ba s e d
o n t he f r a g il e f o un d a t io n s o f po l it ic a l
c o mpr o mis e .
The pe a c e t ha t Je s us o f f e r s c o me s t hr o ug h
g e n uin e dia l o g ue , o n e t ha t is j us t ic e -ba s e d.
Of t e n in c o n f l ic t t he r e is muc h ta l k but l it t l e
c o mmun ic a t io n , l it t l e d ia l o g ue . Tr ue d ia l o g ue
d e ma n d s s e e in g t he o t he r a s a n e q ua l , a s
w o r t h y o f be in g he a r d , a n d a s c a pa bl e o f
in t e l l ig e n t r e s po n s e . Pe a c e t he r e f o r e , is
in e xt r ic a bl y bo un d t o s e a r c h f ir j us t ic e ,
Un l e s s t he po w e r f ul o n e s c o mmit t he ms e l ve s

Justice is the first demand of love. It is the necessary
condition of an authentic love of neighbor. This means that if
we truly love others, we must first of all respect their basic
human rights and give what is due to them.
Justice is the praxis of love. It is the practical expression
of love in a world of limited resources. Thus, love cannot be
reduced to “charity”, which, for many, means only discarding
things for which they have no more use and giving them to
the poor.
Justice needs the deeper power of love and mercy which
gives the pursuit of justice a human face and heart. Only
when we feel true and deep compassion for those in great
need are we moved to struggle so that their human rights
may be protected. Justice is not separate from love and
mercy which bear fruit in peace.

Th e d is po s it io n t o j us t ic e h a s t h r e e in t e r r e l a t e d a s pe c t s .
 Pe rs o nal Jus tic e – t his a s pe c t is a vir t ue in it s e l f . It is g o o d
h a bit d e ve l o pe d in in d ivid ua l s by t h e ir o w n e f f o r t s . A
pe r s o n w h o po s s e s s e s t his vir t ue t e n d s t o be j us t in a l l
h is / h e r d e a l in g s w it h o t h e r s , r e g a r dl e s s o f t h e pr e s e n c e
o r a bs e n c e o f j us t ic e in o t h e r s . Pe r s o n a l j us t ic e is a
l if e s t yl e .
It d is po s e s pe r s o n s t o r e s pe c t t h e r ig h t s o f o t h e r s a t a l l
t ime s s o t h e y w il l n o t h ur t a n ybo dy a t a n yt ime .
 Co mmutative Jus tic e – Th is is a n o bs e r va n c e o f a f a ir
e xc h a n g e be t w e e n t w o in divid ua l s t ha t c r e a t e s a
r e l a t io n s h ip. It r e q uir e s a n e xa c t e q ua l it y be t w e e n t h e
va l ue o f w h a t is ta ke n f r o m a n o t he r a n d t h e va l ue o f w ha t
is g ive n t o him/ h e r in r e t ur n . Th is r e s pe c t o f j us t ic e
g o ve r n s a l l c o n t r a c t ua l r e l a t io n s h ips , impl ic it o r
e xpl ic it . It is a j us t ic e in it s mo s t s impl e d ir e c t “ a n -e ye -f o r -
a n -e ye ” me n ta l it y. Th is f o r m o f j us t ic e is o f t e n e n f o r c e d by
c ivil a n d / o r mo r a l l aw.
 S o c ial Jus tic e – This j us t ic e is ba s e d o n a pa t t e r n o f c us t o m
o r l aw d e ve l o pe d by a s o c ie t y o r in s t it ut io n f o r t h e

A. Legal justice takes place when the civil law exacts from individuals
their debts to society. Those who are suspected are penalized.
B. Distributive justice takes place when the law ensures for all
individuals equal share in the society’s benefits and burdens.
 Christian Justice – This is the complete type of justice which
results in peace-the justice of the Christian heart. Its basics, wise,
clear and comprehensible principle is expressed in the Gospel by the
words: “Treat others the way you would have them treat you”
(Matthew 7:12). This is the new law of Christian love. And even if
people will sin against you, seek justice in peace. As St. John of
Kronstadt once said, “Sins are sins, but the basis in the person is
God’s image; therefore, hate sin but love the sinner,” Furthermore,
Pope John Paul II says: “No peace without justice, no justice without
forgiveness.”