Read: Matthew 23
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: The first four verses of this chapter give us key insight into the conflict between Jesus and the religious establishment of His day. Jesus and the Pharisees agreed on many points of theology, since the Pharisees were considered "reformers" of the watered-down ceremonialism of the Temple-based chief priests and Sadducees (who had compromised themselves extensively in their cooperation with the Roman forces that occupied the land). Jesus' main point of contention with the Pharisees was that "they do not practice what they preach" (Matthew 23.3). In their commendable zeal for living out the Scriptures, they created extensive rules and regulations that amounted to tying up "heavy cumbersome loads" and placing them "on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them" (verse 23.4). They also had yielded to the temptation of practicing their piety publicly in order to be recognized (and thus justified, at least in their eyes) by the Jewish people of their day: "Everything they do is for people to see" (verse 23.5). Jesus uses the approach of the Pharisees as an object lessons for His disciples and the crowds that were listening to Him: "The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (verses 23.11-12).
Jesus proceeded to pronounce seven "woes" on the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Jesus appears unusually harsh and judgmental in this passage, but it is important to remember that sharply-worded language and strong imagery were common in religious debates in the Judaism of the first century. Some of the phrases used by Jesus were typical expression used in such debates. The listeners to such debates in those days would not have assumed that the speakers hated their opponents; instead, they would have assumed that the speakers were convinced of the rightness of their arguments (and the error of their opponents' arguments). Perhaps the heart of Jesus' issue with the Pharisees and the teachers of the law is found in verse 23.23: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cumin. 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."
At the end of the chapter, Jesus predicts the coming destruction of Jerusalem (which occurred at the hands of the Romans in 70 A.D.) and His own return one day in judgment (through His use of the Messianic acclamation, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord"). Jesus' words of judgment were not pronounced with any exultation or delight: Jesus actually laments over the situation: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem...how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing" (verse 23.37). Jesus' passion for people is clear...it is a passion that will lead to His own "passion" experience in the following chapters.
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