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“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the
Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do
you allow entrance to those trying to enter.” Matthew 23:13
Today begins Jesus’ “Woe to you…” condemnations of the scribes and
Pharisees. He issues seven subsequent condemnations. The one quoted
above is His first. At the time, Jesus’ condemnations of these
religious leaders fell mostly on deaf ears. They were obstinate and
would not listen to what Jesus had to say. But it’s useful to note
that these condemnations appear to actually be spoken about the
scribes and Pharisees to the disciples and the crowds to whom Jesus
was speaking.
Though there are many lessons we can learn from our Lord, let’s
consider the first thing He says. He condemns hypocrisy. Hypocrisy
is essentially saying one thing and doing another. It’s a
disconnect between what we say and what we do. Hypocrisy can also
come in the form of trying to present oneself as if one has every
virtue under Heaven but in reality cares little for the clear
doctrine and moral precepts given us by God. In the scripture
passage, the scribes and Pharisees claimed to be leading people to
salvation, but they were condemning the very source of salvation.
On one hand, some of what they taught was true, but they failed to
teach with the virtue that comes from God. On the other hand, some
of what they taught was flat-out erroneous, because they were more
concerned about their public persona than they were about the
truth. Essentially, they were hypocrites, because their words and
actions were neither united in the truth nor lived through the
virtues given by God.
These two opposing tendencies seem to be a source of much division
within our Church today. On the extreme “right,” we have those who
preach doctrine but fail to exercise the necessary virtue so as to
be effective instruments of those truths. And on the extreme “left”
are those who act as if so-called virtue is all that matters. They
deemphasize the clear and unambiguous moral and doctrinal truths
that were given to us by our Lord, so that others will praise them
for appearing kind, accepting and compassionate toward all. The
problem is that one cannot exclude truth from virtue or virtue from
truth. Compassion is not compassionate if it lacks truth, and the
truth is not true if it is not presented with the virtues by which
our Lord wants them brought forth. And though the scribes and
Pharisees appear to be more focused upon their interpretations of
various truths to the exclusion of virtue, their struggle with
hypocrisy is just as real for those on both extremes today.
Reflect, today, upon the importance of embracing each and every
moral and doctrinal precept given by our Lord. We must embrace
everything He says with every fiber of our being. Reflect, also,
upon how you express these teachings of Jesus to others. Do you
strive to present the full Gospel with the greatest virtue? The
deeper the truth, the more necessary is the virtue with which it is
presented. And the more virtue you have, the better instrument of
the full truth you will be. Strive to overcome every form of
hypocrisy within your life by working toward true holiness.
Holiness is wholeness. The Truth united to virtue. Only then will
you escape from the condemnation of our Lord, but you will also
thrive as a pure instrument of His saving grace.
My saving Lord, You desired deeply that the religious leaders of
the time be powerful instruments of Your saving Gospel by
presenting all truth in pure love. Please free me from every error
so that Your holy Word will be alive in me and will be sent forth
to others through the manifestation of the many virtues You wish to
bestow. Jesus, I trust in You.
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