Jesus was a severe critic

JESUS WAS A SEVERE CRITIC
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 23:15 15"Woeto you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees, you hypocrites!You travel over land and
sea to win a single convert, and when you have
succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of
hell as you are.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Peril Of Making Proselytes
Matthew 23:15
R. Tuck
The term "proselytes"is used, and not "converts" or"disciples." it is
employed when the idea to be conveyedis "persuasion" to acceptsome
particular opinion or hobby, or to join some particular system or party.
"Conversion" suggestsaninward change and renewal; "proselyting" suggests
outward associationwith a party. "Conversion" is full of hope; "proselyting"
is full of peril. The word was usedby the Jews for persons who had been
heathen, but had acceptedJudaism, and they distinguished between

(1) proselytes of the gate, who receivedthe teachings ofthe Old Testament,
but not the ceremonialLaw; and
(2) proselytes of righteousness, who conformedto the whole Law. Our modern
term "pervert" conveys something of the idea our Lord attachedto
"proselyte." DeanPlumptre gives an historicalreference, whichskilfully
brings out the point of our Lord's reproof. "The zeal of the earlierPharisees
had shownitself in a propagandismwhich reminds us rather of the spreadof
the religionof Mahometthan of that of Christ. John Hyrcanus, the last of the
Maccabeanpriestrulers, had offered the Idumaeans the alternative of death,
exile, or circumcision. When the government of Rome rendered such
measures impossible, they resortedto all the arts of persuasion, and exulted
when they succeededin enrolling a heathen convert as a member of their
party. but the proselytes thus made were too often a scandaland proverb of
reproach. There was no real conversion, and those who were most active in
the work of proselytizing were for the most part blind leaders of the blind.
The vices of the Jew were engraftedon the vices of the heathen. The ties of
duty and natural affectionwere ruthlessly snapped asunder. The popular
Jewishfeeling about them was like that of the popular Christian feeling about
a converted Jew."
I. THE PERILOF MAKING PROSELYTESFOR THOSE WHO MAKE
THEM. Open such points as these:
1. A man must exaggerate sectariandifferences before he can try to win
proselytes to an opinion.
2. A man must make more of the outward form than the inward spirit.
3. A man is only too likely to use bad means in gaining such an end.
4. A man who makes proselytes honours himself rather than God.
5. And such a man is only too likely to be deceivedin the result he attains.
II. THE PERIL OF MAKING PROSELYTESFOR THOSE WHO ARE
MADE. Open these points:

1. Men may be overpressedto acceptopinions on which they have really
formed no judgment.
2. Perverts notoriously exaggerate the formalities of the new creed they adopt,
and become bitterest partisans. - R.T.
Biblical Illustrator
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.
Matthew 23:13-15
The sins of the scribes and Pharisees
W. Wilson.
I. THAT THEY SHUT UP THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AGAINST MEN.
"Neithersuffer ye them that are entering in."
1. They did this by their extraordinary strictness and outward purity. By such
austerities they made religion repulsive. This accusationhas often been
preferred againstthe pure ministers of a pure religion. Compare this text with
the parallelpassage in Luke 11:52. They shut the kingdom of heavenagainst
themselves and others by taking awaythe keyof knowledge.The same sin is
committed by any church that imposes the traditions of men in that province
in which only the commandment of God is of authority. The kingdom of
heaven is opened by knowledge. It is important to recognize this. Ministers of
the Church have in a certainsense the power of shutting up the kingdom of
heaven againstmen.(1) Let us learn to read the Bible and listen to its truths, in
the assurancethat our eternaldestiny depends upon the knowledge of
them.(2) Let ministers learn their proper vocationas porters to the kingdom
of heaven, and let them beware of handling the Word of God deceitfully.
2. The secondcharge againstthe scribes and Pharisees. Theydevoured the
houses of widows. Theywere robbers of the defenceless. Thosewho lie under

this woe are:(1) Those ministers who enter upon and continue in their office
for a piece of bread.
3. The third charge againstthe scribes and Pharisees — "Ye compass sea and
land to make one proselyte." The apostles ofdeceit and falsehoodhave often
manifested a zeal in the propagation of their principles which is fitted to
minister a severe reproofto those who know and believe the truth. It is not the
fact of making proselytes againstwhich the woe is directed; this is the duty of
the Church. But they did not care to make their councils holier.(1) They made
proselytes by reviling and scorn;(2) by misrepresentationand calumny;(3) by
force.
(W. Wilson.)
In the description of the scribes and Pharisees in this chapter we have a full-
length portrait of the hypocrite
A. Barnes, D. D.
I. They shut up the kingdom of heaven againstothers (ver. 13).
II. They committed the grossestiniquity under a cloak ofreligion (ver. 14).
III. They showedgreatzeal in making proselytes, yet did it only for gain, and
made them more wicked(ver. 15).
IV. They taught false doctrine, artful contrivances to destroy the force of
oaths, and shut out the Creatorfrom their view (vers. 16-22).
V. They were superstitious (ver. 23).
VI. They were openly hypocritical (vers. 25-28).
VII. They professedgreatveneration for the memory of the pious dead, while
at the same time they were conscious thatthey really approved the conduct of
those who killed them (vers. 29-31). Never, perhaps, was there a combination
of more wickedfeelings and hypocritical actions than among them; and never
was there more profound knowledge ofthe human heart and more

faithfulness than in Him who tore off the mask, and showedthem what they
were.
(A. Barnes, D. D.)
The woes
J. P. Lange, D. D.
I. Spiritual ambition; petitioners changedinto beggars. The long prayers of
the hypocrites, and the long sentence ofjudgment.
II. Those who shut the kingdom of heaven.
III. Proselytism. Soul-winners and soul-ruiners.
IV. The work of man up, the work of God down; the inward nothing, the
outward everything. The true oath always by the living and true God. The
blindest ignorance connectedwith a conceitof keenestinsightinto the laws of
the kingdom of God.
V. Legality in little things; lawlessnessin great.
VI. The outside and the inside of the cup and the platter, or the feastof the
religious and moral hypocrite.
1. In the outward form, consecratedor adorned.
2. In the inner character, abominable and reprobate.
VII. The whited sepulchres:like pleasant abodes outwardly; caves ofbones,
diffusing death, within — spiritual death, in the guise of spiritual bloom.
VIII. The murderers of the prophets. To persecute Christ in His saints is to
persecute Christ himself.
(J. P. Lange, D. D.)

Folly of hypocrisy
Colton.
If the devil ever laughs, it must be at hypocrites; they are the greatestdupes
he has. They serve him better than any others, and receive no wages;nay,
what is still more extraordinary, they submit to greatermortifications to go to
hell, than the sincerestChristian to go to heaven.
(Colton.)
A. Barnes, D. D.
Matthew 23:13-15
But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!for you shut up the
kingdom of heaven againstmen: for you neither go in yourselves…
I. They shut up the kingdom of heaven againstothers (ver. 13).
II. They committed the grossest iniquity under a cloak ofreligion (ver. 14).
made them more wicked(ver. 15).
oaths, and shut out the Creatorfrom their view (vers. 16-22).
V. They were superstitious (ver. 23).

VI. They were openly hypocritical (vers. 25-28).
those who killed them (vers. 29-31). Never, perhaps, was there a combination
were.
(A. Barnes, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
EXPOSITORY(ENGLISHBIBLE)
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(13) Woe unto you.—We enter in these verses on the sternestwords of
condemnation that evercame from our Lord’s lips; but it may be questioned
whether our English “Woe unto you” does not exclude too entirely the
element of sorrow, as well as indignation, of which the Greek interjection(as
in Mark 13:17)is at leastcapable. Woe for you is, perhaps, a better rendering.
Hypocrites.—SeeNote on Matthew 6:2.
Ye shut up the kingdom . . .—The words reproduce what had been said before
as to “the key of knowledge” (Luke 11:52), the symbol which was given to

eachscribe on his admission to his office. Our Lord’s charge againstthem is
that the only use they made of the key was to lock the door. They did not enter
into the inner meaning of Law or Prophets; they excluded (with a possible
reference to their putting out of the synagogue those who believed in Jesus,
John 9:22; John 12:42) those who were so entering into the higher life and the
higher teaching of the Kingdom. (Comp. Galatians 4:17.)
BensonCommentary
Matthew 23:13-15. But wo to you, scribes, &c. — Our Lord pronounced eight
blessings upon the mount, he pronounces eight woes here, not as imprecations,
but solemn, compassionatedeclarations ofthe misery which these stubborn
sinners were bringing upon themselves. The reasons ofhis denouncing these
woes are setforth in this and the subsequentverses. The first is here given:
For you shut the kingdom of heaven againstmen — Namely, by the prejudices
you are so zealous to propagate among the people, and by taking away, as it is
expressedLuke 11:52, the key of knowledge, orthe right interpretation of the
ancient prophecies concerning the Messiah, by your example and authority;
for they both rejectedJesus themselves and excommunicated those who
receivedhim. In short, they did all they could to hinder the people from
repenting of their sins, and believing in the gospel. Wo unto you, for ye devour
widows’houses, &c. — Here we have the secondreasonofthese woes. They
were covetous, rapacious,and committed the grossestiniquities under a cloak
of religion; making long prayers in order to hide their villany. Ye compass sea
and land — In these words we have the reasonof the third wo. They
manifested the greatestzealimaginable in making proselytes, compassing sea
and land, that is, making long journeys and voyages, andleaving no means
untried to accomplishthat end, while their intention in all this was not the
glory of God and the salvationof men’s souls, but their own honour and
profit; that they might have the credit of making men proselytes, and the
advantage of making a prey of them when they were made. Ye make him two-
fold more the child of hell — In the heathen countries these interested,
worldly- minded zealots accommodatedreligionto the humours of men,
placing it, not in the eternal and immutable rules of righteousness, but in

ceremonialobservances;the effectof which was, eitherthat their proselytes
became more superstitious, more immoral, and more presumptuous than
their teachers;or that, taking them for impostors, they relapsedagain into
their old state of heathenism; and in both cases became two-foldmore the
children of hell than even the Phariseesthemselves, thatis, more openly and
unlimitedly wickedthan they.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
23:13-33 The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospelofChrist, and
therefore to the salvationof the souls of men. It is bad to keepaway from
Christ ourselves, but worse also to keepothers from him. Yet it is no new
thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the greatest
enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckoneddouble iniquity. They were
very busy to turn souls to be of their party. Not for the glory of God and the
goodof souls, but that they might have the credit and advantage ofmaking
converts. Gain being their godliness, by a thousand devices they made religion
give way to their worldly interests. They were very strict and precise in
smaller matters of the law, but careless andloose in weightier matters. It is
not the scrupling a little sin that Christ here reproves; if it be a sin, though but
a gnat, it must be strained out; but the doing that, and then swallowing a
camel, or, committing a greatersin. While they would seemto be godly, they
were neither sobernor righteous. We are really, what we are inwardly.
Outward motives may keepthe outside clean, while the inside is filthy; but if
the heart and spirit be made new, there will be newness oflife; here we must
begin with ourselves. The righteousness ofthe scribes and Pharisees waslike
the ornaments of a grave, or dressing up a dead body, only for show. The
deceitfulness of sinners'hearts appears in that they go down the streams of
the sins of their ownday, while they fancy that they should have opposedthe
sins of former days. We sometimes think, if we had lived when Christ was
upon earth, that we should not have despisedand rejectedhim, as men then
did; yet Christ in his Spirit, in his word, in his ministers, is still no better
treated. And it is just with God to give those up to their hearts' lusts, who
obstinately persistin gratifying them. Christ gives men their true characters.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible

Woe unto you - You are guilty, and punishment will come upon you. Jesus
proceeds to state wherein they were guilty. This most eloquent, most
appalling, and most terrible of all discourses everdelivered to mortals was
pronounced in the temple, in the presence ofmultitudes. Neverwas there
more faithful dealing, more terrible reproof, more profound knowledge ofthe
workings of hypocrisy, or more skill in detecting the concealments ofsin. This
was the last of the Saviour's public discourses;and it is a most impressive
summary of all that he had ever said, or that he had to say, of a wickedand
hypocritical generation.
Scribes and Pharisees - See the notes at Matthew 3:7.
Hypocrites - Note, Matthew 6:2.
Ye shut up the kingdom of heaven - Note, Matthew 3:2. They shut it up by
teaching false doctrines respecting the Messiah;by binding the people to an
observance oftheir traditions; by opposing Jesus, andattempting to convince
the people that he was an impostor, thus preventing many from becoming his
followers. Manywere ready to embrace him as the Messiah, andwere about
entering into the kingdom of heaven - that is, the church - but they prevented
it. Luke says Luke 11:52 they had takenawaythe key of knowledge, andthus
prevented their entering in - that is, they had takenaway the right
interpretation of the ancient prophecies respecting the Messiah, and thus had
done all that they could to prevent the people from receiving Jesus as their
Redeemer.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
13. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!for ye shut up the
kingdom of heaven againstmen—Here they are chargedwith shutting heaven
againstmen: in Lu 11:52 they are chargedwith what was worse, taking away
the key—"the keyof knowledge"—whichmeans, notthe key to open
knowledge, but knowledge as the only keyto open heaven. A right knowledge
of God's revealedword is eternal life, as our Lord says (Joh 17:3; 5:39); but
this they took awayfrom the people, substituting for it their wretched
traditions.

Matthew Poole's Commentary
Our Saviour now comethto denounce eight woes againstthe teachers ofthose
times, the scribes and Pharisees.Luke saith, Luke 11:52, Woe unto you,
lawyers!for ye have takenawaythe key of knowledge:ye enter not in
yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. It was written of old,
that the priest’s lips should preserve knowledge:God hath committed the key
of knowledge to the ministers and guides of his church, not that they should
take it away, but that the people might seek the law at their mouths, because
they are the messengersofthe Lord of hosts, Malachi2:7. Now saith our
Saviour, you have taken it away:this Matthew calls a shutting up the
kingdom of heaven againstmen; doing what in them lay to keepmen from the
knowledge ofthe mind and will of God, neither themselves teaching them the
knowledge ofGod, which yet was their office and duty, nor suffering others to
do it who would. You will neither go in yourselves, neither will you suffer
them that are entering to go in. Yourselves are too proud or lazy, to preach
the gospel, whichis the way to the kingdom of heaven, and when others
would, you suffer them not; nor yet will you suffer the people, who have a
heart to it, to hear it. For this he calls them hypocrites seventimes in this
chapter, they pretending to be teachers and openers of the door to the
kingdom of heaven, when indeed they did shut it; and denounces a woe to
them, comprehending that ruin which soonafter came upon them and their
city by the Romanarmies, and that eternal damnation which slept not, and
was due to them. There are no worse men in the world than hypocrites, men
pretending highly to God, yet neither themselves doing their duty in
embracing the gospel, nor suffering others to do it, but doing what in them lie
to hinder people from the means by which they might come to the kingdom of
heaven.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
But woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,.... It seems from hence,
that the Scribes and Pharisees hadnot left him, at leastnot all of them,
notwithstanding the confusionthey were thrown into; but were still about
him, observing what he said to the people, and watching an opportunity to
take every advantage againsthim; whom he addresses in a very awful

manner, calling them "hypocrites", as he truly might; for they were such,
both to God and men: he had detectedthem already before the people, in
severalinstances ofhypocrisy; and gives sufficient reasons, in the following
part of this chapter, to support the character, he gives of them, and his charge
againstthem; denouncing a woe upon them in this world, and that which is to
come, no less than eight times; expressing his abhorrence of their wickedness,
his commiserationof their case, andtheir certain destruction: "for ye shut up
the kingdom of heaven againstmen": not eternallife and happiness, the
entrance into which can neither be opened nor shut by men: those whom God
determines to bring thither, shall have an entrance abundantly ministered to
them, in spite of the opposition of men and devils; though these men did all
that in them lay, to hinder persons enjoying everlasting glory. But the Gospel
dispensationis here meant, which opened by the ministry of John the Baptist,
Christ and his disciples, and which the Scribes and Pharisees did all they
could to shut; by discouraging the preaching of the Gospel, and the
administration of ordinances, in which this dispensationlay; and prejudicing
the minds of men againstit, that they might not embrace the doctrines of it,
nor submit to its ordinances:they, by their office, ought to have opened and
explained the Scriptures, the prophecies of the Old Testamentrelating to the
Messiah, andled the people into a knowledge ofthe mysteries of his kingdom,
and encouragedthem to enter into this new state of things; which, according
to the true intent of Scripture, was to take place, and now did: but instead of
this, they shut up the Scriptures, took awaythe key of knowledge, andlaid it
aside;and darkened the Scriptures by their false glosses, andobliged the
people to observe the traditions of the elders, and which they call, "anhedge
for the law" (w); to which Beza thinks, the allusion is here, and by which men
were shut up, and kept from the true knowledge both of law and Gospel:
for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go
in: they neither believed in the Messiahthemselves, norembraced the
doctrines relating to his person and office: have any of the Pharisees believed
on him? No;they receivedhim not, they rejectedhim, and also the counselof
God, againstthemselves, notbeing baptized with the baptism of John, the
forerunner of Christ; nor would they suffer others, that were inclined to
profess their faith in him, and be baptized, to do it; but discouragedthem all

they could, by their reproachful treatment of the person, miracles, and
ministry of Christ, and by their threatenings and menaces, andby their
excommunications of such as made a confessionof him.
(w) Pirke Abot, c. 1. sect. 1.
Geneva Study Bible
{5} But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,{m} hypocrites! for ye shut up
the kingdom of heaven againstmen: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither
suffer ye them that are {n} entering to go in.
(5) Hypocrites cannot endure others to be better than themselves.
(m) Christ, when he reproves any man sharply, uses this word to show us that
there is nothing more detestable than hypocrisy and falsehoodin religion.
(n) Who are even at the door.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 23:13. Here begins the direct and withering apostrophe of Jesus to
His adversaries themselves who are still present, this part of the address
consisting of sevenwoes, and extending to Matthew 23:36. For the spurious
Matthew 23:14, Elz., concerning the devouring of widows’houses, see the
critical remarks. The characteristic feature in this torrent of woes is its intense
righteous indignation, such as we meet with in the prophets of old (comp.
Isaiah5:8; Isaiah 10:1; Habakkuk 2:6 ff.),—an indignation which abandons
the objects ofit as past all hope of amendment, and cuts down every bridge
behind them. To Celsus (in Origen, ii. 76) all this sounded as mere empty
threat and scolding.
ὅτι] assigns the reasonof this οὐαί.

κλείετε, κ.τ.λ.]The approaching kingdom of the Messiahis conceivedofunder
the figure of a palace, the doors of which have been thrown open in order that
men may enter. But such is the effectof the opposition offeredto Christ by the
scribes and Pharisees, thatmen withhold their belief from the Messiahwho
has appearedamong them, and show themselves indifferent to the
δικαιοσύνη, necessaryin order to admissioninto the kingdom from which
they are consequently excluded. Comp. Luke 11:52. They thus shut the door
of the kingdom in men’s faces.
ὑμεῖς γὰρ, κ.τ.λ.]explanatory reason.
τοὺς εἰσερχομ.]who are trying, who are endeavouring to obtain admission.
See Bernhardy, p. 370 f.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 23:13-31. The sevenwoes.—There are eight, if we count that in
Matthew 23:13 of T. R., but as this ver. is omitted in the best MSS. and
appears to be a gloss from Mk. and Lk. I do not count it. Vide notes on Mark
12:40. These woes seemto be spokendirectly to the scribes and Pharisees.
Weiss regards this as a rhetorical apostrophe, the disciples being the real
audience throughout.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
13. ye shut up the kingdom of heavenagainstmen] In allusion to the symbolic
“keyof knowledge” givento the Scribe on admission to the order. They use
their keys to shut rather than to open the doors of the Kingdom.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 23:13-14. Οὐαὶ, woe) Woe is uttered eight times in this passage:[993]
blessedis uttered eight times and more in Matthew 5. from Matthew 23:3,
where see Gnomon.—οὐαὶ ὑμῖν—κλείετε τὴνβασιλεὶαν—κατεσθίετε τὰς
οἰκίας τῶν χηρῶν, κ.τ.λ., woe unto you—ye shut up the kingdom—ye devour

widows’houses, etc.)In many MSS. these words are transposed;[994]but that
must come first in which the kingdom of heavenis mentioned; cf. ch. Matthew
4:17, Matthew 5:3, etc.[995]—ὑποκριταὶ, hypocrites)The characteristicsof
hypocrites may be ascertainedfrom this indictment, as Thomasius has done in
his Cautions. Woes were denouncedagainstthem, not because theywere
Scribes and Pharisees, but because they were hypocrites.—κλείετε, ye shut
up) i.e. with a key: ye shut up as being ignorant and blind.—ἔμπροσθεν τῶν
ἀνθρώπων, before men[996]) sc. before their eyes, when they were just
close.—οὐκεἰσέρχεσθε, ye do not enter) a greatwoe, and the first; cf.
Matthew 5:3, on the first degree of blessedness.—τοὺς εἰσερχομένους,them
that are entering) sc. either in will or in deed.
[993]Our Saviour had used various degrees ofargument againstHis
opponents all along from ch. Matthew 9:4; but now, at the last, moved by a
holy fervour, He brings forth most plainly the whole fact as it really was.—
Harm., p. 472.
[994]Such is the reading of E. M.; but E. V. supports the order approved by
Bengel. In his Apparatus Criticus, Bengelsays ofthe reading:—“κλείετε—
κατεσθίετε”—“Sic Erasmus, Beza,Bodl. 1. 2, Cypr. Laud. 1. 2, Roe et sex et
octo alii, vel etiam Cam. Item Hilar. Euthym. Copt. Lat., etiam apud Hieron.”
Of the order “κατεσθίετε—κλείετε,” he says:—“Comp. Stap. Steph. edd. Aug.
1, 2, 4, Byz. Gehl. Mosc Wo. 1, 2, etc., Chrysost. Theophyl., opus imperf. Arab.
Lat. pauculi, Syr. Quinque Colbertinos pro illâ lectione citat Millius, a silentio
amicorum, qui Bezam adhibuerant argumentatus; pro hâc Simonius in notis
ad h. l. Vide Gnomon: quanquam is prior videtur esse versus, quem scorsum
referunt Marcus et Lucas.”—(I. B.)
[995]Although that verse seems likely to come first, which Mark and Luke
representas spokenseparately.—App. Crit. Ed. ii. p. 134.

[996]E. V. “againstmen.”—(I. B.)
BDLZ a Vulg. (Amiat. MS.)omit all the words of Matthew 23:14, oval—
οὐαὶ—κατεσθίετε τ. οἰκίας τ. χηρῶν(Rec. Text adding καὶ)προφασει—
προσευχόμενοι διὰ τοῦτο—κρίμα. The Canons ofEuseb. seem to omit the
words: also Origen, who speaks of“the secondwoe in Matthew” being οὐαὶ—
ὅτι περιάγετε τὴν θάλασσαν, etc. 4, 352a. Therefore Lachm. and Tischend.
rightly omit them. The words seemto me to have crept in from Mark 12:40
and Luke 20:47. Howeverbc and Hilary 725dand 89 supports the words
here.—ED. The margin of Bengel’s Ed. ii. holds the omission of Matthew
23:14 as all but equal to the Rec. Text.—E. B.
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 13-32. -Eight woes pronouncedon the Phariseesfor their conduct and
teaching. (Comp. Luke 11:42-52.)Verse 13. - Some authorities transpose vers.
13 and 14 - a variation attributable to the circumstance that the commencing
clauses are the same. As Christ inaugurated his public teaching by
pronouncing eight benedictions in the sermonon the mount, so here he closes
his ministry by imprecating or prophesying eight woes onthe perverse and
unbelieving Pharisees.In Lange's commentary there is proposeda scheme of
antithesis betweenthe benedictions and the woes, but it is not very successful,
being often forced and unnatural; and it is better to regard the contrastin a
generalview, and not to attempt to press it in particulars. Jesus here pours
forth his righteous angeron those whose obstinate infidelity was about to
bring ruin on the Jewishcity and nation. Woe unto you! (Matthew 11:21).
These terrible "woes"are not only evokedby indignation, and pronounced as
a solemn judgment, they are also expressive of the profoundest pity, and are
prophetic of the future. They have, indeed, a twofold reference - they refer
first to temporal judgments and visitations, now ready to fall; and secondlyto
the retribution in the eternal world. That the meek and lowly Jesus should
utter such awful denunciations shows how greatly he was moved how he left
nothing untried to turn these hard hearts to introspectionand repentance.
Scribes and Pharisees(see onver. 2), hypocrites (Matthew 6:2). Christ uses

this word seventimes in these denunciations. It is applied to the Pharisees as
deceiving themselves and others, under the mask of godliness hiding polluted
hearts, persuading themselves that formal externalism was real piety and
devotion, and practicallyteaching this fatal delusion. Ye shut up the kingdom
of heaven againstmen; ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων: before men; ante homines
(Vulgate. This is the first woe - againstperverse obstructiveness. Theyprevent
men from accepting Christ, and so entering God's kingdom, by their false
interpretation of Scripture, by not allowing that it testified of Christ, and by
making the path impassable for the poor and ignorant. And this is done "in
the face of men," when they are, as it were, thronging round and wishing to
enter. "Ye have takenawaythe keyof knowledge," he says, in anotherplace
(Luke 11:52). Neithersuffer ye them that are entering to go in. The kingdom
of heaven is here metaphorically regardedas a banqueting hall, where are
celebratedthe espousals ofChrist and his Church. The Pharisees watchedthe
access thereto. Theystoodat the door to bar all entrance. If any showedsigns
of yielding to honest conviction, they sternly forbade them to proceed;they
repelled them with violence, as by excommunication (John 9:22, 34), or by
calumniating the Teacher(Matthew 9:34, etc.). There was many a time when
34, people were ready to acknowledgeChristand to follow him as Messiah. A
word from their authorized leaders would have turned the scale in his favour;
but that word was never spoken. The weightof authority was always placed
on the opposite side, and naught but prejudice, animosity, and slanderbefell
the cause ofJesus.
Vincent's Word Studies
Hypocrites (ὑποκριταί)
From ὑποκρίνω, to separate gradually; so of separating the truth from a mass
of falsehood, and thence to subject to inquiry, and, as a result of this, to
expound or interpret what is elicited. Then, to reply to inquiry, and so to
answeron the stage, to speak in dialogue, to act. From this the transition is
easyto assuming, feigning, playing a part. The hypocrite is, therefore,
etymologically, an actor.
END OF BIBLEHUB RESOURCES

PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
Almost the entire chapter of 23 is the severe criticism of the
religiou leaders of the Jewish people.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR
Verses 13-15
Matthew 23:13-15
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.
The sins of the scribes and Pharisees
I. That they shut up the kingdom of heaven againstmen. “Neithersuffer ye
them that are entering in.”
1. They did this by their extraordinary strictness and outward purity. By such
austerities they made religion repulsive. This accusationhas often been
preferred againstthe pure ministers of a pure religion. Compare this text with
the parallelpassage in Luke 11:52. They shut the kingdom of heavenagainst
themselves and others by taking awaythe keyof knowledge.The same sin is
committed by any church that imposes the traditions of men in that province
in which only the commandment of God is of authority. The kingdom of
heaven is opened by knowledge. It is important to recognize this. Ministers of

the Church have in a certainsense the power of shutting up the kingdom of
heaven againstmen.
2. The secondcharge againstthe scribes and Pharisees. Theydevoured the
houses of widows. Theywere robbers of the defenceless. Thosewho lie under
this woe are:
3. The third charge againstthe scribes and Pharisees-“Ye compasssea and
land to make one proselyte.” The apostles ofdeceit and falsehoodhave often
manifested a zeal in the propagation of their principles which is fitted to
minister a severe reproofto those who know and believe the truth. It is not the
fact of making proselytes againstwhich the woe is directed; this is the duty of
the Church. But they did not care to make their councils holier.
In the description of the scribes and Pharisees in this chapter we have a full-
length portrait of the hypocrite
I. They shut up the kingdom of heaven againstothers (verse 13).
II. They committed the grossestiniquity under a cloak ofreligion (verse 14).
made them more wicked(verse 15).
oaths, and shut out the Creatorfrom their view (verses 16-22).
V. They were superstitious (verse 23).

VI. They were openly hypocritical (verses 25-28).
those who killed them (verses 29-31). Never, perhaps, was there a combination
were. (A. Barnes, D. D.)
The woes
I. Spiritual ambition; petitioners changedinto beggars. The long prayers of
the hypocrites, and the long sentence ofjudgment.
II. Those who shut the kingdom of heaven.
III. Proselytism. Soul-winners and soul-ruiners.
IV. The work of man up, the work of God down; the inward nothing, the
outward everything. The true oath always by the living and true God. The
blindest ignorance connectedwith a conceitof keenestinsightinto the laws of
the kingdom of God.
V. Legality in little things; lawlessnessin great.
VI. The outside and the inside of the cup and the platter, or the feastof the
religious and moral hypocrite.

1. In the outward form, consecratedor adorned.
2. In the inner character, abominable and reprobate.
VII. The whited sepulchres:like pleasant abodes outwardly; caves ofbones,
diffusing death, within-spiritual death, in the guise of spiritual bloom.
VIII. The murderers of the prophets. To persecute Christ in His saints is to
persecute Christ himself. (J. P. Lange, D. D.)
Folly of hypocrisy
If the devil ever laughs, it must be at hypocrites; they are the greatestdupes
he has. They serve him better than any others, and receive no wages;nay,
what is still more extraordinary, they submit to greatermortifications to go to
hell, than the sincerestChristian to go to heaven. (Colton.)
Verses 16-22
Matthew 23:16-22
Whosoevershallswearby the Temple, it is nothing.
Thoughtless profanity
Are there any before me who are accustomedto use God’s name as an
expletive, and to bandy it as a byword? Who employ it in all kinds of
conversation, and throw it about in every place? Perhaps in their hearts they
considerthis an accomplishment! think it manly and brave to swear!Let me
say, then, that profaneness is a brutal vice. He who indulges in it is no
gentleman. I care not what his stamp ,nay be in society. I care not what
clothes be wears, orwhat culture he boasts. Despite all his refinement, the

light and habitual taking of God’s name betrays a coarse nature and a brutal
will. Nay, he tacitly admits that it is ungentlemanly, for he restrains his oaths
in the presence ofladies; and he who fears not to rush into the chanceryof
heaven and swearby the Majestythere, is decently observantin the drawing-
room and the parlour. (E. H. Chopin, D. D.)
Ostentatious profanity
If there are hypocrites in religion, there are also, strange as it may appear,
hypocrites in impiety-men who make an ostentationof more irreligion than
they possess. An ostentationof this nature, the most irrational in the records
of human folly, seems to lie at the root of profane swearing. (R. Hall.)
Unreasonable oaths
He that swearethby any person, or thing, doth two things.
1. He attributeth to the thing, or person, by which he sweareth, a knowledge
of the heart and the secretintention.
2. He calleth upon the person, or thing, by which he sweareth, to be his judge,
or to take a revenge upon him, in case lie doth not believe in his heart what he
affirmeth or denieth with his words to be true or false;otherwise an oath is no
security at all. From whence appeareth that it is unreasonable for any to
swearby any other than God, who alone can have a knowledge ofthe truth
and security of the heart; and that he who swearethby any creature
committeth idolatry in his heart, and indeed blasphemeth playing Divine
homage to a creature, and attributing to the creature what belongs only to the
Creator. (M. Pool.)
The altar
The one altar which sanctifieth the gift is the person and merit of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
I. Jesus Christis the antitype of this brazen altar (Exodus 27:1-21.).

1. The altar typifies our Lord if we considerthe use of it. To sanctify that
which was put upon it, and to sustainit while the fire was consuming it. Our
Lord lifts up our gifts towards heaven.
2. The place of the altar. You saw it the moment you entered the door of the
tabernacle. The most prominent thought of the soulis Jesus as Mediator.
3. The form of the altar. It was foursquare; stability and endurance.
4. The materials of which the altar was made. Shittim wood, overlaidwith
brass;the former represents the incorruptible human characterof Jesus:the
latter the endurance of Christ.
II. A question or two.
1. Have you always takencare to keepto the one spiritual altar?
2. Are there not some among you who have been offering to God without an
altar at all? You have not respectto the Mediatorin your life, and prayers,
and acts.
3. Whether we have not often forgottento attachthe importance to the altar
which we should have done. We must plead the merit of Christ. (C. H.
Spurgeon.)
Why Are There So Many Hypocrites? Series
Contributed by Brian Bill on May 30, 2003
based on 164 ratings
(rate this sermon)

| 113,732views
Scripture: Matthew 23:27-28, Matthew 23:1-30, Matthew 23:27-30
Denomination: Baptist
Summary: A hypocrite is literally “one who hides behind a mask.” While
there certainly are some believers who are hypocrites, real Christians are
forgiven sinners. As we distinguish the difference betweenbeing realand
being a mask-wearer, we recognize that bel
1 2 3 … 6 7
Next
Why Are There So Many Hypocrites?
Rev. Brian Bill
4/29/01
Armed with hidden cameras, a recentDateline NBC program depicted what
goes onbehind the scenesatsome used car lots. It was incredible. A couple of
the salesmenhad no problem lying to potential customers. Theywent out of
their way to cover-up any mechanicalproblems.
With apologies to any of you who do this for a living, the used car business has
a knock againstit. It’s hard to know if you’re being told everything. When I
was watching this show, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of a story they
would uncover if they installed hidden cameras in the church. What would the
secrettape look like if they also shot some film when churchgoers were in
their cars, at their jobs, and in their homes?
It’d be quite a story, wouldn’t it? I cansee the headlines now...Christians Who
Play Charades or Pretenders in the Pews. It would confirm what many
already believe -- that the church is full of hypocrites. It’s difficult to believe

Christianity is true when so many of its followers lead such contradictory
lives.
That reminds me of the man who told the pastorthat he doesn’t go to church
because there are so many hypocrites there. The pastor responded by saying,
“Oh, don’t let that stop you. There’s always room for one more.”
Some of what you will hear this morning originally appeared in an article I
wrote for the Daily Leaderlast summer. I don’t want to give you the
impression that everything I’m going to sayis brand new. In other words, I
don’t want to be a hypocrite while I’m speaking on hypocrisy.
We grow tired of people saying one thing and living something that’s
completely opposite. According to the dictionary, a hypocrite is “a person who
pretends to have beliefs or practices which he or she does not actually
possess.”As used in the Bible, the term comes from ancient Greek theater,
where one actorwould often play two parts. When saying something
humorous, he would hold up a mask with a smiley face;when playing a tragic
part, he would hold up a mask with a sad face. A goodactorcould imitate the
speech, mannerisms, and conduct of the characterhe was portraying. The
word literally means, “One who hides behind a mask.”
One hot day when they had guests for dinner, a mother askedher four-year-
old boy named Johnny to say the blessing for the meal. Johnny didn’t really
want to and complained, “Mom, I don’t know what to say!” The mother
sweetlyreplied, in front of her guests, “Oh, just saywhat you hear me say.”
Obediently, Johnny bowed his head and mumbled, “Oh Lord, why did I invite
these people over on such a hot day?”
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I want to suggestthis morning that one of the reasons why there are
hypocrites in the church is because not all church people are Christians.

Going to church will not automaticallychange anyone’s behavior. People go
for all sorts of reasons -- maybe out of habit or ritual, maybe to seek the truth,
or perhaps to just network with other people.
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going into a
garage makesyou a car. We have to live with the possibility that what some
people perceive as hypocrisy in the church is in fact, the result of mistaken
identity. Some people are no more Christians than I’m Hispanic just because I
happen to love Mexicanfood. Some people just look like they’re Christians
because they getup on Sundays and go to a place calleda church.
Actually, this should take some pressure off those of you who are investigating
Christianity. You’re not expectedto actlike a Christian if you’re not one yet.
As you seek and ask questions, don’t getall caughtup in what you should do,
or shouldn’t do. Once you surrender your life to Christ, He’ll begin changing
you from the inside out. You don’t have to manufacture Christian behavior on
your own. He’ll give you the desire and the power to change -- after you
receive Christ into your life.
OK. So some people in the church are not really Christians in the first place.
That leads to another question, doesn’t it? Why does it appear that so many
true Christians are hypocrites? I think it results from some confusion about
what a real Christian is. In fact, as we better understand what a true
Christian is, we’ll have a better understanding of what a hypocrite is. I’d like
to suggest3 distinctives of genuine Christians. These characteristicsdealwith
the present, the past, and the future.
1. RealChristians Are ForgivenSinners. Let’s start with the present. The first
feature of a bona fide Christian is that they are forgiven sinners. Perhaps
you’ve seenthe bumper stickerthat reads, “Christians aren’t perfect, just
forgiven.” The Bible never says that Christ followers are perfect. It does say
that those who surrender their lives to Him will be perfectly forgiven.

There’s a difference betweenbeing a sinner and being a hypocrite. There’s an
unspokenassumption that a Christian is someone who doesn’t sin. Nothing
could be further from the truth. In reality, it’s just the opposite.
1 John 1:8 puts it very clearly:“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us.” A hypocrite, or one who wears a mask,
claims to be free from faults. A Christian, on the other hand, freely admits the
fact that he or she is a sinner. The next verse, 1 John 1:9 describes the
difference betweena hypocrite and an honest sinner: “If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.” A forgiven sinner consistentlyseeks cleansing from sin.
To look at the church and see sinners is one thing. To label the church as full
of hypocrites is another thing. The church is not a hall for super saints, but a
hospital for sick sinners.
Let me illustrate. Severalyears ago, when I was serving on staff at a church in
the Chicago area, Ihad the opportunity to meet Paul Harvey, the nationally
recognizedradio personality. He used to attend our church when he was in
town. He’d slip into the back pew so as not to draw any attention to himself.
One Sunday, as soonas the service was over, I raced down the aisle and
introduced myself to him. I was pretty excited to meet someone so famous.
I held out my hand and said, “Hi. My name is Brian Bill. I’m one of the
pastors here.” He said, “PaulHarvey. Nice to meet you.” (I was hoping he was
going to say, “GoodDay”, but he didn’t!) Not really knowing what to saynext,
I said, “I listen to your program every day.” Very perceptively he responded
by saying, “Thank you. That must be pretty difficult with a schedule like
yours.”
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He then turned and left with his wife Angel. I felt sick. I had just lied to Paul
Harvey -- and he knew it! I didn’t listen to his show every day -- maybe once a
week, but not every day! My encounterwith a celebrity left me feeling empty
and ashamed. The next day I sat down and wrote him a letter. I still have a
copy of what I wrote. Let me read part of it to you:
“DearMr. Harvey, It was a delight to meet you yesterdayafter church. In my
excitement I realized after we talked that I lied to you. I mentioned to you that
I listened to your program every day -- that is not true. I feel I need to ask you
to forgive me. I was wrong. I was trying to make you think something that was
not true. Please acceptmy apology.”
Let me ask you a question. Was I being a hypocrite? Yes and no. I was
wearing a mask when I lied to Paul Harvey. But, I moved up to a “sinner”
when I confessedwhatI had done. In fact, seeking his forgiveness helped deter
me from being a hypocrite. If I didn’t own up for my sin before God, and
before him, I would have become a cover-up artist, or a mask-wearer. The
surestway to beat hypocrisy is by recognizing your sinfulness and by asking
for forgiveness.
Testimony: I’d like to ask Beth to come up and share an incident with you
right now…
It’s not about being good. It’s about being forgiven. I find it comforting to
know that we all mess up. One of the greatestChristians who ever lived was
the Apostle Paul. Do you think he thought of himself as spiritually invincible?
No way. He knew who he was. He writes about it in 1 Timothy 1:15: “Here is a
trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners -- of whom I am the worst.” Notice that he doesn’t say
he was a sinner; he says that he still is!
Since Christians are not perfect, it follows that churches are not full of perfect
people. That’s one of the things I like about Pontiac Bible Church. We value
authenticity here -- I know that I’m a sinner and you know you’re a sinner.
We’re a church full of forgiven failures. When you think about it, the church

is the only organizationaround where a public admissionof sinfulness is a
requirement for membership. This place is for sinners. And, if you have the
courage to admit that you’re one of us, you’re welcome here.
2. RealChristians Are Not What They Used To Be. Let’s now take a look at
the past. The secondcharacteristicofa real Christian is that they are not what
they used to be.
Some of you may look at a Christian and wonder why they behave a certain
way. After all, a real Christian shouldn’t lose his temper, right? Or, a genuine
Christian shouldn’t struggle with alcohol, right? Or, a true Christian
shouldn’t swear, right? You might even think to yourself, “If that’s the best
God can do, forgetit. I expectmore out of Christians.”
Instead of focusing on how far people fall short, why not think about how far
they’ve come? Forinstance, even though I have a long way to go in several
areas ofmy life, I am totally different today than I was before I became a
Christian. I used to have a terrible temper. I drank a lot. And I had a foul
mouth. Now, when I lose it on the basketballcourt, you could question my
Christianity. Or, if you knew me before, you might say, “Boy, I’ve seena lot of
changes in his life.”
You see me as a pastor. Those who know my past see something much
different. Beth often says, “I’m gladI didn’t know you before you became a
Christian because I wouldn’t have liked you!”
Friends, there’s a lot of people like me in this church. We’re in process,even
though we have a long way to go, we’re not what we used to be. 2 Corinthians
5:17 says “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;the old has gone, the
new has come!” Those of you who have surrendered your lives to Christ have
become someone new;you’re not what you used to be!

3. RealChristians Are Becoming What They Will Be. Let’s focus now on the
future. A real Christian is a forgiven sinner who has been changedfrom how
they used to be. But there’s more to the story. As my goodfriend Paul Harvey
would say, “Let me give you the rest of the story.” A real Christian will be
transformed completely and will become perfectone day. And that’s not going
to happen in this life, but at death, when we will be radically changedand
spend eternity with Christ.
In the meantime, God through the Holy Spirit provides some divine
housecleaning in our lives. When we mess up, He prompts us to confess it. He
gives us the courage and humility to ask for forgiveness. He gives us the power
to live the way the Bible teaches. He develops the characterofChrist within us
and causes the fruit of the Spirit to ripen in our lives.
As authentic Christ followers, we experience forgiveness ofsin and life-change
as we surrender to Jesus on a daily basis. Philippians 1:6 says, “Being
confident of this, that He who began a goodwork in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”That’s why being a Christian gives
me hope: God’s not finished with me yet. I’m in process. I’m not what I used
to be and I’m becoming what I will be.
You see, there’s a dissonance in all our lives betweenwhat we know is right
and the way we’re currently living. Mostof us seek to presentan image of
ourselves that is better than we really are. In that sense, we’re allhypocrites.
As a Christian however, I have some inside information that keeps me from
being discouragedwith the reality of this discrepancy in my life. I know that
God is at work narrowing the gapbetweenwhat I should be and what I am,
betweenhow I should be living and how I am living. As such, there’s no need
for cover-ups. I’m freed from hypocrisy. I cantake my mask off.
Hope for Hypocrites
Having said all that, is there any hope for hypocrites? What if you’re a
hypocrite? What should you do?

John Stott said this about hypocrisy: “Hypocrisy is hideous. What canceris to
the body, hypocrisy is to the church. It’s a killing agent. Unfortunately,
hypocrisy is also addictive. And even though Jesus reservedHis most severe
words of condemnationfor the hypocrite, we still seemto prefer that lifestyle
to truth and authenticity.” ( “Sermonon the Mount”)
In the Gospelof Matthew, Jesus sternly denouncedthe sin of hypocrisy. In
fact, he reservedhis harshestcriticism for those who are hypocrites. If you’re
bothered by spiritual counterfeits, you have some goodcompany. Jesus lashed
out at mask-wearers 20 different times in the Gospels. Listenas I read a few
verses from the Gospelof Matthew:
Matthew 6:2: “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with
trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagoguesandon the streets to be
honored by men…”
Matthew 6:5: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love
to pray standing in the synagogues andon the streetcorners to be seenby
men…”
Matthew 6:16: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for
they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting...”
Matthew 7:5: “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and
then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Matthew 15:7-8: “You hypocrites! Isaiahwas right when he prophesied about
you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from
me.’”

Some of the harshestwords Jesus everspoke were directedtoward
professionalreligious pretenders. In just one speech, in Matthew 23, He called
them:
• Hypocrites (7 times)
• Fools (2 times)
• Blind Guides (5 times)
• Serpents and Brood of Vipers (1 time)
In Matthew 23:23-28, afterdescribing the disease ofdeceit, Jesus also gives a
couple cures for counterfeits. He gives hope to hypocrites. Let’s look at the
two cures.
1. Implement the Important. Take a look at verses 23-24:“Woe to you,
teachers ofthe law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! You give a tenth of your
spices-mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglectedthe more important
matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced
the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a
gnat but swallow a camel.”
The word “woe” canbe translated “cursedbe…” and is the exactopposite of
what we read in the Beatitudes, “Blessedbe…” Jesus cursescounterfeits.
These religious actors were obsessedwith the trivial. We could saythat they
majored on the minors. The Old TestamentLaw did not explicitly require a
tithe on spices, eventhough the Phariseesspentin inordinate amount of time
debating among themselves whether to give 10% of their cumin to the Lord.
Becausethey were so focusedon the smaller things, Jesus points out that they
neglectedthat which was mostimportant – justice, mercy, and faithfulness. It
reminds me of Micah6:8: “He has showedyou, O man, what is good. And
what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to
walk humbly with your God.” Have you ever noticedthat legalists are often
sticklers for details but blind to the greatprinciples of Scripture?

I love the imagery Jesus uses to show them how blind they are. Wanting to
avoid the impurity causedby a dead insectin their drink, they would strain
out a bug before it would die in order to avoid being declaredunclean.
Interestingly, many people consideredgnats exempt from causing impurity,
but the Pharisees didn’t want to take any chances. Jesuschargesthat they
would put a camel, which was the largestland animal in Palestine and ritually
unclean, in a cup and gulp him down.
Their attention to detail was fine but they had missed the main point. If you
want to avoid being a hypocrite, guard yourself againstmajoring on the
minors. Implement the important. Don’t get so caught up in the minutia that
you miss the majestic.
2. Intensify the Internal. Let’s read verses 25-26:“Woe to you, teachers ofthe
law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! You cleanthe outside of the cup and dish,
but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee!First
cleanthe inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”
In this sectionJesus speaksaboutthe danger of externalizing religion. It’s so
easyto focus on religious routines that we forget the necessityof cultivating a
love relationship with Jesus. Insteadof intensifying the internal, some of us
only express the external.
The Pharisees were like a cup that lookedreallyclean on the outside but on
the inside it was full of greedand self-indulgence. When I was calledto PBC,
the elders gave me a coffee cup that I still use on a regular basis. It’s beautiful.
There’s a picture of Pontiac on the front. I remember one time when I forgot
to cleanthe inside for about a week and mold started growing. This very
attractive cup was actually a reservoirfor fungus and bacteria.

Friend, if you want to be cured from living a counterfeit life, then intensify the
internal. Keep your insides clean. Focus more on the internal than the
external. In order to make sure He made His point, Jesus uses one more image
that is one of the strongestHe ever used.
Notice verses 27-28:“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You are like whitewashedtombs, which look beautiful on the
outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.
In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the
inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
The FeastofPassoverwas just around the corner. In order to spruce up the
city, all the gravestones andtombs were painted white. This wasn’t just to
make thing look nice, it had a much deeper significance. The Phariseesknew
that nothing spreadritual impurity as severelyas a corpse. Numbers 19:11
says that anyone who touched a dead body was unclean for a week. The
Pharisees believedthat one could be rendered religiouslydirty and thus
ostracizedfrom the Passovercelebrationif even one’s shadow would touch a
tombstone. That’s why they were painted white so they could avoid them.
Jesus continues by saying that these hypocrites were actually full of dead
men’s bones! This would have greatly offended them. They were so set on
avoiding things that would render them contaminatedthat they missed the
whole point! They were not only internally dirty; they were also dead on the
inside. What really counts, as far as God is concerned, is what a person is
within. It’s possible to look goodon the outside and yet in actuality be morally
dirty and spiritually dead. When viewedfrom outward appearances, the
hypocrite looks good. He plays the part. The problem is on the inside where
wickednessand evil thoughts reign supreme.

Fellow hypocrite, do you want some hope today? Do you want to change? Do
you want to insulate yourself from the tendency to focus only on the external?
Are you ready to take off your mask and be authentic, perhaps for the first
time? Then, implement the important and intensify the internal.
I find it very interesting that while Jesus is hard on hypocrites, He never
condemns sinners. John 3:17 says that, “The Sondid not come into the world
to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” In fact, Jesus
embraces those who own up to their mistakes and moral failures. We think we
need to put on a mask and act religious in order to gain God’s favor. Jesus
says, “Takeoffthe mask. Be real. Own up for your rebellion. If you do, I will
forgive you.”
Are you playing spiritual charades? Stopit right now. You’re not fooling
anyone. People can see your hypocrisy and they’re turned off by it. In fact,
there may be some non-Christians who have written off the church and God
because ofthe way you’ve been acting. It’s time to come clean, Christian. It’s
time to walk the talk and to live what you say you believe. The wayyou live
your life is important.
If you’re investigating Christianity, and you see imperfect Christians, I
encourage younot to make a decisionon the basis of the unfinished product --
make your decisionon the basis of the person of Christ. He canimpact your
present by forgiving you for your sins. He canmake changes in your life now
so that you are not what you used to be. And, he will help you become what
you will be by steadily chipping awayat your rough spots and changing you
from the inside out.
I’ve heard people saythat they’d be more interested in following Christ if
there weren’t so many hypocrites. They don’t seemto realize that if a
hypocrite is standing betweenthem and God, then the hypocrite is closerto
God than they are!
I wonder if you’re wearing a mask this morning. Are you trying to pretend
that you have it all together, when deep inside you know you can’t keepup the

act much longer? The cure for hypocrisy is not to change anything on the
outside. It’s not a matter of doing more things, of trying to getmore religious.
That just perpetuates the wearing of masks. If you want to change, if you
want to truly become someone you’ve never been before, the change has to
take place on the inside.
I know of only one person who canaffectthat kind of change. His name is
Jesus Christ. Stop playing Christian charades. Standbefore Him and admit
that you’re a sinner. Implement the important and intensify the internal.
When you do, He’ll forgive you and set you on your way to becoming all that
He createdyou to be.
Join the ranks of forgiven sinners. There’s a greatertemptation for hypocrisy
if you don’t have a way to deal with the sin in your life. You see, if you don’t
know you’re forgiven, you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to coverit up.
Ask Christ to forgive you and change you and He’ll “cover” your sins.
Then, when someone follows you around with a video camera, they’ll find
something even more newsworthythan a holy hypocrite. The camera will
show someone who has the courage to take off his or her mask and be real --
now that will be a story! Any takers?
Matthew 23:13-24: “Jesus Begins To Pronounce ‘Woes’On The Pharisees
And Scribes”
by

Jim Bomkamp
Back Bible Studies Home Page
1. INTRO:
1.1. In our last study, we saw that Jesus had now begun to directly and
broadly rebuke and condemn the Pharisees fortheir hypocrisy and sin as
leaders in Israel
1.1.1. Jesus toldHis disciples to do what the Pharisees told them to do, but
not to follow their actions, for their walk did not match their talk
1.1.2. Jesus condemnedthem for laying heavy burdens upon other people and
yet themselves not being willing to lift a finger to move the same burdens. In
other words, they were themselves openly disobeying God’s commands
1.1.3. Jesus condemnedthem for doing all of their deeds in order to be seen
by men
1.1.4. Jesus then beganto condemn the Pharisees fordemanding or expecting
people to callthem by respectfultitles:
1.1.4.1.Theylovedthe respectfulgreetings in the marketplace
1.1.4.2.Theylovedbeing called, ‘Rabbi’
1.1.4.3.Theylovedthe chief seats in the synagogue andthe chief seats at
banquets
1.1.5. Jesus then told His disciples not to call men, ‘Father’, or even ‘leader’,
for to do these things would be to put men in the place where God should be
1.1.6. In application then, we learnedthat:
1.1.6.1.Ifwe are doing our deeds in order to be noticedby men that we will
lose our reward in heaven

1.1.6.2.Weshouldcare about having God’s approval, not the approval of men
1.2. In our study today, we see that Jesus begins to pronounce ‘woes’
upon the Phariseesand Scribes, and in this chapter Jesus pronounces sevenor
eight woes upon the leaders
1.2.1. These‘woes’are divine curses which prophesy divine judgment to
follow, howeverJesus pronounces them brokenheartedlyand with the utmost
of sorrow and pity
1.2.2. As Jesus pronounces these ‘woes’, He knows that they will result in the
harshestof punishments for the unrepentant, but He also knows that many
innocent people in Israelwill suffer greatly because ofthe judgments that will
be poured out upon the leaders
1.2.3. The immediate judgment upon the nation of Israelwill result in the
overthrow of the nation of Israel, their temple, and the destruction of
Jerusalem, which occurred40 years later in 70 AD
1.2.4. The secondaryjudgment upon the nation of Israelwill occurwhen the
unrepentant onces stand before the GreatWhite Throne Judgment of
unbelievers, and they are castinto the Lake of Fire which burns for eternity
1.2.5. As I have mentioned already a few times in this study of Matthew, the
Lord’s judgments have always been the most severe againstthose who are
supposedto be shepherds of His people, and Ezekiel34:1-10, we read of God’s
judgments that were to come upon the shepherds of Israelwho were not
caring for the sheep, feeding them, and protecting them as they should, “34:1
Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Sonof man, prophesy
againstthe shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus
says the Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israelwho have been feeding
themselves!Should not the shepherds feedthe flock? 3 “You eatthe fat and
clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughterthe fat sheep without feeding
the flock. 4 “Those who are sicklyyou have not strengthened, the diseasedyou

have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scatteredyou have
not brought back, nor have you soughtfor the lost; but with force and with
severity you have dominated them. 5 “And they were scatteredfor lack of a
shepherd, and they became foodfor every beast of the field and were
scattered. 6 “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high
hill, and My flock was scatteredoverall the surface of the earth; and there
was no one to searchor seek forthem.”’” 7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear
the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surelybecause
My flockhas become a prey, My flock has even become foodfor all the beasts
of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not searchfor My
flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock;9
therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 ‘Thus says the Lord
God, “Behold, I am againstthe shepherds, and I shall demand My sheepfrom
them and make them cease fromfeeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed
themselves anymore, but I shall deliver My flock from their mouth, that they
may not be food for them.”’”””
2. VS 23:13 - “13 “Butwoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,
because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from men; for you do not enter in
yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”” - Jesus
pronounces the first ‘woe’ upon the Pharisees and Scribes: they block people
from heaven
2.1. The Pharisees andScribes were the appointed leaders of God’s
people, and as the highest leaders they were chargedwith a very solemn duty
of being the ‘gate-keepers’to God’s Kingdom.
2.1.1. Being ‘gate-keepers’,it was their responsibility to lead the people into
fellowship with the Lord, and teachthem to observe all of His
commandments.
2.1.2. Jesus pronounces a ‘woe’upon them first because they themselves did
not enter into God’s Kingdom, for they were in reality not God’s people at all.

2.1.2.1.Jesus toldthe Phariseesonone occasionin John 8:44 that they were of
their father, the ‘devil’, and thus they were doing the works of their father,
“44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your
father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks
from his ownnature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.”
2.1.3. Secondly, Jesus pronounces a ‘woe’upon them because they were
hindering those who would otherwise come into the kingdom.
2.1.3.1.InJohn9:22, we see that the parents of the man born blind, whom
Jesus healedof his sight, were afraid to openly confess anything about the
healing of their son because the Pharisees hadagreedthat if anyone confessed
Jesus to be the Messiahthat he would be put out of the synagogue.
2.1.3.2.InZech. 11:17, Zechariah wrote about the curses that are upon the
worthless shepherds of God’s people, “ 17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd
Who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm And on his right eye! His
arm will be totally withered, And his right eye will be blind.””
2.1.3.3.In1 Thess. 2:14-16, we see that Paul wrote about how during the era of
the early church that the Jews were still trying to hinder people from coming
to God, for they were hindering the Gentiles from hearing the gospeland
being saved, “14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God
in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at
the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, 15 who
both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not
pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, 16 hindering us from speaking to the
Gentiles that they might be saved; with the result that they always fill up the
measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.”
3. VS 23:14 - “14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,
because you devour widows’houses, even while for a pretense you make long
prayers; therefore you shall receive greatercondemnation.]” - Jesus
pronounces the second‘woe’upon the Pharisees andScribes because they

devoured widows houses, but made a pretense by having a long prayer while
they were there
3.1. This verse is not in the earliestmanuscripts, and thus it is contained
within brackets.
3.1.1. Eventhough this verse was not in the oldest manuscripts, and thus it’s
authenticity for this book is very much in question, we see that the synoptic
writers Mark and Luke, in Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47, quote Jesus as saying
these same things about the Phariseesand Scribes, howeverthose writers do
not mention these statements in regardto ‘woes’whichJesus pronounced
againstthese leaders.
3.2. The Logos Bible quotes Bab. Berachothas saying that many of the
supposedly very religious Pharisees andScribes would pray sometimes nine
hours a day.
3.3. In Ezekiel22:22-24 (and other places in the scripture), we learn that
the Lord takes it very personally if anyone harms orphans and widows,
therefore by their actions these Phariseesand Scribes were making themselves
huge enemies of the Lord, “22 “You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. 23
“If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his
cry; 24 and My angerwill be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword;and
your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.””
3.4. The hypocrisy of the Pharisees andScribes in robbing widows blind
while at the same time praying long prayers over their houses in order to
appear to men to be caring so greatly for them predicates this very solemn
judgment and curse or ‘woe’over them.
3.5. It could be that in these verses that Jesus was thinking specificallyof
the Phariseesas going to widows houses and forcing or bribing them into
committing adultery with them.

4. VS 23:15 - “15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,
because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he
becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”” -
Jesus condemns the Pharisees and Scribes saying ‘woe’ to them for being so
zealous to make a new convert, yet once they have made one he will be twice
as evil as they are
4.1. These religious leaders were very zealous for the Lord, and yet as we
often see in our world today, many times there canbe such a thing as a
‘misguided zeal’ for the Lord.
4.1.1. Forinstance, I see misguided zeal in men like Timothy McVeigh, who
would bomb a government building and kill hundreds of innocent civilians,
and others who are in the anti-government movement and who believe in God,
Christ, and the Bible, and yet they do not understand the heart of Godand the
things that are really most important from the Lord’s perspective.
4.1.2. Zealfor the Lord is an important thing to have, for it speaks ofour true
love and devotion to the Lord, howeverif zealis not mixed with knowledge,
true knowledge ofGod, His Word, and His ways, then that zeal cannot
accomplishthe righteousness ofGod, nor be pleasing to Him.
4.2. Jesus says here that these Pharisees andScribes would make the man
twice the ‘son of Gehenna’, or ‘son of hell’, than themselves. Jesus taughtthat
a person becomes like his teacher, and thus any of the converts the Pharisees
and Scribes made became just a hypocritical and evil as they themselves were,
for they followed all of their wickedways. However, Jesus says thatthese
Pharisees andScribes were so wickedthat the proselytes they made actually
became twice as wickedas themselves.
5. VS 23:16-22 - “16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever
swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoeverswears by the gold of the
temple, he is obligated.’17 “You fools and blind men; which is more
important, the gold, or the temple that sanctifiedthe gold? 18 “And,

‘Whoeverswears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoeverswears by the
offering upon it, he is obligated.’ 19 “You blind men, which is more
important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering? 20 “Therefore
he who swears by the altar, swearsboth by the altar and by everything on it.
21 “And he who swears by the temple, swears bothby the temple and by Him
who dwells within it. 22 “And he who swears by heaven, swears bothby the
throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.”” - Jesus pronounces a ‘woe’
upon the Phariseesand Scribes for their swearing by God’s temple
5.1. In Matthew 5:33-37, we saw that Jesus told His disciples that it is
wrong to ‘swear’in the first place, “33 “Again, you have heard that the
ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows
to the Lord.’ 34 “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it
is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the footstoolofHis feet, or by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the greatKing. 36 “Norshall you make an oath
by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 “But let your
statementbe, ‘Yes, yes‘ or ‘No, no‘; and anything beyond these is of evil.””
5.1.1. The Lord takes any vows very seriously, therefore before anyone makes
a vow that they will or will not do any particular thing, then they must truly
be sure that they are not going to let anything stand in the way of keeping
their word.
5.1.2. We also saw whenwe studied these verses from Matthew 5 that if we
were just to be men and women of our word, then we would not need to swear
that we were or were not going to do anything, because our word would stand
for itself.
5.1.2.1.Itis an incredible testimony to the world when people canjust simply
count upon someone’s wordwhen they say something.
5.1.3. We discussedthat there are times when a person has to by law swearin
court before giving their testimony, and that really what Jesus was saying in
His teaching here was not so much that they should not swearatall, or in any

case, but rather that if we do swearthat we had better be sure that we know
we are going to be able to back up what we are committing ourselves to.
5.2. In our world today, many times people resort to swearing that they
will do things because theyhave relented upon their word so many times in
the pastthat people cannotcount upon them doing what they say they are
going to do, and sometimes I have heard people saysomething that is very
similar to what the Phariseesand Scribes in Jesus’ day were saying. They will
say, “I swearona stack of Bibles that…”, as if we should take their word with
much more credibility because it is a stack of Bibles upon which it is sworn.
5.3. The Pharisees were doing wrong by swearing and not keeping their
word, but they were also doing wrong by swearing by God’s temple, whether
it be by the gold of the temple, the offering in the temple, or the altar of the
temple, for to do so is to use God for your own selfishpurposes.
5.4. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees fortheir bad sense ofvalues:
5.4.1. Theysaidthat a person was not obligated if he swore by the temple
unless he swore by the ‘gold’ of the temple.
5.4.1.1.Theirswearing in this wayreally statedthat they valued earthly riches
more than heavenly riches.
5.4.2. Theysaidthat a person was not obligated if he swore by the altar in the
temple but only if he swore by the offering on the altar.
5.4.2.1.Theirswearing in this wayreally statedthat they valued the
accomplishments of men more that the accomplishments of God.
5.4.3. The Pharisees’wrong sense ofvalues made them to be ‘blind men’,
‘blind guides’ of God’s people, and really this issue of their swearing was only
a very small reflection of the corruption of true justice and righteousness
which the Pharisees andScribes had made.
5.4.3.1.Becauseoftheir corruption of justice and righteousness,being leaders
of the people, God would judge them in His wrath for their sins if they
continued on unrepentant.

6. VS 23:23 - “23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglectedthe weightier
provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the
things you should have done without neglecting the others.”” - Jesus
pronounces a ‘woe’upon the Pharisees andScribes because they tried to
carry out the Law to a ridiculous degree and upon the points which were of
small significance, and yet they openly violated the Law upon the points of
greatestsignificance
6.1. It is interesting in this verse that Jesus tells us that there are
‘weightier’ points in God’s Law that a personought to take to heart to
perform, and therefore we know that if we follow the heart of God that we
will not be people who place the wrong emphasis upon obedience to some
commands from the scriptures.
6.2. Jesus tells the people that the Phariseesand Scribes were people who
‘majored on the minors’.
6.2.1. Manyin the church today do the same things. Forinstance, I have seen
churches split for the silliest of reasons:
6.2.1.1.The mostrecentexample of this was that a church I know in Phoenix
had a split because the pastor had the nerve to change the font in the bulletins
which listed the announcements.
6.2.1.2.Ihave heard of church splits over the colorof the carpet.
6.2.1.3.Some churches thatare legalistic do this constantly.
6.2.1.3.1.Ihave heard of churches that were so legalistic that they taught such
things as that a womanwould be going to hell if her dress came two inches
above her ankles, orif she wore make up or jewelry, or if she curled or died
her hair.
6.2.1.4.Etc.,etc.

6.3. Mint, dill, and cumin were spices that someone might hang in their
kitchen window, and the Law of Moses did require that a personshould have
to tithe for any increase receivedin their lives, howeverthese small little
household plants amounted to next to nothing in relation to all of the other
possessionsin a persons life. However, in order for people to know the
seriousnessin which they took tithing a 10th part of everything, the Pharisees
and Scribes would give a tithe of these plants.
6.4. ‘Justice’, ‘mercy’, and ‘faithfulness’ were conduct that the Pharisees
and Scribes really did not value highly in their personallives, even in spite of
the factthat they spent much of their energyin trying to do external works so
that they might be able to be lookedup to by the people as being spiritually
minded and committed to God.
6.4.1. The PhariseesandScribes tried hard to keepmost of the external
requirements of the Law, yet the ‘weightier’ commandments of the Law
which they didn’t keeptouched upon a person’s heart and motives. The
‘weightier’ commandments of the Law were commandments that a person
carried out because ofhaving a godly ‘love’ for others, the keeping of which
were really the ‘love of God’ coming out through their lives.
6.4.2. Rememberthat Jesus taught that all of God’s commandments really
could be summed up in two commandments: To love the Lord with all of
your heart, mind, and strength; and, to love your neighbor as you love
yourself.
6.4.2.1.Keeping the external requirements of the Law without having love in
your heart for others (love that results in actions consistentwith love) was to
not keepthem at all in God’s sight.
6.4.2.2.In1 Cor. 13:1-13, Paulwrote about how that you can do any kind of
service for Christ that you want to do, howeverit doesn’t matter how radical
that service to God may be if you are not exercizing agape love, for then you
are nothing, and your service is not pleasing to God, “13:1 If I speak with the
tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy
gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all
mysteries and all knowledge;and if I have all faith, so as to remove

mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my
possessionsto feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not
have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not
jealous;love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly;
it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into accounta wrong
suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love
never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away;if there
are tongues, they will cease;if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For
we know in part, and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the
partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak as a child,
think as a child, reasonas a child; when I became a man, I did awaywith
childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face;
now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully
known. 13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatestof
these is love.”
7. VS 23:24 - “24 “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and
swallow a camel!”” - Jesus condemns the Pharisees forstraining out a gnat
and swallowing a camel
7.1. In this verse, Jesus just uses an visual illustration to demonstrate the
degree to which the Phariseesand Scribes majored on the minors, and visa
versa.
7.1.1. The PhariseesandScribes would title to the ‘inth’ degree, even
regarding the most insignificant of things such as spice plants in their kitchen,
and thus they were ‘straining out a gnat’ by the degree that they would try to
follow God’s guidelines for tithing, howeverthey would openly disobey God’s
commandments, such to not stealor commit adultery, and thus they were
‘swallowing a camel’ in doing these things.

Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees
Series:Matthew
Sermon by J. Ligon Duncan on Jul 4, 1999
Matthew 23:13-36
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If you have your Bibles, I would invite you to turn with me to Matthew 23.
God in His providence always shows His word to be timely and seasonable.
We have seenthis in the last two weeks as our dear brother Derek Thomas
has preachedto us from the word on the theme of faith on trial. How wise and
goodGod is to speak to us seasonably.
Once againwe have been working through Matthew for some time, God has a
word that is timely and seasonableas we turn here to Matthew 23. I want to
remind you of severalthings as we come to this passage. Youwill remember

that in Matthew 23 Jesus is speaking in the last few days of His public
ministry before He is crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem. So these final
words are very important words. In Matthew chapter 22 He had spent a good
deal of time discussing a range of theologicalissues withthe Pharisees andthe
scribes and even the Sadducees. In Matthew chapter 23 He turns His attention
to the crowds who are in the temple. As far as we know, the scribes and the
Pharisees have left Him, by and large. There may have been a few in the
crowds, but now Jesus is directing His focus of preaching to the crowds
themselves. And as He does so, He brings a withering critique againstthe
ministry and the lives of these who were the key spiritual leaders in Israelin
His day.
Now I want you to understand that Jesus is not just waiting for them to get of
earshotand then blasting them behind their backs. Jesus hadspokento them
very frankly, not only in Matthew 22, but throughout His ministry about His
assessmentofthe deficiencies oftheir own hearts and of their ministry. What
Jesus is doing now is intended as a very important warning for His ministers
and His followers that they not fall prey to the temptations to which the
Pharisees andscribes had fallen prey. And so the Lord Jesus'words are not
simply a reflectionof a man who has had enough and has losthis temper and
is just flailing awayin every direction, blasting in every direction he can,
because ofhis angerwith a particular group. No, these words are deliberate,
they are calculated, and they are even loving and gracious as we will see later
on.
So as we come face to face with some very stern language, let's bear all those
things in mind, as we turn to Matthew chapter 23, Beginning in verse 13. Hear
God's word.
Matthew 23:13-16
Thus ends this reading of God's holy and inspired word. May He add His
blessing to it. Let's pray.
Our heavenly Father, these sober and solemnand shocking words are the very
words inspired by the Holy Spirit, meant for the edification of Your people.
We ask, this day, that You would help us to see the truth of Your word for our

lives, that we would respond to it by Your grace, embracing it, confessing our
sins, fleeing to Christ and being built up in Him. Lead us not into temptation,
O Lord, but deliver us from evil, and especiallythe evil spokenof in this
passage. We ask these things in Jesus'name. Amen.
In this greatpassage, the Lord Jesus Christ pronounces curses upon those
religious leaders of His people who were hypocritical, who were outwardly
holy, but who inwardly loved not God and carednot for the souls of His
people. He specificallycatalogues the chief sins which they had committed.
And then He delivers what is simultaneously a gracious responseand a
terrifying warning. In verses 13-33, you will see Christ, on eight occasions,
pronounce a woe, a denunciation, a curse. That curse is againsthypocrisy. But
you will also see eight particular sins which reflectthat hypocrisy denounced
by the Lord Jesus Christ. And then finally in verses 34 through 36, you'll see
Jesus'response to that hypocrisy, in both a word of grace and a word of
judgment. And that's what I would like to look with you about today.
I. We must appreciate that the truly loving thing is not to ignore but to
confront/denounce soul-killing error.
If you would turn your attention first to verses 13 through 33, I want you to
see a very important truth and that is we need to appreciate that the truly
loving thing for a man of God is not to ignore soul-killing error, but to
confront it and denounce it. Jesus'words are strong, even in our nonchalant
world where we think we have heard every thing and seenevery thing, where
we have been there and done that, when we read Jesus saying these kinds of
things, it's shocking. I had the privilege of preaching a month or so ago at
Capitol Hill BaptistChurch and I was preaching on this passage orthe
passageimmediately prior to it, and the front of the bulletin had the words,
‘You serpents, you brood of vipers, who will deliver you from the sentence of
hell?’ And I thought, boy, what would a visitor think coming to church today?
What kind of hellfire and brimstone messageis he going to hear? These are
the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not name-calling. He's not simply
venting angerand frustration. His words are well chosen;and in fact, they are
pastorally chosenfor the sake ofHis people. And that's the very first thing I
want you to see today. The truly loving thing for the man of God, for the

preacherof God's word to do is not to ignore soul-killing error and hypocrisy,
but to confront it and to denounce it. It's always easierfor the man of God to
try and pretend like it is not there, because he gets less criticism. But that's
not the kind thing, that's not the loving thing to do for those who are deluded
by that kind of error. And the Lord Jesus Christ loved the Pharisees and
scribes enoughto tell it like it was, to show them their own hearts and to call
them to repentance. We see it in this passage.
Let's be frank. This is a brutal denunciation of the most widely respected
spiritual leaders in Israelin Jesus'day. What an impact this would have had
on them. I can hardly convey to you how the people in the crowds and the
multitudes that day might have respondedto Jesus'message. If they had
heard Jesus before, they would have been familiar with the factthat Jesus was
a man who would call a spade a spade. However, if this was the first time they
were hearing Jesus, canyou imagine someone without credentials from your
seminary coming into your midst and denouncing all of the most respected
spiritual leaders as hypocrites? What would your initial reactionbe to that?
Well, surely this man is unloving. This man is unkind. This man is going too
far. He is saying mean and unkind things. Surely this man is wrong in the
things he is saying. This is preciselywhat Jesus was doing. He was denouncing
those religious leaders who held swayover the people of God in His own time.
But His denunciation is purely pastoral. He is not just venting, He is not just
finally fed up and He is going to let them have it. Jesus is calculatedand
deliberate and ultimately loving in what He says in this passage. Eighttimes
He pronounces woes on the scribes and Pharisees.Seventimes He calls them
hypocrites. Four times He calls them blind. Once He calls them fools. He calls
them the offspring of vipers once. His words are strong.
But He is not engaging in name-calling. This is calculated, spiritual
confrontation. What in the world was Jesus doing? Two or things at least.
First of all, Jesus was showing God's people God's attitude towards hypocrisy.
You see, the people would have thought these men were close to God. In fact,
the saying we sharedbefore was if only two people go to heaven, surely one of
them will be a Pharisee. Thatwas the estimation of the people of these men.
Jesus is saying, I want you to know what God thinks about the hypocrisy of

these men. Don't be fooled. God is not mocked. He knows. He sees. He will
judge. They can't fool Him. Jesus is first of all showing the people God's
opinion of their religious hypocrisy. You see the people might be tempted to
think, well, God has allowedthese kinds of men to minister in the life of the
kingdom of heaven. Well maybe He doesn't know. Maybe somehow they
fooledGod. And the Lord Jesus is saying, I want you to know that God knows
exactly what these men are about.
But secondly, the Lord Jesus Christ is offering another generalwarning to
these scribes and Pharisees. His own disciples are going to preach this same
messageagainto the scribes and Pharisees afterthe resurrection and after
Pentecost. And so the Lord Jesus Christ in His graciousnessis once again
warning these men to flee from their own sins and to flee to him and to the
gospel. And so in denouncing them, He is actually telling them the things that
they need to know in order to be saved. Just as the prophets confronted
wickedkings in the days of israel, the Lord Jesus Christis confronting wicked
religious leaders and He is doing it, not because He hates them, but because
He desires them to turn from their sins and be saved.
And then finally He is telling these things to these scribes and Pharisees
because He wants the crowd and His disciples to be warned that we too are
susceptible to the same temptations to which they had fallen prey. The Lord
Jesus is warning His disciples and all His people againstthis kind of religious
gamesmanship. He doesn't want people who practice religion as if they were
actors in a stage play. He wants people whose hearts, from the inside out, have
been given over to Him and who love Him with all their heart, with all their
soul, with all their strength, and with all their mind. And so He is warning His
people againstthis type of superficial, external practice of religion which the
leaders of Israelhad fallen into in His day.
Let me also say that by denouncing this hypocrisy and yet affirming the
reality of God, affirming the reality of the teaching of Scripture, affirming the
reality of a saving relationship with God, Jesus is also not falling into that trap
of making a shallow deduction that says because there are hypocrites in the
church, therefore Christianity is not true. Jesus Christ speaks more strongly
about hypocrisy in the church than anybody in the history of the world. But

that does not lead Him to say, therefore, Christianity is all just a fake. No, He
says, the presence ofhypocrisy is the sign of the evil of the human heart and of
the wiles of Satan. And, therefore, you beware of it.
But don't you think it disproves the truth of my Father. We all run into folks
who disappoint us from time to time. Jesus saidwe would. If we didn't, Jesus
would not be telling the truth, because He told us we were going to run into
this. The last thing Paul told the elders at Ephesus was that people from
within their ownmidst would rise up and like ravenous wolves devour the
people of God. Jesus is saying, yes, hypocrisy exists in the church. No, it does
not disprove the truth of God or undercut the reality of a saving relationship
with God. That is so important for us to remember today.
II. We must examine our own harts and pray for our spiritual leaders in light
of Jesus’words here.
Then as we look at the catalogueofsins that the Lord Jesus lists for us here in
verses 13 through 33, we are reminded that we need to examine our own
hearts. We need to examine our own hearts in accordance withthese things
that Jesus says aboutthe scribes and the Pharisees and we need to pray for
our religious leaders, our elders, our deacons, ourministers, not to fall prey to
these sins and correspondinglyto grow in grace in the opposite virtues. Look
at the things that the Lord Jesus Christ says about the scribes and the
Pharisees.
First, in verse 13 He says, you keeppeople from eternal fellowshipwith God
and you refuse it yourselves. How? By opposing the gospelmessage. The
Pharisees andthe scribes, not only rejectedJesus themselves, theydid their
dead-level bestto keepother people from embracing the Lord Jesus Christ
and the gospelof the kingdom of heaven. And the Lord Jesus Christ says the
Lord will visit curse upon you because ofthis. And the sad thing is, my
friends, there are ministers, ministers of the gospel as it were, who prevent
people from coming into the kingdom by their false teaching. I had the
privilege just a few weeksago ofhearing the testimony of saving grace ofa
young man who is an intern at Highlands PresbyterianChurch here in
Jackson. He had lived a life of debauchery and while he was at a wedding, he

heard the minister read the words of I Corinthians 13. And without comment,
God's word struck his heart and convictedhim of his sin and showedhim that
there was a greaterreality than he had ever imagined and he beganthe
process ofseeking forGod, simply by hearing the word of God read. And so
he went to the minister of his home church. He hadn't been there in many
years, but he went to the minister of this church and he said, "What must I do
to be saved? Whatmust I do to be born again?" And the man said, "Born
again? Don't getcaught up in all that stuff. You don't need to be born again."
The young man was discouragedand confusedand he came across a PCA
minister named Bob Cargo who sharedwith him the truth of the gospelofthe
Lord Jesus Christ and he was redeemed, savedfrom his sin. But there was
this other minister who was standing in the wayof the gospelwork in his
heart. The Lord Jesus is saying, may the curses ofGod fall upon every man
like that.
Then in verse 14 we see Jesus say, you men, you practice your religion for
personalgain. You look holy for the sake ofgaining the confidence of God's
people and then exploiting them. And so He charges them with practicing
religion for personal gain.
In verse 15 He goes on to say, you make your converts into worse hypocrites
than yourselves. The Pharisees were veryevangelistic. Don'tget the idea that
the Phariseesdidn't care about conversion. Theydid. They wantedlots of
people convertedand they wantedthem to be just like themselves. And so the
Lord Jesus said, you know what. You go out and you convert people and you
make them twice as bad as you are. They pick up on all your worse
tendencies. Theyare hypocritical. They are legalistic. Theyare unbelieving.
And yet they attempt to appear to be holy. They become partisans, not lovers
of God. And so He condemns them for this.
Notice againin verses 16 through 22. He says, you make subtle distinctions in
your teaching to God's people about what kind of oaths are binding and what
kinds of oaths are not. And those subtle distinctions undercut the truth and
they encourage God's people to be untruthful. Woe to you. Cursed be you.
May God's curses fall upon you, He says.

Again in verses 23 and 24 He says, you have majored on questionable minutia.
Yes, the Old Testamentsays that all the produce of the field of the land shall
be tithed to the Lord. You're going out into your herb gardenand you are
looking at the mint and the little patch of mint about that big and the little
patch of dill and the little patch of cumin and you are saying, 'well, we must
tithe that as well.' And Jesus says, fine, do that. But don't ignore justice and
mercy and faithfulness, the central matters of the law. You have become
sidetrackedin minutia and you have misled the greatrealities of the faith, and
you have misled your followers as well.
In verses 25 and 26, He says, you appearto be holy, but in your heart of
hearts, you're self-indulgent. You are hard on everybody else but you are soft
on yourself. You'll allow yourself all manner of flexibility and you will be
harsh on others.
Verses 27 and 28, you appear to be holy but in your heart of hearts you're
hypocritical and you're lawless. You proclaim with your lips that you love the
law but in your life you don't.
Verses 29 through 33, you actas though you honor God's messengers, but in
fact you hate God's messengers, because youhate God's message.
All eight of those charges the Lord Jesus Christbrings againstthe Pharisees
and scribes. And let me say that that's a prayer list for you. You say, how so?
You need to pray that those that God has put in positions of spiritual
authority in your life would be delivered from those tendencies, those
temptations, those sins. Because Iwant to say, just studying this passageis a
convicting process forany minister of the word. Because we cansee in our
own hearts the seeds ofsin and we need God's people praying that we would
be delivered from that kind of hypocrisy. But not only negatively that the
Lord would deliver us from this, but He would cultivate in us the opposite
virtues. I say you pray through this list and you can see the opposite virtues.
Instead of refusing people entrance into the kingdom of heaven, we would
pray that our leaders would love the gospeland would long for people to
embrace it.

Jesus was a severe critic

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