Theological Commentary: Click Here
Matthew 23
contains a long diatribe against the religious leaders. The crucifixion is coming quickly. He is almost done with His ministry and a few
things need to be said openly. Jesus has
questioned the religious leaders before.
He has spoken parables against them.
Now is the time to speak openly about their error.
What is it with
which Jesus has an issue? Jesus is
concerned that the religious leaders are giving off an appearance of
righteousness but covering up what truly lies within. Actually, I don’t think that is quite
right. Jesus is concerned that those who
follow the religious leaders will develop the same traits. Jesus is concerned that if the religious
leaders put on holiness like a cloak to cover up the greed and power hunger
that lives within then those who follow them will learn to live the same way.
In short, if
you read through this list of woes, there is a strong sense that the inside of
the religious leaders doesn’t match the outside. Human sinfulness lies within while a coat of
cultural purity masks its presence. Jesus
argues that their forefathers – the ones who killed the prophets and ultimately
watched God’s judgment come upon them in the form of Babylon and Assyria – were
just like them.
Here we get
to the heart of Jesus’ argument.
Religious leaders, much like every other human being on the planet, have
evil within. All people are subject to
the temptations of greed, lust for power, lust for popularity, lust for control, and the
like. Those who bury it within are prone
to succumbing to its effects. That’s
what Jesus is talking about. The only
way to truly combat the evil within is to bring it to the surface so that we
can do daily battle against it. The
religious leaders look perfect but are corrupt within. Jesus is teaching His disciples to look real
on the outside and the inside, acknowledging the struggle that truly exists
between humanity and righteousness.
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