Matthew 23:1-12
Chapter 23
Invective Against the Scribes and Pharisees
“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
So, you should do and follow everything they say; but do not imitate their actions, for they do not do what they preach.
They burden people with heavy loads and load them onto their shoulders, but they themselves won’t lift a finger to move them.
They do everything to be noticed by others: wearing large bands of the law around their foreheads and robes with oversized tassels.
They enjoy the front seats at banquets and the best spots in the synagogues,
and they love being greeted in the marketplace and called ‘Master’ by others.
But you, do not let yourselves be called Master, because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters.
Neither should you call anyone on earth Father, because you have only one Father—he who is in heaven.
You should not be called Master, because you have but one master, the Messiah.
Let the greatest among you be the servant of all.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Commentaries
Invective Against the Scribes and Pharisees.
Here, the conflict between the Christian community and the Jewish religious authorities reaches its peak. Conditions and genre influence the text: the language likely reflects a time when Christians had already separated from the Jewish community. In contrast, the literary style of “polemic” accounts for obvious exaggerations or oversimplifications when describing the enemy. Religion involves the heart, both vertically in relation to God and horizontally in relation to neighbors. When this does not happen, it can become overwhelming, suffocating, and enslaving.