Matthew 23:23-26
Chapter 23
23
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You carefully avoid neglecting the mint, anise, and cumin seeds when you demand the tenth of everything, but then, you forget what is most fundamental in the law: justice, mercy, and faith! You should have practiced these things without neglecting the others.
24
Blind guides! You remove a mosquito but swallow a camel.
25
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You fill the plate and the cup with theft and violence, then pronounce a blessing over them.
26
Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside first, and then the outside will be clean as well.
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.