NOTES for Mat 23:13-22
Christ's fiery, scourging sermon is addressed to the scribes and Pharisees. Having practically monopolized the interpretation of Scripture, these people turned the living word of God into a rigid set of rules that they themselves did not keep. Moreover, behind this fence of what Jesus calls “command upon command,” the fundamental commandments given to Moses become almost invisible—the commandments in which God revealed His love and care for the people of God. Thus those raised in the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees were denied access to what matters most: the loving and merciful God, and the gates of the Kingdom proved closed to them. It is no accident that Jesus warned His disciples so strongly against the leaven of the Pharisees. But can we say that we are entirely free of it? Do we hear Christ's voice crying, “Woe to you!”?