Chapter 23

Portrait of the Scribes and Pharisees.^{[a] 1} Then Jesus addressed the crowds and his disciples: ² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. ³ Therefore, be careful to do whatever they tell you, but do not follow their example, for they do not practice what they preach. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens that are difficult to bear and lay them on the shoulders of others, but they will not lift a finger to be of assistance.

⁵ “Everything they do is meant to attract the attention of others. They widen their phylacteries^[b] and lengthen their tassels. ⁶ They love to have places of honor at banquets and the best seats in synagogues, ⁷ and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be addressed as ‘Rabbi.’

Do Not Be Called Teacher.^{[c] 8} “But do not allow yourselves to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master, and you are all brethren. ⁹ Call no one on earth your father, for you have but one Father, and he is in heaven. ¹⁰ You must not be called ‘teacher,’ for you have only one Teacher, the Christ. ¹¹ The greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.

¹³ Woe to You, Teachers of the Law.^[d]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the entrance to the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow others to enter.

[¹⁴ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you devour the houses of widows, while for the sake of appearance you recite lengthy prayers. As a result, you will receive the severest possible condemnation.]^[e]

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You journey over sea and land to make a single convert,^[f] and then you make that convert twice as worthy of Gehenna as you are.

^16 [g]“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If someone swears by the temple, that is not binding, but if someone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?

¹⁸ “And you say, ‘If someone swears by the altar, that is not binding, but if someone swears by the offering that lies on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind fools! Which is of greater value—the offering, or the altar that makes the offering sacred?

²⁰ “The one who swears by the altar swears both by it and by everything that lies upon it. ²¹ The one who swears by the temple swears both by it and by the one who dwells within it. ²² And the one who swears by heaven swears both by the throne of God and by the One who is seated upon it.

^23 [h]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint and dill and cumin, but you have neglected the more important aspects of the Law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced these without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides! You strain out a gnat and then swallow a camel!

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of a cup and dish, but you leave the inside full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish so that the outside may also be clean.

²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs^[i] that look beautiful on the outside, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of decay. ²⁸ In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

²⁹ The Judgment of God Has Already Come on This Generation.^[j]“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the tombs of the Prophets and adorn the graves of the righteous, ³⁰ and you say, ‘If we had lived in the time of our ancestors, we never would have collaborated with them in shedding the blood of the Prophets.’ ³¹ Thus, you acknowledge that you are the descendants of those who murdered the Prophets. ³² Go and complete the work that your ancestors began.

³³ “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to Gehenna? ³⁴ Behold, therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. ³⁵ As a result, upon you will fall the guilt of all the innocent blood that has been shed upon the earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ Amen, I say to you, the guilt for all this will fall upon this generation.

³⁷ The Lament over Jerusalem.^[k]“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you murder the Prophets and stone the messengers sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not allow it! ³⁸ Behold, your house has been abandoned and left desolate. ³⁹ I tell you, you will not see me again until you say: ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”