Matthew 23:13-36
Woes against Religious Hypocrisy
Read the passage
13Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse 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.
16Woe 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 it sacred?
18And you 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 it sacred?
20So then, 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.
23Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier 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.
25Woe to you, scribes 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, so that the outside may become clean as well.
27Woe to you, scribes 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 every kind of impurity.
28In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous.
30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers.
33You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
34Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.
35And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36Truly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Jesus pronounces a series of woes against scribes and Pharisees. He says they shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces, neither entering themselves nor allowing those who would enter to do so.
Jesus condemns leaders who cross sea and land to make a convert but then make that person twice as much a child of hell. Their rules about oaths value the temple’s gold above the temple, and the gift above the altar. Jesus exposes the evasion: an oath involving God’s dwelling or throne cannot leave God out. He calls them blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel, careful about tiny ritual matters while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
He describes them as people who clean the outside of a cup while the inside remains full of greed and self-indulgence. They are like whitewashed tombs, beautiful outside but full of uncleanness within. Their public appearance hides a heart that has not been made clean.
Jesus also says they build and decorate the tombs of the prophets while their actions resemble those of the ancestors who killed them. The leaders claim they would have acted differently, but Jesus says they will kill and persecute the messengers He sends. He warns that judgment for righteous bloodshed, from Abel to Zechariah, will come upon this generation.
These are severe words from Jesus, aimed at people who use spiritual authority while neglecting justice and burdening others. They are not a license for casual insults or a shortcut to condemning everyone with whom we disagree.
Questions
1 What does Jesus say religious leaders are neglecting?
AnswerJesus exposes religious leadership that blocks people from God, values appearances, and neglects justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
2 Why do herbs, cups, and whitewashed tombs make the hypocrisy visible?
AnswerThe leaders carefully tithe small herbs while neglecting weightier matters, and Jesus compares their outward appearance to a clean cup or whitewashed tomb.
3 How can justice, mercy, and faithfulness expose religious appearance?
AnswerThey show what our devotion produces for other people. Carefully counted gifts cannot compensate for dishonest dealing, withheld mercy or broken trust.
4 Which visible practice needs to be joined to practical mercy?
AnswerThe household can examine one visible religious habit and ask whether it is accompanied by practical mercy, truthfulness, and fair treatment of others.
What This Means for Us
The danger Jesus names is not mere imperfection. It is a pattern in which leaders protect religious reputation while people carry the cost. A family or church should treat that warning seriously wherever spiritual language is used to excuse exploitation, secrecy, or indifference.
Justice, mercy, and faithfulness are not optional decorations added after the important religious work. Jesus calls them weighty matters. Our prayers, giving, Bible knowledge, and public service are hollow if they make us less honest or less compassionate.
Because Jesus speaks so strongly, we should examine ourselves before using the passage against others. Repentance may require confession, restitution, shared oversight, or stepping away from influence until trust can be rebuilt.
A generous public gift does not excuse an unpaid debt or unfair treatment at home. Put the neglected obligation alongside the visible religious practice, and ask God for courage to address what has been easier to hide.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, expose hypocrisy in us and in every place where authority harms people. Make our worship truthful, our leadership accountable, and our concern for justice, mercy, and faithfulness visible. Amen.