Matthew 23:13-22

1 Thessalonians 1:1-5, 8b-10

Psalm 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

Matthew 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:

“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.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.

You traverse sea and land to make one convert,

and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna

twice as much as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say,

‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing,

but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’

Blind fools, which is greater, the gold,

or the temple that made the gold sacred?

And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing,

but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’

You blind ones, which is greater, the gift,

or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;

one who swears by the temple swears by it

and by him who dwells in it;

one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God

and by him who is seated on it.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I have no desire to be like the scribes and Pharisees. Help me to rid my life of any hypocrisy. I want my yes to mean yes and my no to mean no. I want my actions to conform to my Christian faith. I will strive to imitate your Son as best as I can, empowered by your grace and moved by your Spirit.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The First of Seven Woes: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus pronounces a series of seven woes upon the scribes and Pharisees. Woes are a pronouncement of impending judgment and are used by Jesus as a warning to the scribes and Pharisees. The warnings of woes are related to covenant curses since they are the opposite of the promises of blessing. Jesus pronounced eight blessings in the Sermon on the Mount. Spiritual poverty, mourning, meekness, justice, mercy, purity of heart, peace, and enduring persecution are the path to blessing. In the seven woes, Jesus warns the scribes and Pharisees about their hypocrisy and spiritual failures as the religious leaders of the People of God. The first woe condemns the scribes and Pharisees for “locking the Kingdom of heaven.” They aren’t entering the Kingdom, and they are preventing others, the people they are supposed to be helping, from entering. This is the height of their hypocrisy. They think highly of themselves as guides and experts in how to fulfill God’s Law perfectly and so enjoy God’s Kingdom, yet are neither guides nor experts. Their false teaching, legalism, burdensome human traditions, and self-righteousness are leading them and others astray.

2. The Second and Third Woes: The second woe in today’s Gospel warns the scribes and Pharisees that their hypocrisy is leading the people into hypocrisy. When they make a convert to their Pharisaical way of life, they make the convert a “child of Gehenna” instead of a child of God. They are teaching people how to be hypocrites and rely on their human achievement of righteousness instead of humbly relying upon God’s help to attain righteousness. The third woe warns the scribes and Pharisees that they are creating convoluted rules about oaths and prioritizing trivial distinctions over true integrity. This reveals their spiritual blindness. In the Gospel of John, Jesus accuses the Pharisees of saying that they see, when in fact they are blind (John 9:39-41).

3. The First Letter to the Thessalonians: For the next four weeks, the First Reading will be taken from Paul’s letters. This week, we read from Paul’s earliest letter in the New Testament. It was written to the Christian community in Thessalonica, which was a major port city and the capital of Roman Macedonia. Paul, together with Silas and Timothy, opens the letter with gratitude for the Thessalonians’ faith, love, and hope. He acknowledges their steadfastness despite persecution and their reputation as a model for other churches, having turned from idols to serve God. At the end of his greeting, Paul introduces the main topic of the letter: How to await the second coming of Jesus, the Son of God. Timothy had been sent to the Thessalonians to check on them. And Timothy brought back a very positive report about their faith and love. But Timothy noted how the Thessalonians were worried about the fate of believers in their community who died before Christ’s return. And Paul writes to them to respond to their concerns. We are like the Thessalonians, since we are also awaiting the glorious coming of Jesus.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I pray for the coming of your Kingdom. I will work to spread your Kingdom in the world around me. I pray that you fully reign in my heart, in my family, and in my community. Come, Lord Jesus!

Living the Word of God: We will be judged by God and the secret intentions of our hearts will be brought to light. Will we be judged like the scribes and Pharisees, with unmerciful hearts full of hypocrisy? Or will we be judged to have a merciful, child-like heart that welcomes the Word of God and allows God to reign?