THEN JESUS SAID to the crowds and to his disciples: 2“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’
8“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
15“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
16“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ 19You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
23“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!
33“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”
Original Meaning
THE EXTENDED CONTROVERSIES of chapters 21 and 22 revealed beyond any doubt that the religious establishment will not lead the people of Israel in repentance and accept Jesus’ invitation to the kingdom of heaven. These controversies were held in the temple courts within the public hearing of those conducting business there as well as of the crowds who gathered to hear Jesus’ teaching (21:23). Traditionally these events are understood to have occurred on Tuesday of Holy Week. The time of Jesus’ public interaction with the religious leaders and the crowds is winding down, as it is increasingly clear that the leaders’ opposition to him is leading them to plot his demise.
Jesus gives a final scathing denunciation of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees as a warning to his disciples and to the crowds. Jesus addresses this denunciation for several reasons. These religious leaders are the most influential ones of the common people because they were located in the villages throughout Israel and participated in the life of the synagogue. The Pharisees have been Jesus’ most vocal opponents throughout his ministry, primarily because he has undercut their oral law, which threatens their authoritative pronouncements and their esteem among the people. In many ways the doctrinal positions of the Pharisees on crucial items are more similar to Jesus’ positions than other sects within Israel, especially the Sadducees.1
This series of “woes” follows closely from the parables (21:28–22:14) that revealed the culpability of these religious leaders for not leading the nation in repentance with the arrival of the kingdom of heaven, and from the debates (22:15–22:46) in which they attempted to entrap Jesus. Jesus warns the crowds and his disciples of the false leadership of these leaders and alerts them not to follow their false example (23:1–12). But he also directs the woes against them directly to confront them with their failed responsibility as leaders and with its consequences. Because of their deadly false leadership, Jesus pronounces severe judgment on them (23:13–39).
Some link these pronouncements with the following Olivet Discourse (chs. 24–25) to form the fifth and final major discourse in Matthew’s Gospel. But since the subjects are quite different, it is best to see these woes as a culmination of the judgment on Israel’s leadership that has been building since Jesus’ climactic entrance to Jerusalem and the events in the temple. Then, as he and the disciples return to Bethany that afternoon, the discourse on the Mount of Olives takes place (see comments on chs. 24–25).
Warning the Crowds and the Disciples (23:1–12)
JESUS FIRST ADDRESSES the crowds and his disciples to warn them of the false leadership that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees have given and to warn them not to follow their example (23:1–12). “The teachers of the law” (or scribes) and “the Pharisees” are two separate groups: The scribes are interpretive experts of the Torah, while the Pharisees are theological experts (see comments on 8:19).
Warnings about demanding legalistic performance (23:1–4). Jesus first warns the crowds and the disciples about the burdens that the teachers of the law and the Pharisees have imposed on them because of their authoritative position in the synagogue. They sit in Moses’ seat and offer pronouncements about the law that they expect the people to follow, but they offer no practical help for them to actually carry them out.
Jesus’ reference to the “seat [kathedra] of Moses” is the earliest known literary reference to this expression.2 Other references in rabbinic literature speak more generally of a synagogue chair on which esteemed rabbis sit when teaching.3 This “seat” was often viewed as a figurative expression, referring to the authority of Moses. However, recent archaeological evidence points to a literal chair.4 The purpose of the seat has been debated, though most scholars view it as the seat for a leader in the synagogue. It may be the place from which the synagogue ruler presided, or the place where the expositor sat after reading and interpreting a portion of Scripture, or the place where an honored guest or speaker sat.5 Jesus’ statement confirms the use of the “seat of Moses” as a place from which experts in the law teach.
Jesus declares, “So you must obey them and do everything they tell you.” This declaration is somewhat surprising, given his antipathy toward them in the following warnings and woes. While this may be sarcasm or bitter irony,6 Jesus’ statement follows from the religious leaders’ position as expounders of Moses’ teaching. He gives a scathing denunciation, yet he recognizes their official capacity when exercised in the proper manner. Any and all accurate interpretation of Scripture is to be obeyed. The Pharisees had many good things to say, and their doctrine was closer to Jesus’ on many crucial issues than to other groups. Jesus does not deny that their teaching is beneficial for spiritual life, and he endorses, in principle, their desire to pursue righteous ends.7 In this sense, Jesus does not condemn them for developing their teaching, but he does condemn oral tradition when it incorrectly interprets the intent of the Old Testament and inappropriately supplants it (cf. 15:1–9).
Jesus further condemns the hypocritical behavior that some (likely not all) Pharisees expressed. “But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.” Jesus does not condemn the pursuit of righteousness itself; rather, he criticizes only certain attitudes and practices expressed within the effort to be righteous. Here he points to specific issues in which the Pharisees preach one value but do not practice it themselves. This is a form of hypocrisy. The hypocrisy that Jesus condemned in the SM was that the Pharisees were doing right things for the wrong reasons (cf. 6:2). Both forms of hypocrisy are included below in Jesus’ criticism.
Throughout his ministry, one of Jesus’ core censures of these religious leaders has been that they burden the people (e.g., 9:36; 11:28–30). As he says here, “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” “Heavy loads” put on people’s shoulders denotes the rabbinic oral tradition that was a distinctive feature of the Pharisaic branch of Judaism. It was intended to make the Old Testament relevant to life situations where it seemed irrelevant, such as the complex sacrificial system in contexts removed from the temple, both in time and in locale.
The oral tradition was also designed as a “fence around Torah” (see m. ʾAbot 1.1). Their interpretations, applications and solutions to problems became a means of protecting Torah itself. Since the oral law was considered to be of divine origin, its massive obligations became far more burdensome than Scripture, and with the passing of years and the addition of more and more prescriptions, the rabbis could not lessen the burden without overthrowing the whole system. This is the inherent conflict with Jesus and the Pharisaic system, because they were so committed to their system that they missed the movement of God among them in the person of Jesus.
Warnings about pretentious public displays of piety (23:5–7). The second warning Jesus gives to the crowds and his disciples about the teachers of the law and the Pharisees is that “everything they do is done for men to see.” The expression “for men to see” is reminiscent of Jesus’ criticism of the religious leaders in the SM (cf. 6:1). The specific criticism here focuses on two related practices: wearing of religious garments and positioning for religious prominence. In Jesus’ view, conducting religious performance in order to enhance reputation and status among the people will actually blot out God from the people’s attention.
The religious garments of the leaders come in for the first criticism: “They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long” (23:5). Phylacteries (phylakteria; Heb. tefillim) are small leather cubical cases containing passages of Scripture written on parchment. They were worn as an attempt to obey literally the admonition in the book of Deuteronomy, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads” (Deut. 11:18; cf. Ex. 13:9, 13; Deut. 6:8). They were fastened to the left arm and forehead to be worn by adult males in the morning service.
The discovery of leather phylactery cases at Qumran illustrates their usage at the time of Jesus. One type, about an inch long, was worn on the forehead and contained four small inner compartments for holding four tiny scrolls on which were written, in tiny script, Exodus 13:9, 16; Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18. The second type, approximately one-third of an inch long, was worn on the left arm and had only one compartment with a single minute scroll containing all four verses.8 The rabbis themselves had regulations about wearing phylacteries because of the temptation to wear them too large or inappropriately to draw attention to one’s piety.9 Jesus warns the crowds and the disciples against the practice of parading such religious objects to trumpet one’s piety.
On the four corners of a garment worn by men were “tassels” (kraspeda) that had a blue cord, conforming to the admonitions of Numbers 15:37–41 and Deuteronomy 22:12. The tassels reminded the people to obey God’s commandment and to be holy to God (Num. 15:40). Jesus himself wore these tassels on his garment (see Matt. 9:20/Luke 8:44; Matt. 14:36/Mark 6:56), although the term in these contexts may refer to the outer fringe (decorated or plain) of the garment. Jesus chides these religious leaders for extending the tassels as a display of their piety, which is another way that they try to gain the admiration of the people.
Sought-after religious positions of honor come in for a second criticism: “They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues.” Seating at special dinner occasions was bestowed on guests according to their rank or status. Guests reclined on couches around a U-shaped series of tables, and the place of honor was at the center table, with the host seated in the center and the most honored guests on either side. The other guests were then seated in descending order of importance (see comments on 26:26).10
Seating in the synagogue varied from location to location, with some synagogues having stone benches along one, two, three, or four of the walls, with removable benches or mats brought in for the majority of the congregation. There is ample evidence that the elders and other synagogue leaders had places of prominence.11 Benches or chairs may have been reserved on special occasions for important persons, and, if a regular part of each synagogue, the seat of Moses (23:2) was reserved for the one expounding on Scripture.12
Honorific public recognition to trumpet one’s religious position in the community is especially odious: “They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’ ” The rabbi was generally a master of the Torah, and the title usually refers to the head of a rabbinical school. The association with these schools tended to set them aside somewhat from the populace. The school was a holy community, and the people regarded the members as a whole with great deference.13 These academic institutions were distinguished from the synagogue, with the academy a place to promote Torah study and the synagogue a place to promote prayer.14
Warnings about exploiting titles (23:8–10). After the general warning about the hypocrisy of desiring honorific titles, Jesus warns his disciples against using three specific titles: “rabbi,” “father,” and “teacher.” (1) The warning against being called “rabbi” continues the warning against honorific positions in the community. The ultimate goal of a disciple of a rabbi was to become a rabbi himself at the end of his course of study.15 With Jesus, however, a new form of discipleship emerges. A disciple of Jesus will always and forever be only a disciple, because Jesus alone is Teacher. The ultimate authority within the community of disciples is Jesus, which eliminates the struggle for authoritative teaching positions among his followers. They are brothers of one family, all of whom are equal in status.
(2) Nor are Jesus’ disciples to abuse the term “father”: “And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.” This warning follows from the preceding admonition. If Jesus’ disciples are all brothers, then they must have a common father. Biological fathers are not in view, since Jesus reiterates elsewhere the enduring validity of the fifth commandment to “honor your father and your mother” (15:4; 19:19; cf. Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16), although he does warn against elevating family loyalty over loyalty to Jesus (cf. 10:34–39).
The use of the term “father” as a title of honor, respect, and authority had deep roots in ancient Judaism, including its use by Elisha to cry to Elijah as he was ascending to heaven (2 Kings 2:12; 6:21), its reference to the Maccabean martyr Razis as “father of his people” (2 Macc. 14:37), and its later use to denote the head of a rabbinic court.16 “Father” (ʾabba) occurs regularly in rabbinic sources as a title for esteemed scholars and rabbis.17 The expression “father of the synagogue” was used in rabbinic times of an individual holding a place of honor and leadership within the synagogue affairs generally.
The motif of the heavenly “Father” occurs throughout the Old Testament (Deut. 14:1; 32:6; Ps. 103:13; Jer. 3:4; 31:9; Hos. 11:1), growing increasingly popular during the Second Temple period in prayers for protection and forgiveness.18 Jesus brought his disciples into a unique relationship with God as Father, since he is the unique Son of God and they are his brothers and sisters (cf. Matt. 6:9; 12:48–50). Jesus warns against elevating religious leaders to a place where they usurp the authority due to God alone. No human leader may ever usurp God the Father’s preeminence. This allows Jesus’ followers to leave behind wrangling over preeminence.
(3) Matthew uses a word found only here in the New Testament to describe the third title that Jesus’ disciples are to avoid—kathegetes (“teacher”). It is a near equivalent for the word didaskalos (e.g., 26:18), but it carries an additional sense of “leader” (NASB). The term kathegetes does not occur in the LXX, but it does occur in Greek literature to designate especially a private tutor, which may point to the individual authority an instructor has over a student.19 Since Jesus is alluding to various titles that one might take, perhaps a better rendering is “master.” 20 Jesus’ disciples are not to seek out personal authority as “master” over other disciples, because as the Messiah, Jesus alone is Master (kathegetes). He alone has personal authority to guide his disciples (28:18, 20).The more that Jesus’ disciples exalt Jesus as the Messiah, the less they will think of magnifying themselves over others.
A new type of leadership (23:11–12). Jesus concludes his warnings against legalistic burdens (23:1–4), public displays of piety (23:5–7), and honorific titles (23:8–10) by harking back to a saying that earlier corrected the disciples’ inappropriate concern for positions of prominence (20:26–27): “The greatest among you will be your servant” (23:11). In the new order that supplants the prior leadership of Israel (21:43), Jesus’ disciples must place servant leadership as the highest priority. Greatness in the community of the kingdom is much different from that displayed by the religious leadership of Israel. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have patterned their leadership after the example of worldly rulers, whose primary goal is to extend their own power and authority.
Jesus offers a different model—that of the servant. The ideal servant lived to care for, protect, and make better the lives of those over him or her. Jesus’ disciples had the ambition to be great (18:1) and to have the highest positions (20:21), so Jesus gives them the means by which they can do so according the values of the kingdom of God, not the kingdoms of the world. They must arrange their lives with the ambition to give themselves for the benefit of others.
Like the warnings directed to these religious leaders, Jesus warns his own disciples about trying to thwart this new servant-leader paradigm: “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” If they follow the world’s thirst for power and prestige and attempt to exalt themselves, they will be humbled. Like the leaders of Israel from whom God has taken away their role in the outworking of his kingdom, Jesus’ disciples who exalt themselves will also be humbled and lose their place of leadership. But those who, in the example of Jesus, came not to be served but to serve (20:28) and to live out the humble role of servant, will be exalted as true sons and daughters of the kingdom. This does not indicate exaltation over each other but the equal exaltation that all disciples of Jesus enjoy as those who are brothers and sisters of one another with Jesus as Master and his Father as their own.
Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees (23:13–36)
JESUS HAS WARNED the crowds and his disciples about the destructive example of the teachers of law and the Pharisees. Now he addresses these leaders of Israel directly and pronounces a series of seven “woes” on them, which flesh out the condemnation that Jesus has directed to them throughout his ministry. The interjection “woe” (ouai) is a mixed cry of regret, compassion, sorrow, and denunciation.
When Jesus utters this cry seven times, he is deploring the miserable condition in which the Pharisees can be found, but he is also pronouncing the fate they have brought on themselves. They seem unaware of the judgment that awaits them, living in a fool’s paradise while thinking that they are the epitome of religious blessedness. Their woeful condition lies especially in their hypocrisy and blindness, in which they disfigure the truth of God’s revelation through their self-deception and inconsistency. But it also results from abusing their responsibility as leaders by refusing the invitation to the kingdom of God and by leading Israel to the doom that was likewise prophesied of Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (11:20–24).21
First woe: The shut door (23:13 [14]). The first “woe” establishes the strong language, “Woe to you,” which is reminiscent of Old Testament prophetic series of pronouncements of judgment.22 Similar to Jesus’ key statement in the SM (5:20), the scribes’ and Pharisees’ emphasis on external righteousness not only has blinded them to Jesus’ gracious offer of an inward righteousness through a transformation of the heart, but their leadership role in Israel has caused the people to be blinded as well. Therefore, Jesus condemns these leaders for hypocrisy.
We saw earlier that the term “hypocrite” (hypokrites) was originally used for a play actor (see comments on 6:2). Jesus condemned the religious leaders in the SM for the form of hypocrisy in which they deceived themselves (cf. 6:1–18). Here he condemns them for the type of hypocrisy in which they deceive the people through their fallacious leadership. They have mounted the seat of Moses, from which they offer their teachings and traditions, but their pronouncements are false. They do not lead the people to God but away from the kingdom of heaven. Not only have they rejected the offer to enter the kingdom themselves, but their teachings and opposition to Jesus’ ministry influence the people to reject that invitation as well.
This is a terrible abuse of their responsibility. Jesus condemns them for their hypocrisy, that is, attempting to bring the people into a righteous relationship with God while at the same time not being in a genuine relationship themselves.23 The first woe sets a trajectory for those that follow.24
Second woe: Entrapped converts (23:15). Jesus continues to denounce the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, turning now to address the extent of Jewish activity of making proselytes (proselytos; NIV “win a convert”): “You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” Jewish history records an active propaganda directed toward gaining proselytes. Some rabbis even declared that this was the divine purpose for the exile of the Jewish people (cf. b. Pesaḥ. 87b).25 Josephus indicates that both before and after the destruction of the Second Temple, many proselytes were made both among the masses and the upper classes in the Gentile cities surrounding Israel.26
Perhaps the primary point of Jesus’ invective is best understood by recognizing that the Pharisees, not all of Judaism, are the primary targets here. The Pharisees were ardent advocates of their own sectarian understanding of Judaism, contending that their way was the primary avenue of living a life of true devotion. Therefore, Jesus does not condemn proselytizing per se but criticizes the way that the Pharisees, zealous to win people to their own brand of Judaism, place them under their particularly burdensome code of conduct in the oral law (cf. 23:4). They “succeed only in creating a duplicate of their own devices.”27
These Pharisees have not entered the kingdom themselves and also block their followers from entering (23:13), so when they win adherents, they make their proselytes “twice as much of a child of hell as themselves.” Literally “child of Gehenna,” this is another reference to the Valley of Hinnom, the ravine just south of Jerusalem, which Jewish and New Testament writings use to portray the last judgment and place of eternal punishment (e.g., 1 En. 26–27; see comments on Matt. 5:22). The expression “twice as much” may be literary hyperbole,28 or it may point to the zeal of a recent convert who, knowing no other way, is more easily indoctrinated to the way of error and is far less likely to escape.29
Third woe: Binding oaths (23:16–22). This third woe addresses “blind guides.” The subject is assumed to be the same, but Jesus now intentionally addresses the teachers of the law and the Pharisees by the characteristic that has so led themselves and others astray. Their clever casuistry has blinded them to the truth, which in turns causes them to lead others away from the truth (cf. 15:14). “You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ” The Pharisees developed a complicated series of rulings regarding vows and oaths that were eventually compiled in the rabbinic Mishnaic tractates Nedarim (“vows”) and Šebuʿot (“oaths”).30 Jesus addressed vows in 15:1–9, but here he addresses oaths (and in 5:34–37).
The Pharisees distinguished between oaths made “by the temple” and those made “by the gold of the temple,” and oaths made “by the altar” and those made “by the gift on it.” Included in Jesus’ criticism may be that they have the most important matters reversed, and they are giving more attention to minute details of the law rather than to its principles. This reflects an inconsistent hypocrisy in the religious leaders’ teaching when they declare some oaths binding and others not, and also in their behavior, when they themselves are inconsistent when they take oaths.31 Overall, as he emphasized in the SM, Jesus declares that a person should not try to play games with God or develop elaborate systems to try to remain faithful. A person who lives in moment-by-moment accountability to the presence of the living God will need only to give a simple “yes” or “no” as a binding oath (cf. 5:23, 34–37).
Fourth woe: Neglecting the weighty matters of the Law (23:23–24). The fourth woe combines with the third to emphasize that proper responsibility to God’s law is not found only in fastidious attention to the details but especially in obeying its overarching intent. The Mosaic law specified that a tenth of all that one had was to be given to the Lord for the ongoing work of God through the Levites and the priests (e.g., Lev. 27:30–33; Num. 18:21, 24; Deut. 12:5–19). The Pharisees are so scrupulous about attending to this requirement that they measure out and pay the tithe on the smallest of garden crops—such as the herbs mint, dill, and cummin.
Jesus does not tell the Pharisees and teachers of the law to neglect the tithe, but their scrupulous attention to ceremonial detail consumes so much of their time and attention that they have no time to plan how they will daily exercise the more important matters, such as bringing justice to those who are wronged, mercy to those who do wrong, and faithfulness to those who have departed from the faith. These Jewish leaders have lost sight that the real purpose of their responsibilities to God is to bring about righteousness in this world, not simply perpetuate religious activity and burdens.
With sardonic humor Jesus shows through what may be a well-known proverbial saying that the Pharisees and teachers of the law have indeed overlooked the obviously important issues while focusing on their minute regulations: “You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.” The law declared that many winged creatures were unclean (Lev. 11:23, 41), which the rabbis applied by straining wine to keep out small insects that made wine unclean. While attending to the minutiae of legal matters, they overlook the largest land animal in Palestine, the camel, which was also ceremonially unclean (Lev. 11:4). This may be the clearest example of the kind of hypocrisy that demonstrates inconsistency in their personal behavior. They display partial obedience to God alongside of partial disobedience.32 “The scribes and Pharisees play on the sea shore of religion while the great ocean of fundamental truth lies all undiscovered before them.”33
Fifth woe: Clean outside, filthy inside (23:25–26). The fifth woe reveals a critical flaw of these religious leaders. They are highly committed to their purity laws that require external ceremonial purification. Time and again they criticized Jesus for eating with those who were not ceremonially pure (9:1–12) or for not requiring his own disciples to observe such purity laws (15:1–20). Jesus before warned his disciples and the crowds of this error (15:1, 10–20), but now he confronts them directly. “You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.”
The heart is the source of all thoughts, motives, and actions. The greed and self-indulgence of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, especially their lust for public religious acclaim, are inner motivations that impact external behavior. In order to bring about true purity, their hearts need purifying. The only genuine purification is through the power of the kingdom of heaven (see comments on 5:20; 15:18–20). By rejecting the operation of that kingdom in their own lives, they are choosing to remain inwardly defiled.
A root of hypocrisy is pride, the desire to have others see one as better than one actually is. This deceptive and pretentious attitude fuels a drive for power and prestige by those in a position to take advantage of those who are vulnerable (cf. 23:4, 6–7). Moreover, hypocrisy has caused the Pharisees to miss the more important internal, moral issues that are foundational to the operation of the kingdom—justice, mercy, and faithfulness (23:23). Jesus accuses them of being clean on the outside but dirty on the inside; if the inside is clean, the outside will follow also.
Sixth woe: Whitewashed tombs (23:27–28). The sixth woe describes the religious leaders further as “whitewashed tombs.” It was a custom to mark tombs in burial grounds with white chalk to make them conspicuous so that passersby unfamiliar with the terrain would not come in contact with a tomb and so be rendered unclean for seven days (Num. 19:16; cf. Luke 11:44). This whitewashing practice was especially prominent in Jerusalem during Passover time, when many pilgrims traveled to Judea, lest they inadvertently walk over tombs and incur pollution before the Passover (cf. John 11:55; 18:28).34 This may be another ironic statement by Jesus, because one wonders how whitewash makes a tomb appear “beautiful.”35
At the same time, this woe probably builds on the fifth woe, alluding to the practice at the time of Jesus where ornate ossuaries (small bone-box receptacles) made of white limestone were used to retain the bones of deceased ancestors.36 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were like these ossuaries—on the outside they were deceptively ornate, but inside there is nothing but impure death. Jesus makes his point plain: These religious leaders give the appearance of having avoided unrighteousness by their attention to their many legal requirements, but inwardly they are unrighteous, for they have not attended to the transformation of the heart that can come by responding to Jesus (cf. 5:20; 15:17–20).
Seventh woe: Descendants of murderers of the prophets (23:29–32). The seventh woe continues the theme of death: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.” Matthew alternates here between “tombs” for the prophets and “graves” of the righteous. On the one hand, there may be a difference between these two terms, the former indicating “burial grounds” for prophets that the Pharisees embellished, the latter indicating “monuments” (RSV) adorned for “righteous” religious leaders. The “prophets” and the “righteous” are linked elsewhere (10:41; 13:17), indicating Old Testament prophets and others who were renowned for their righteous lives lived out before God. On the other hand, this may be stylistic parallelism, because Jesus’ explanation does not address two different types of people who were killed but one, the prophets (23:30–31).
We know from literary and archaeological evidence that Jews at this time began building elaborate memorials and richly ornate ossuaries, tomb facades, and sarcophagi, as well as wall paintings and graffiti (cf. 1 Macc. 13:27–30; see comments on Matt. 27:57–61).37 The well-known tombs of esteemed figures from Israel’s history (cf. Acts 2:29) apparently benefited from this development.
Like the preceding woe, this is a blatant contrast between the religious leaders’ fastidious outward observance of cleanliness and the wickedness of their inward motives. They build beautiful monuments to the prophets, but Jesus declares that they are motivationally descendants of those who killed them. They deny that they would have killed the ancient prophets, but as they secretly prepare to have Jesus executed, they demonstrate their wicked, spiritually corrupt lineage to the ancient murderers.
This prepares for Jesus’ final invective, in which the teachers of the law and the Pharisees are found guilty of putting to death the messengers of God. Their hypocrisy lies in the inconsistency between honoring the dead prophets and murdering the contemporary ones, like Jesus, who will face their murderous wrath in just a few short days.38 The religious leaders are intent on their deceptive practices, so sadly Jesus pronounces on them their own self-determined destiny: “Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!” (23:32).
Final Invective: Murderers of the righteous (23:33–36). Some place verse 33 with verses 29–32 as a concluding pronouncement of the seventh woe because the word “therefore” in verse 34 may suggest a new unit. However, 23:33 fits well wit. 23:34–36 as Jesus’ final invective against the religious leaders. These verses do not form a separate “woe” but are a culminating pronouncement of judgment. “Snakes” as used here with “brood of vipers” are synonyms to heap up the culpability of these religious leaders. The wording is reminiscent of John the Baptist’s and Jesus’ earlier pronouncement against the religious leaders (see comments on 3:7; 12:34). Their activities in the last three years is sealing their eternal judgment. It is still not too late to repent and “escape,” but the hardening of their hearts against Jesus’ and John’s message is woefully predictive of future condemnation.
Jesus gives a blood-curdling prediction: “Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.” This prophetic statement points ahead to the Christian era, when Israel will still be a focus of Jesus’ gracious invitation through his messengers, but they will continue to reject that message. The Jewish leaders, with Roman support, were able to unfurl their wrath first on Stephen (Acts 7:54–60). The later crucifixion of Christians was at the hands of the Romans, but most likely instigated by jealous Jewish officials.
The language here echoes Jesus’ prior prophetic statement of the fate of Christian missionaries (cf. 10:16–25) and adds that they will be rejected and persecuted (23:34–35). The lifting of the ban on eating certain meats (e.g., Acts 10:9–16) would make a Jewish convert to Christ unclean in the eyes of the synagogue officials and subject to flogging.39
Along with the prophecy that the religious leaders will murder his messengers, Jesus includes a prophecy of the judgment that will come on them for their murderous activities: “And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” The span from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah includes the entire sweep of biblical history. The first righteous person in human history to be killed was Abel, slain by his brother Cain in an act of unrighteous jealousy (cf. Gen. 4:8–11). The last murder recorded in the Old Testament in the canonical order of the Hebrew Bible (Law, Prophets, Writings) is Zechariah, a son of the high priest (2 Chron. 24:20–22), murdered in the courtyard of the temple.40
This generation of Israel’s history has been privileged to witness the culmination of salvation history. They have had the opportunity of accepting the gospel of the kingdom and seeing God establish his righteousness in Israel. But instead, like those other wicked people in Israel’s history who spilled innocent blood, the religious people of this generation will continue to spill martyr’s blood—Jesus’ and his messengers’. And the crowds will follow their lead in asking for Jesus’ death (27:20), with the result that the people of Israel of that generation declare, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” (27:25). Israel cannot deny her responsibility for shedding innocent blood: “I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation” (23:36).
Lament over Jerusalem (23:37–39)
JESUS’ TONE NOW combines the denunciation of the woes with a compassionate lament. The term “Jerusalem” has stood for the leadership of the nation (cf. 2:3; 21:10), but here it seems to include a reference to the whole nation of Israel for whom Jesus is deeply burdened. Israel stands condemned for eliminating the voice of God’s messengers, soon to include Jesus’ voice and those whom he will send after him (23:34). But like Yahweh in the Old Testament, who provides protection for his people under his metaphorical wings (e.g., Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:1; Ruth 2:12; Ps. 17:8; 91:4), Jesus continues to desire the gathering his people. But he will not force himself; they must determine their own fate—“but you were not willing.”
Jesus is especially burdened in light of Israel’s coming judgment. He predicts the destruction of Israel’s “house,” an expression for the temple in the Old Testament (1 Kings 9:7–8; Isa. 64:10–11; cf. John 12:7.). This is possibly its meaning here as well, although it may point more widely to judgment on Jerusalem’s leadership. Jewish authority will be lost with the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. This is the theme to which Jesus turns next (chs. 24–25).
Jesus concludes his address to the people of Israel with a dramatic prophecy: “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”This is the last time that Jesus addresses the crowds, who have had their opportunity to repent. The Christological implications of Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 118:26 are profound. The same words were cited in 21:9 at Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem, shouted by those identifying him as the messianic Son of David. Now as Jesus cites the same passage, he identifies himself with God’s Messiah, Israel’s Savior, the “Coming One,” who will once again return to his people after a time of great judgment, when they will have no other choice but to acknowledge him as Lord, either in great joy or in great sorrow.
Bridging Contexts
THE PHARISEES STARTED out well. Most likely their roots are found in the schism in Israel between the Hasideans, who advocated pure Jewish culture, and the Hellenists, who adopted Greek ways during the Seleucid dynasty, especially under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–164 B.C.). The Pharisees’ name is probably derived from the Hebrew/Aramaic perušim (“the separated ones”), indicating that they were spiritual descendants of the Hasideans, separating themselves from all pagan practices that would defile pure Jewish religion and ways of life.
The Pharisees came to be one of the dominant forces within Jewish life because they were so influential among laypeople. But Jesus’ scathing denunciation of them indicates that they had begun to accrue to themselves more authority than was warranted and were actually leading the people astray from God’s intent to have the Old Testament alone as central in authority. They did not take their leadership role of directing the people to accept the invitation to the kingdom of heaven that Jesus offered as the long-anticipated and prophesied Messiah. Thus, with the arrival of the kingdom and the establishment of the church to take Israel’s place as the primary instrument and witness to the gospel, the teachers of the law and the Pharisees will be removed from their positions (21:43).
Matthew has witnessed this amazing transition of leadership. He has heard Jesus’ denunciations of the religious authorities, experienced his own calling as an apostle, participated as the Twelve and those around them in Jerusalem became the foundation and leaders of the church, and observed as local congregations with their own elders, pastors, and deacons sprang up throughout the Mediterranean world. A whole new set of leaders are guiding God’s people. But they need guidelines to help them avoid the errors of the Pharisees and Sadducees and promote the kind of people Jesus wants. This is where Matthew steps forward.
In the development of his Gospel, one of Matthew’s primary purposes is to put together a collection of Jesus’ sayings to his disciples in his earthly ministry so that the church will have a resource from which they can teach new disciples to obey everything Jesus commanded them (28:19–20). The bulk of that resource is found in Jesus’ five discourses that Matthew has recorded (chs. 5–7, 10, 13, 18, 24–25). But Matthew has also collected many other sayings of Jesus, including the most comprehensive collection of his warnings and woes, through which he gives cautions of what to avoid. We will briefly look here at the failure of the religious leaders that produced each warning and woe, and in the Contemporary Significance section we will look at the positive lessons we can glean from each.
Warnings for leaders. The section of warnings (23:1–12) cautions church leaders about the temptations that caused the teachers of the law and the Pharisees to distort and abuse their leadership privilege. (1) The first section warns about the burdens of legalism that these religious leaders impose on the people (23:1–4). They rightly teach God’s Word, but their intent is not to provide an example of how it works in their own lives but simply to maintain control of other people’s lives through the burden of legalistic expectations.
(2) The next section (23:5–7) warns about public displays of piety that misrepresent God’s authority. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees rightly attempt to incorporate in their lives patterns of godliness, but they are wrongly drawing attention to themselves. Therefore, the patterns are external and manipulated to be seen as godly, but God is not involved in the process. Jesus’ leaders must be careful of self-promotion at the expense of promoting God’s authority. This kind of leader has not developed personal righteousness and has not earned respect as a leader but has manipulated the religious system to obtain respect.
(3) The final warnings are directed toward those who wear titles that usurp God’s authority (23:8–10). The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have rightly studied carefully to know Scripture to become rabbis, they have rightly become trusted caregivers to whom people can turn for the strength of a father, and they have rightly given themselves to provide guidance for the community as leaders. But when they elevate themselves by accruing these titles, they usurp God’s authority.
Woes for leaders. The second section of this collection addressed to leaders is composed of seven woes and a final invective (23:13–39). (1) The first woe focuses on the personal and party failure of these leaders to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, which has led to a faulty leadership example that is drawing the people away from life in the kingdom of God.
(2) The second woe condemns the zeal of the teachers of the law and Pharisees to win converts to their way of thinking, not God’s. By elevating their oral traditions to equal authority with Scripture, they are actually making converts of hell when people are converted to their way of thinking, because they are in error and are held captive by the legal system.
(3) The next woe addresses the oaths that the teachers of the law and Pharisees make. Jesus condemns them for playing games with God, either to get out of one’s commitment or to trump a prior commitment. They supposedly use Scripture as a validation of their oath, but this is Scripture-twisting to get what one wants.
(4) The fourth woe condemns these religious leaders for majoring on minor issues, which prevents them from accomplishing God’s work in this world. Moreover, their example leads the people into the same kind of burdensome preoccupation with the letter of the law.
(5) In the fifth woe Jesus censures these leaders for their failure to examine their motives of greed and self-indulgence. When motives go unexamined and are sinful, they produce self-absorbed and manipulative ministries.
(6) The sixth woe demonstrates that the religious leaders have created a superficial identity that is man-made. It masks a heart contaminated with hypocrisy and wickedness. The creation of this religious facade hopes to gain a following for its counterfeit character and calling.
(7) The final woe decries the teachers of the law and Pharisees for promoting a religious establishment that advances their own cause at the expense of God’s voice. They perpetuate a religious establishment that kills anyone with God’s righteousness and voice.
Jesus leads us to the conclusion that leadership has stricter condemnation (“How will you escape being condemned to hell?” 23:33; cf. James 3:1; 2 Cor. 10–13). Leaders must listen to God’s message and be careful when they see themselves stifling every voice with which they disagree. God will avenge those who have lived righteously and have been abused by those who have taken God’s authority into their own hands and have quashed all opposition to their own benefit. Be warned—positions of sheer power lead to abuses that manipulate vulnerable people. But God’s judgment awaits those who abuse their authority.
Contemporary Significance
I BELIEVE THAT we as Christian leaders may be more like the Pharisees than we want to admit. I don’t say this in a totally negative way, for the Pharisees had many good things about them: their personal godliness, their commitment to the Scripture, their belief in a coming Messiah and in a resurrection, afterlife, and spirit world, their leadership role in the synagogue, their desire to be separate from the sin of this world. We should all relate to those characteristics.
Nevertheless, one of the most humbling aspects of reading the Gospels (Matthew in particular) is recognizing that many of the criticisms that Jesus lodges against the Pharisees can also be lodged against us. This is especially true of Christian leaders. We have seen how Jesus pointed out many troublesome, indeed sinful, characteristics: pride, public showmanship, one-upmanship, bull-headedness, politicizing of one’s position, and, of course, hypocrisy.
John Fischer, the long-time Christian musician and author, recently confessed that he is like the Pharisees. He writes:
As I have grown to understand the gospel and learn more of God’s grace, I have also become conscious of a corresponding struggle with pride and self-righteousness. Like anyone, I want to be well thought of. I am often conscious, as I am even now, of picking my words carefully, like walking through a minefield of impressions, so as to appear honest while stopping short of the naked truth that might implicate me more than I am willing. It is a problem that the Pharisees of Jesus’ day sought to overcome by concealing themselves behind a whitewashed religious veneer.41
In his book he uses the recovery model somewhat tongue in cheek to help people unmask the intoxication of spiritual pride and prejudice that lures believers away from genuine discipleship to Jesus. The first three steps indicate the direction he takes his readers.
1. We admit that our single most unmitigated pleasure is to judge other people.
2. Have come to believe that our means of obtaining greatness is to make everyone lower than ourselves in our own mind.
3. Realize that we detest mercy being given to those who, unlike us, haven’t worked for it and don’t deserve it.42
Matthew’s Gospel is the source from which leaders can derive insight into the errors of the Pharisees as well as help in establishing more consistent leadership qualities. In the Bridging Contexts section, we listed the warnings and woes Jesus pronounced on the teachers of the law and Pharisees in order to learn from their errors. Here we will attempt to derive some positive lessons from those errors. Twelve basic lessons will help us set a positive trajectory for becoming the kinds of leaders Jesus desires.
| Lessons on Leadership from Jesus | ||
|---|---|---|
Context | Warnings for Leaders | Positive Lessons for Leaders |
1st warning | Demands of legalistic performance abuse God’s authority | 1. Live by example God’s message of grace |
2nd warning | Pretentious displays of piety misrepresent God’s authority | 2. Earn respect and honor; don’t demand them |
3rd warning | Exploiting the use of titles usurps God’s authority | 3. Wear titles lightly that point to God |
Jesus’ leaders | Pursuit of greatness compromises kingdom equality | 4. Serve God’s people to empower them to advance the kingdom |
Context | Woes for Leaders | Positive Lessons for Leaders |
1st woe | Failing to recognize Jesus’ identity prevents others also | 5. Be a signpost to the doorway to the kingdom |
2nd woe | Propagating extremism to entrap converts in error | 6. Make converts to the kingdom, not to yourself |
3rd woe | Violating commitments made to God by religious game-playing | 7. Maintain personal accountability |
4th woe | Majoring on the minors of religious performance | 8. Major on the majors of the kingdom |
5th woe | Failing to restrain impure motives of leadership | 9. Promote motives for leadership-ministry from the inside out |
6th woe | Creating fake exterior leadership identities | 10. Develop personal identity as a leader from the inside out |
7th woe | Perpetuating godless institutional establishments | 11. Choose carefully the traditions you will represent |
Finale | Stifling righteous voices of God so that ours is louder | 12. Listen to God’s other messengers, because leadership has stricter condemnation |
(1) Live by example God’s message of grace (23:1–4). Jesus’ first warning cautions against abusing the authority of God’s Word by demanding legalistic performance from the people. The positive lesson that Jesus’ leaders can learn from this is that we need to live out God’s message of grace by example. The gospel of the kingdom is grace, not practicing works to gain God’s favor. We must demonstrate grace toward those to whom we minister and love and accept them regardless of their performance. We certainly will continue to encourage them toward godliness, but the best way to do so is to provide an example of obedience in our own lives that they can follow. As leaders we must not try to maintain control of other people’s lives through the burden of legalistic expectations.
(2) Earn respect and honor, don’t demand them (23:5–7). The second warning points out that pretentious displays of piety misrepresent God’s authority. A general principle of leadership is that respect is earned, not demanded. In the most basic sense, leadership simply means that we know where we are going, we know how to get there, we have the ability, training, and resources to get there, and the people trust us enough to follow us to our destination.
Young and inexperienced leaders posture themselves as if they know what they are doing and then demand the respect and honor of those below them. I saw this clearly in my own life when I was an assistant drill sergeant in the army at age nineteen. I had the technical knowledge and the position, but not the other qualities of a leader. So I postured myself as mean and experienced, trying to demand the respect of my troops. It didn’t work. In fact, I lost virtually all respect from the trainees. I had to learn the hard way what it meant to earn their respect.
In Jesus’ warnings, we can turn them around to understand how respect and honor are achieved. This has direct relevance to leadership in the church. We must earn respect by the daily, long-term development of our personal godliness, not in artificial and ostentatious displays of piety, but in developing our prayer life, controlling our temper, and maintaining an appropriate demeanor when in front of people. We can also earn respect by taking the less prominent positions, such as going last at church potlucks, sitting with the children at a Christmas celebration, or sharing the pulpit with associates who preach or teach better than us. We can also earn respect by developing a personal transparency that allows people to engage us intimately. It is a temptation to hide behind titles and positions and pretentiously posture as a leader, but your people need to see plain old you—a regular person like them, who is also in process of growing into the image of Christ. Don’t demand respect and honor by manipulation.
(3) Wear titles lightly that point to God (23:8–10). Jesus also warns against exploiting the use of titles, because doing so usurps God’s authority. The warning is not so simple as to suggest that titles are always inappropriate. Rather, the warning is directed against three issues that can stifle our discipleship to Jesus. (a) Rabbi. In our desire to teach and provide others with insights into the Word of God, we should be careful to avoid academic arrogance. We should be careful never to supplant Jesus as the Teacher, who will guide his disciples into all truth through the Spirit-guided Word of God (cf. John 16:13, 14). (b) Father. In our desire to protect and nurture others, we should be careful to avoid religious elitism. All Jesus’ disciples are his brothers and sisters, and we should never elevate ourselves to where we supplant our heavenly Father. (c) Master. In our desire to guide and lead others into the fullness of discipleship, we should be careful to avoid authoritarian dominance. Jesus is the Master, the one who has all authority, who is Lord and Head of the church.
The positive side is that we should wear lightly any titles we may have, for each points to some aspect of God’s relationship with his people. The way to exercise this form of leadership is to understand the responsibilities of a title, to help the people respect the office that lies behind a title, but not to command authority by a title that usurps God’s authority. It is easy to be known by who we are, by what we know, or by the degrees we have. But this produces arrogance and cockiness. We must never forget Paul’s statement that “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1). Don’t use your titles or degrees or education to manipulate people into following you. Use it to bless them so that they can be drawn into an even more intimate relationship with Jesus. Wear your titles lightly by allowing them to make you wiser, more understanding, and more effective as a servant of Christ.
(4) Serve God’s people to empower them to advance the kingdom of God (23:11–12). In concluding the three warnings, Jesus gives the main principle of what it means to be the new kind of leader for his kingdom program—servanthood. This type of leadership means empowering others to do God’s will. For those that have been placed in positions of prominence, such as a teacher, minister, or executive, the goal of each position is to advance the kingdom; the means is to give yourself to all so that they can best accomplish God’s calling on their lives. Those who promote themselves to positions of authority in order to get acclaim and honor will find that position taken away and will be set aside from service in the kingdom. Those who care only to serve God will find themselves elevated to the level of equality as brothers and sisters of Jesus, with no prominence given to anyone but him.
(5) Be a signpost to the doorway to the kingdom (23:13). The first woe chides the religious leaders for failing to recognize Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. What we teach and believe has tremendous influence in the lives of those who look up to our leadership position. The fifth principle for leaders is that in all that we say and do, we are to be a signpost to the doorway to the kingdom. We are to provide a personal example of the teaching concerning the reality of life lived in the power of the presence of Jesus through the indwelling Spirit of God.
(6) Make converts to the kingdom, not to yourself (23:15). The second woe blasts the religious leaders for propagating their extremist sectarian views to convert others to their way of thinking and living, but this entraps their converts in error, which ultimately will result in eternal punishment. This is the tragic result of those who are entrapped in a cult.
Leaders within the kingdom of heaven are to point people only to Jesus, not our own stuff—we are to make converts to the kingdom, not to ourselves. We must take God’s calling on our lives seriously, for people’s responses to the gospel we proclaim have eternal consequences. But we are not to take ourselves too seriously in the process. If we overstep our bounds, God will use others. Be absolutely sure to maintain a grip on the truth by sticking as close to Scripture as possible. Our idiosyncratic views or pet theological projects can lead people to error and even to judgment. We must passionately pursue converts to life in the kingdom of God, not to ourselves.
(7) Maintain personal accountability (23:16–22). The third woe chides the teachers of the law and the Pharisees for violating commitments made to God by religious game-playing. External forms of accountability can be helpful for staying true to our relationship with Jesus, whether they are small groups, one-on-one checkups, journals, and so on. But we can play games with each of these by lying, shading the truth, or simply hiding our thoughts and actions. It is important for leaders to maintain personal accountability by weaning ourselves from artificially imposed ways of remaining accountable to God. The most straightforward approach is the transparency of a life lived in the intimacy of a relationship with Jesus.
(8) Major on the majors of the kingdom (23:23–24). Jesus pronounces the fourth woe on the religious leaders because they are majoring on the minor issues of religious performance, which prevents them from accomplishing the work of God in this world. The positive principle is crucial. Jesus’ leaders are to major on the major facets of the kingdom, not on the secondary points of religious performance. Like the first warning, it is easy to get caught up in minor issues that lead to legalistic demands and expectations. To understand what are the really important concerns—doctrinally, ecclesiastically, relationally—is to give our time and energies to what will really count for eternity.
(9) Promote motives for leadership-ministry from the inside out (23:25–26). The fifth woe reveals how the religious leaders have failed to examine and amend their greedy and self-indulgent motives in ministry, which produces self-absorbed and manipulative ministries. Leadership can be highly self-centered and self-serving. Jesus calls all of his leaders to evaluate why we do what we do so that we promote his kingdom, not our own interests. It’s easy to put on a show. Run a glitzy worship service and people are convinced that they have really worshiped. But leaders can be tempted to draw attention to themselves instead of to God. This illustrates the importance of team ministries that are honest and transparent, where others call us on our self-indulgent motives and help us promote pure motives.
(10) Develop personal identity as a leader from the inside out (23:27–28). The sixth woe is similar to the fifth, except with a focus not on self-serving motives but on creating exterior leadership identities that are phony. The religious leaders have bought into the motto that “image is everything.” Create a beautiful exterior, whitewash old faults, and people will never know what they are really like. How a leader postures himself or herself will often get results, which sadly underscores that the content of one’s ministry or the depth of character does not matter.
Jesus calls his leaders to develop personal identity from the inside out. Instead of a superficial, external personal identity that is man-made, we must start with a deep, inner, new identity in Christ that is God-made. When considering his eternal future, the apostle Paul muses, “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12). As we open ourselves up to be known by God, we embark on one of the most important aspects of our growth as leaders: to know ourselves as God knows us. Opening up to God enables him to help us understand ourselves more accurately. Find out who you are. What makes you tick the way you do? What are your problems? Our continuing transformation will occur as we know ourselves as God knows us. Let your self-worth grow out of who you are in Christ, not what you do for him.
(11) Choose carefully the traditions you will represent (23:29–32). Jesus’ seventh woe reproaches the religious leaders for perpetuating godless establishments. They are like murderers throughout Israel’s history that put to death the prophets, even though they built monuments to them. Jesus’ leaders must choose carefully the traditions we represent. There are many voices out there, but our calling is to listen to the voice of God and those who represent him.
(12) Listen to God’s other messengers, because leadership has stricter condemnation (23:33–36). Jesus’ final invective against the religious leadership calls them into accountability, which may result in their being condemned to hell. That is a chilling concept. Those who are the most privileged to lead God’s people have the stricter condemnation. This recalls for us as leaders James’s equally chilling warning: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1).
We as leaders must listen to God’s message through his other messengers and be careful when we see ourselves stifling every voice with which we disagree. Jesus rebukes the religious leaders because they are muffling God’s righteous voice so that their own can be heard. God will avenge those who have lived righteously and have been abused by powerful leaders. There are other people out there who speak for God; we are not the only ones. We must examine those voices, but we will be wiser, more balanced, and better equipped when we learn from others and join with them in advancing the kingdom of God.