Seven times in a row the same word falls like a hammer — woe — on the men who have spent this whole Passion Week trying to trap Him, and then, in the same breath, the hammer gives way to a lament no reader of this chapter forgets: a King who could call down judgment instead pictures Himself as a mother hen, wings spread, over a city that would not be gathered.
A study in Matthew 23 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 25 min read
They Say, And Do Not
This site’s own study of Matthew 22 left every questioner in the temple silenced. Now, with no one left to interrupt Him, Jesus turns from answering traps to naming exactly what has been wrong with His questioners all along.
“Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”
Matthew 23:1-4
“The scribes and Pharisees claimed to be invested with divine authority similar to that of Moses. They assumed to take his place as expounders of the law and judges of the people. As such they claimed from the people the utmost deference and obedience. Jesus bade His hearers do that which the rabbis taught according to the law, but not to follow their example. They themselves did not practice their own teaching.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 612
The instruction itself remains valid even while the men giving it do not live it — Jesus separates the authority of the office from the character of the men currently occupying it, then names exactly what that character is built from.
“But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.”
Matthew 23:5-7
“In such plain words the Saviour revealed the selfish ambition that was ever reaching for place and power, displaying a mock humility, while the heart was filled with avarice and envy. When persons were invited to a feast, the guests were seated according to their rank, and those who were given the most honorable place received the first attention and special favors. The Pharisees were ever scheming to secure these honors.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 613
Against this whole culture of titles and honored seats, Jesus sets a standard His own disciples had needed to hear more than once already this same Passion Week.
“But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
Matthew 23:8-12
“Again and again Christ had taught that true greatness is measured by moral worth. In the estimation of heaven, greatness of character consists in living for the welfare of our fellow men, in doing works of love and mercy. Christ the King of glory was a servant to fallen man.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 613
With the standard named plainly, Jesus turns from instruction to indictment, and the tone of the chapter changes completely.
Ye Blind Guides
“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”
Matthew 23:13-15
“By perverting the Scriptures, the priests and lawyers blinded the minds of those who would otherwise have received a knowledge of Christ’s kingdom, and that inward, divine life which is essential to true holiness. … The Pharisees had great influence with the people, and of this they took advantage to serve their own interests. They gained the confidence of pious widows, and then represented it as a duty for them to devote their property to religious purposes. Having secured control of their money, the wily schemers used it for their own benefit. To cover their dishonesty, they offered long prayers in public, and made a great show of piety.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 614
The next two woes attack a system of oath-taking the rabbis had built to let a man swear convincingly while leaving himself a technical loophole to break his word.
“Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.”
Matthew 23:16-22
“The priests interpreted God’s requirements according to their own false and narrow standard. They presumed to make nice distinctions as to the comparative guilt of various sins, passing over some lightly, and treating others of perhaps less consequence as unpardonable. For a money consideration they excused persons from their vows. And for large sums of money they sometimes passed over aggravated crimes. At the same time these priests and rulers would in other cases pronounce severe judgment for trivial offenses.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 616
Every one of these distinctions dissolves the moment Jesus points out the obvious: nothing is sworn by in isolation, since gold belongs to a temple, a gift belongs to an altar, and the throne belongs to the God who sits on it. The fourth woe turns from oaths to obedience itself.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”
Matthew 23:23-24
“All that God commands is of consequence. Christ recognized the payment of tithes as a duty; but He showed that this could not excuse the neglect of other duties. The Pharisees were very exact in tithing garden herbs, such as mint, anise, and rue; this cost them little, and it gave them a reputation for exactness and sanctity. At the same time their useless restrictions oppressed the people and destroyed respect for the sacred system of God’s own appointing. They occupied men’s minds with trifling distinctions, and turned their attention from essential truths. The weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and truth, were neglected.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 617
Tithing garden herbs cost a Pharisee almost nothing and bought him a reputation for scrupulous holiness; straining every drop of water lest an unclean insect slip through, while ignoring justice, mercy, and faith, is precisely the gnat-and-camel absurdity Jesus names.
Whited Sepulchres
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
Matthew 23:25-28
“As the whited and beautifully decorated tomb concealed the putrefying remains within, so the outward holiness of the priests and rulers concealed iniquity.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 617
Jewish custom whitewashed tombs before Passover so pilgrims would not accidentally touch one and become ceremonially unclean — a practical warning sign that Jesus turns into the most memorable insult in the whole chapter. The seventh and final woe reaches its own irony a step further still.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”
Matthew 23:29-33
“The Pharisees built the tombs of the prophets, and adorned their sepulchers, and said one to another, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have united with them in shedding the blood of God’s servants. At the same time they were planning to take the life of His Son.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 618
“The sin of the priests and rulers was greater than that of any preceding generation. By their rejection of the Saviour, they were making themselves responsible for the blood of all the righteous men slain from Abel to Christ. They were about to fill to overflowing their cup of iniquity.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 618
Building a monument to a murdered prophet while plotting the murder of a living one is not distance from the fathers’ guilt; it is the same guilt wearing a fresh coat of paint.
How Often Would I Have Gathered Thy Children
“Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.”
Matthew 23:34-36
“They knew how the prophet Zacharias had been slain. While the words of warning from God were upon his lips, a satanic fury seized the apostate king, and at his command the prophet was put to death. His blood had imprinted itself upon the very stones of the temple court, and could not be erased; it remained to bear testimony against apostate Israel.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 619
From the very first murder in human history to the most recent one in the temple’s own memory, Jesus draws a single unbroken line of guilt — and then, mid-sentence, the judge’s voice breaks.
“Divine pity marked the countenance of the Son of God as He cast one lingering look upon the temple and then upon His hearers. … This is the separation struggle. In the lamentation of Christ the very heart of God is pouring itself forth. It is the mysterious farewell of the long-suffering love of the Deity.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 620
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Matthew 23:37-39
“Hitherto He had called the temple His Father’s house; but now, as the Son of God should pass out from those walls, God’s presence would be withdrawn forever from the temple built to His glory. Henceforth its ceremonies would be meaningless, its services a mockery.”
Ellen G. White · The Desire of Ages, p. 620
A hen does not force her chicks under her wings; she can only spread them and wait, and the danger she is trying to shield them from is the very thing they walk toward when they refuse her. Seven woes and one lament sit side by side in this chapter because they are, in the end, the same love speaking — the anger of someone who can see exactly what is coming, and the grief of someone who was never willing to let it come without a warning first.
