After He answered their questions, Jesus Christ delivered
a stinging indictment against the Jewish religious
leadership.
Earlier in his ministry, He alluded to them as blind men
leading the blind …:
"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." -- Matt. 15:14
…
On this occasion, though, He used far harsher descriptive terminology to describe His adversaries:Hypocrites:
"…Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites …" –
Matt. 23:13,14,21,23,25,27,29
Blind fools:
"…ye fools and blind…" – Matt. 23:17,19
Serpents and vipers:
"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers…" – Matt. 23:33
Children of Hell:
"… ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." – Matt. 23:15
Compare the severity of the Savior’s language to some of
the expressions God the Father used about the Jewish
nation in connection with their disobedience:
Stiffnecked:
"And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people." – Ex. 32:9
Children of corruption:
"Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children of corruption …" – Isa. 1:4
Foolish, ignorant people:
"For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding …" – Jer. 4:22
Impudent, stiffhearted, scorpions:
"For they are impudent children and stiffhearted… thou dost dwell among scorpions" – Ezek. 3:4,6
Jesus Christ’s primary purpose in this discourse was
condemning the hypocrisy of the Jewish religious
leadership.Earlier in His ministry, He labeled their
doctrine as "leaven"…:
"Then said Jesus unto them, take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." -- Matt. 16:6
… which He further identified as "hypocrisy":
"Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."
--Luke 12:1
The Savior contrasted what the Jewish religious leaders
taught others to do and what they themselves actually
practiced:
"The scribes and 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." -- Matt. 23:2,3
Their piety stressed external religious observance at the cost of true religion …:
"… ye pay tithes of mint, and anise of 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." -- Matt. 23:23
… concealing their pride …:
"(They) 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." – Matt. 23:6,7
… their rebellious, God-defying attitude …:
"…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." – Matt. 23:13
… their covetousness …:
"…ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayer …." – Matt. 23:14
…and their internal spiritual corruption …:
"… ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess." – Matt. 23:25
Jesus Christ concluded His message by pronouncing
impending judgment against the Jewish religious
leaders.
"… how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" – Matt. 23:33