Why Did Jesus Speak So Strongly Against the Scribes and Pharisees?
Thinking about Matthew 23
The scribes and the Pharisees were part of the Jewish nation - the people of God under the Law of Moses.
Today, God’s people are those in Christ Jesus - Christians (1 Peter 2:9-10).
The application from the scribes and Pharisees is best made to Christians, not to people who have never obeyed the gospel.
Why does Jesus speak so strongly to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23?
A couple of things worth remembering about this chapter:
Matthew 23 is near the end of Jesus’ ministry. He’s already spent 2-3 years trying to teach people like the scribes and Pharisees.
Jesus mourns over these people rejecting Him at the end of Matthew 23. Jesus received no pleasure or sense of satisfaction from “telling off” the scribes and Pharisees.
Because the scribes and Pharisees arrogantly opposed God’s way.
After speaking of the importance of humility and being a servant, Jesus pronounces His first “woe” (meaning grief and calamity) upon the scribes and Pharisees.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. (Matthew 23:13)
The scribes and Pharisees were more concerned about protecting their own positions and power than about doing the will of God (John 11:47-48). The things they did and said were about promoting themselves and getting the people to follow after them, instead of following after Jesus.
Because the scribes and Pharisees feigned holiness.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. (Matthew 23:14)
While they enjoyed praying long, public prayers to exalt themselves in people's eyes and to satisfy their self-righteousness (Luke 18:9-12), they were taking advantage of the helpless.
Perhaps by caring more about making their own comfortable position as a leader of the people instead of being willing to serve “the least among them,” they were guilty of “devouring widow’s houses.”
Because the scribes and Pharisees evangelized people in their own traditions.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. (Matthew 23:15)
The scribes and Pharisees put a lot of effort into converting people. However, once that person was converted, they entangled the person so much in their traditions that they blinded them to the truth (John 9:39-41).
Evangelism does no good - in fact, it makes things worse - if we end up teaching the person our traditions and opinions rather than the Word of God.
Because the scribes and Pharisees created loopholes in God’s law for immorality.
“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’ (Matthew 23:16)
This section goes from Matthew 23:16-22. The scribes and Pharisees had developed this elaborate system of taking oaths. Basically, if they said certain things - they had to keep their word. If they didn’t say those things - they weren’t bound to keep their word.
The scribes and Pharisees practiced “situational ethics” with the law of God. Jesus condemns them for doing this.
Now we think we don’t do this today - but do we “allow” ourselves to post ungodly things on social media because of something happening in the political scene? If we are honest with ourselves, it’s more commonplace than we might like to admit.
Because the scribes and Pharisees missed the point of God’s law.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! (Matthew 23:23-24)
Jesus emphasizes in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) that serving God must begin in our heart (mind; the center of our being). The scribes and Pharisees ignored the heart and treated the law of God like a checklist. So long as they didn’t murder, commit adultery, etc., they were good faithful people.
Jesus says, “But what if you harbor anger toward your brother in your heart?” (Matthew 5:21-26). Jesus emphasizes getting the foundation right first - having your heart right with God. Once that is in place, the right action can follow.
Because the scribes and Pharisees were filthy on the inside.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:25-28)
While the scribes and Pharisees appeared to be righteous and holy on the outside, Jesus said on the inside, they were full of corruption, selfishness, and uncleanness.
They were not what they appeared to be - they were like “actors in a play.” They were playing a character of holiness, but that’s not who they really were.
Because the scribes and Pharisees believed themselves to be better.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, “If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
“Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? (Matthew 23:29-33)
Jesus addresses the mentality of the scribe and Pharisees who thought, “Oh, we are so much more righteous than our ancestors who killed the prophets! We would never do such a thing!” Ironically, they would be the very ones who shouted for Jesus to be crucified (Matthew 27:22-23).
Their pride blinded them to their actual condition. They saw themselves as “the true holy ones” of God’s people. They were the ones the people needed to listen to.
As Christians, may we always remain on guard not to fall into the same way of thinking as many of the scribes and Pharisees.
I’ll be honest with you, Matthew 23 terrifies me because I realize the application is best made to us as Christians - to myself.
We as Christians often like to take the most uncomfortable parts of Scripture and apply them to everyone but ourselves - but an honest look at Matthew 23 will not allow us to take this approach.
Let us humbly consider the words of Jesus and change our lives when we see a reflection from the scribes and Pharisees in our own lives.