Censure of the Scribes and Pharisees.

(Mat. 23:1-39; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 20:45-47).

Having shamed and silenced the Pharisees, and in order to caution His disciples and the people against the spirit of the Pharisees, the Lord pronounces a dire accusatory speech against them, in which He condemns their main delusion on the teachings and on life itself. This speech is brought in full by Evangelist Matthew only, while Saints Mark and Luke present only excerpts from it. The Lord began this speech with: “The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat,” i.e. they have occupied Moses’ place and appropriated the exclusive right to interpret and teach the law of Moses to the people. “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works” — the Pharisees are accused of teaching the law while not living according to it themselves. Of course, “Whatever” has to be understood in a limited sense, because the Savior himself often accused the Scribes and Pharisees of their incorrect understanding and interpretation of the commandments. ``they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear…” Just as heavy loads are placed on animals, they “lay them on men’s shoulders,” all the many and varied determinations of Moses’ law (Acts 15:10), harshly insisting from the people their fulfillment down to the last insignificant detail, while themselves not lifting a finger to assist them. When the Pharisees do fulfill something that they demand of others, it is not for the sake of pleasing God, but to impress the people and receive public praise. “They make their phylacteries broad,” i.e. without any need but just to impress people by enlarging these leather pouches or drawers, which contained papyrus leaves or small parchments with inscriptions from the law: Exodus 13:1-9; Deut. 6:4-10 and 11:13-22. During prayer, they were affixed with belts — one to the forehead and the other, to the left arm.

The carrying of these depositories came about from the literary interpretation of the words from Exodus 13:9; “And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes.” The Jews believed that these depositories protected them against evil spirits, “and enlarge the borders of their garments” — by four brushes being sown on the edge of the outer garment, from which ruby-colored threads extended around the hem. The law, as a reminder of God’s commandments decreed this, as well as to distinguish them from other people (Num. 15:37-40). Because of their vanity, the Pharisees made these brushes larger than normal. “Love…the best seats in the synagogue, and the best places at feasts” — in those times, people did not dine in a sitting position but reclined on special, large and long pillows, situated close to the table, which resembled the letter U. The privileged or honored places at the table were located at the centre of the table, and these were the positions that the Pharisees sought: while in synagogues, they demanded positions closest to the central seat.

“And do not be called teachers.” This means: “Do not seek to be extolled as teachers, fathers and instructors, because in a personal sense, the only Father to everyone is God, and the only Instructor and Teacher is Christ. This forbiddance to be called teacher, father and instructor, must not be interpreted literally — like the various sects do — because as can be seen through the numerous Apostolic Epistles, they used these terms in relation to themselves: 1 John 2:13; Ephes. 6:4; Phil. 2:22; Acts 13:1; James 3:1; Romans 2:20, 4:16; 1 Cor. 4:15, 12:28-29, 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 4:3; Heb. 5:12, 13:7, 17. It’s out of the question that the Apostles would violate Christ’s decree by using these names. The correct interpretation is that this decree was directed to the Apostles personally, cautioning and instilling into each one that nobody is greater than anyone else among the group; that they are equal among themselves, and anyone wishing to become great, must become a servant to the rest. It is unnecessary to render honor to man that is befitting to God only, and excessively revere teachers and instructors as though they were pronouncing their own words and not that of God. “But woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men…” because you did not believe in the Messiah Christ, and turned others away from this saving faith. “You devour widows’ houses…” you deceive widows with your sanctimonious exhibitions and plunder their possessions. “You travel land and sea…” securing converts from heathens and not caring about instructing them in the true faith — and further corrupting them with your hypocritical lifestyle. “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.’” — the Jewish scholars made distinctions between minor and major oaths, and taught that it wasn’t necessary to fulfill the former. They regarded giving an oath involving church contributions or gold as major, while those involving the church itself or its altar, as minor. The Lord points out that giving an oath with any of these items means to give an oath with God Himself and therefore — all should be fulfilled. “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.” In fulfilling the law regarding tithes (Num. 18:20-24; Deut. 14:22-28), the Pharisees used to pay their tithes even on those herbs that are not mentioned in the law because of their insignificance. The Lord censures them because while they strictly fulfill the trivial, they ignore the important, such as: justice in court matters, benevolence toward the poor and the unfortunate, faithfulness toward God and His law.

“Who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” — this was a folk saying in the East: to be concerned about trivialities while neglecting the important things. The Pharisees were akin to those that while they strain out a gnat that has fallen into a drink, they swallow a whole camel (naturally, in a hyperbolic sense), i.e. they permit grave sins. “You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence” — the outward cleanliness of the china, which concerned the Pharisees, is in contrast to the inward state of the china — full of food, secured through plunder and injustice. Before all else, it is necessary to be concerned about this inner cleanliness, so as to acquire your daily bread through honest means.

“You are like whitewashed tombs,” i.e. whitened with lime. Every year, on the 15^th day of the month of Adare, the caves that served as burial places had their coffins whitewashed so that they would not be touched by passers-by, as this would — according to the law (Num. 19:16) — make the individual unclean for 7 days. From the outside, these whitened coffins looked attractive: just as the Pharisees, outwardly, seemed righteous, but in reality were hypocrites and lawbreakers. The Lord further censures the Pharisees for building tombstones to the Prophets and adorning monuments of the righteous, who were slain by their fathers. They seemingly revere the slain righteous, but in reality are worse than their fathers — an ancestry they are proud of — because they are ready to kill the Lord Himself. “Fill up, then, the measure of your father’s guilt” — i.e. you shall surpass the villainy of your fathers. “I send you Prophets..” — means the sending of Apostles and their colleagues to teach through evangelical sermons; here, the Lord predicts how the Jews will pursue and persecute them, akin to their fathers that murdered the Old Testament Prophets. “That on you may come all the righteous blood..” being evil, the Pharisees will carry the responsibility for all the righteous blood that was shed — not only of their making but of their ancestors’ — beginning with the blood of Abel that was killed by his brother Cain, through to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, murdered between the temple and the altar.

Some surmise that upon the orders of king Jehoash, Zechariah was stoned to death in the yard of the Lord’s house (2 Chron. 24:20). While it’s true that Zechariah was called the son of Jehoiada, this may be his second name, because it was a Jewish custom to have two names. Some ancient thinkers like Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and others, surmised that he was the father of John the Baptist. For all the transgressions committed by the leaders of the Jewish people — the Pharisees and Scribes — the Lord pronounces a severe judgment on Jerusalem: “Your house is left to you desolate,” which is what happened 36 years later, when in the year 70, Titus Flavius and his Roman hordes subjected Jerusalem to total destruction. The Lord speaks on this event with deep sadness, pointing to all His love for the malicious people, akin to a bird’s love for its fledglings. “You shall see Me no more till you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” — this means the time of Christ’s Second Coming, when even the unbelievers will involuntarily be forced to praise His Divinity.